Misplaced Pages

John Gamble (baseball)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bloom6132 (talk | contribs) at 07:38, 15 September 2022 (adding more info and reusing sources). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 07:38, 15 September 2022 by Bloom6132 (talk | contribs) (adding more info and reusing sources)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) American baseball player (1948–2022) Baseball player
John Gamble
Shortstop
Born: (1948-02-10)February 10, 1948
Reno, Nevada
Died: September 1, 2022(2022-09-01) (aged 74)
Orovada, Nevada
Batted: RightThrew: Right
MLB debut
September 7, 1972, for the Detroit Tigers
Last MLB appearance
May 25, 1973, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average.000
Home runs0
RBI0
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

John Robert Gamble Jr. (February 10, 1948 – September 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball shortstop who played thirteen games for the Detroit Tigers in two seasons of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1972 to 1973. He batted and threw right handed and served primarily as a pinch runner.

Early life

Gamble was born in Reno, Nevada, on February 10, 1948. He was the first of three sons of John Sr. and Muriel Gamble, both of whom worked as teachers. Gamble attended Carson High School in nearby Carson City, Nevada, where he starred in basketball and football in addition to baseball. He posted batting averages of .479 and .420 during his junior and senior years, respectively, which caught the attention of scouts and led to him being offered a baseball scholarship by the University of the Pacific. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second round of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft.

Professional career

Gamble played seven seasons in the minor leagues from 1966 to 1972. He distinguished himself with his base stealing prowess and penchant of turning double play, despite leading the league in errors by a shortstop and his mediocre offensive performance. He was eventually acquired by the Detroit Tigers in the 1970 Rule 5 draft. Gamble made his MLB debut for the franchise on September 7, 1972, at the age of 24, entering as a pinch hitter and popping out in foul territory during his only plate appearance in a 9–0 loss against the Baltimore Orioles. The next four games he played in saw him utilized only as a pinch runner. He then had two plate appearances in the final game he played that season on October 4, but went hitless and did not reach base. He also played seven innings at shortstop during that same game, his first and only major league appearance at defense. Although manager Billy Martin reportedly wanted Gamble to replace the injured Ed Brinkman for the 1972 postseason, he was not added to the playoff roster.

After spring training in 1973, Gamble returned to the minor leagues. However, he was soon promoted and played his first major league game of the season on May 16. After entering as a pinch runner in extra innings, he scored the winning run on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Mickey Stanley in what turned out to be the only run he would score in his major league career. He played in six more games – all as a pinch runner – before being sent back down to the minor leagues at the end of May and undergoing season-ending knee surgery shortly thereafter. He played his final major league game on May 25, 1973, at the age of 25. He continued playing in the minor leagues until retiring at the end of the 1976 season.

Personal life

Gamble married Dawn in 1969. Together, they had two children: Cory and Tawnya. They eventually divorced. After retiring from professional baseball, Gamble worked for Washoe County Parks until 2005. He also coached high school baseball and softball in his hometown.

Gamble died on September 1, 2022, while dove hunting with his family in Orovada, Nevada. He was 74, and suffered from a cardiac event prior to his death.

References

  1. ^ "John Gamble Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Moody, Chad. "John Gamble". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "John Gamble Minor Leagues Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  4. "September 7, 1972 Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles Box Score Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. September 7, 1972. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  5. "John Gamble 1972 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  6. "John Gamble 1972 Fielding Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "John Gamble 1973 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Murray, Chris (September 14, 2022). "John Gamble, first local player to reach Major League Baseball, dies at age 74". Nevada Sports Network. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  9. "John Robert Gamble Jr. – Obituary". Sonoma Funeral Home. Retrieved September 14, 2022.

External sources

Portals: Categories: