Pat Zachry Was Yet Another Baseball "What Might Have Been"

Former MLB pitcher Pat Zachry, best known for being the co-winner of the 1976 NL Rookie of the Year, passed away on Thursday following a lengthy illness at the age of 71. Zachry's death was announced by his former Cincinnati Reds teammate Johnny Bench. 

Zachry, a lifelong resident of Waco, Texas, was drafted out of high school by the Reds as a 19th round draft pick in 1970. Given the depth of the Big Red Machine, Zachry pitched in the minor leagues for six seasons before getting a crack at the big-league roster in 1976 after the Reds traded Clay Kirby to the Montreal Expos. 

Zachry made the most of his opportunity. After beginning the season out of the bullpen, the Reds moved Zachry into the starting rotation following an injury to Don Gullett. In 38 appearances (including 28 starts), Zachry went 14-7 with a 2.74 ERA striking out 143 batters in 204 innings pitched. He would share NL Rookie of the Year honors with San Diego Padres reliever Butch Metzger. If that wasn't enough, Zachry earned a World Series ring with the Reds winning Game 3 of the four-game sweep of the New York Yankees.

Unfortunately, this would prove to be the zenith of Zachry's career. He would struggle during the 1977 season following hernia surgery and elbow trouble. In a dozen starts with the Reds, Zachry went 3-7 while his earned ballooned to 5.04. On June 15th, the Reds would trade Zachry along with pitcher Dan Norman, infielder Doug Flynn and outfielder Steve Henderson to the New York Mets in exchange for Tom Seaver in what was known as the "Midnight Massacre". In 19 starts for the Mets, Zachry made a decent accounting of himself going 7-6 with 3.76 ERA. 

In 1978, Zachry would earn his only All-Star Game selection. He was potentially on his way to a 20-win season with a mediocre Mets club. However, in a game against the Reds on July 24th, after being lifted for a pinch hitter, Zachry tried to kick a batting helmet and ended up kicking the steps injuring his foot and putting his season to a halt. In 21 starts with the Mets in 1978, Zachry went 10-6 with a 3.33 ERA.

Injuries would keep Zachry off the mound for most of the 1979 season though he did pitch well in limited action going 5-1 with a 3.59 ERA in seven starts. Although Zachry would post a solid 3.01 ERA in 1980, his won-loss record that season was 6-10. The Mets had a paltry offense, and they were shutout in four of his 10 losses that season. Prior to the 1981 season, Zachry re-signed with the Mets for $2 million over five seasons. During the strike shortened season of 1981, Zachry would lead the NL in losses with 14 while leading the league in home runs surrendered with 13. By 1982, Zachry was pitching primarily out of the bullpen. Although he had re-signed with the Mets, Zachry did not like pitching in New York describing it as going "from the penthouse to the outhouse."

Following the 1982 season, the Mets traded Zachry to the Los Angeles Dodgers for infielder Jorge Orta. Pitching almost exclusively out of the bullpen, Zachry went 6-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 40 appearances. The Dodgers would win the NL West that season marking his first return to the post-season since 1976. Zachry made two appearances in the NLCS, but the Dodgers would fall to the Philadelphia Phillies. 

After one more season in Dodger blue, Zachry would be traded to the Phillies for first baseman Al Oliver. However, the Phillies used Zachry sparingly and the team would release him in June after pitching only 12.2 innings over 10 appearances. At age 33, no one wanted his services. In reality, it was the beginning of MLB owners colluding to keep salaries down thus cutting short the careers of many players. In 10 MLB seasons, Zachry went 69-67 with a 3.52 ERA in 293 appearances (154 of those starts). In 1,177.1 innings pitched, Zachry struck out 669 batters while walking 495. Zachry would later pitch in the short-lived Senior Professional Baseball Association in the late 1980's. 

Like his former Reds teammate Don Gullett who passed away earlier this year, Zachry is yet another baseball "what might have been". 

Zachry would return home to Waco and eventually follow his wife Sharron into teaching. Sadly, in November 2016, his wife was killed in a car accident in which he was injured. I have no doubt the loss of his wife to whom he had been married for 40 years contributed to the illness which led to his passing. R.I.P.