Pat Zachry died on April 4, another passing of my childhood memories with last month’s departures of Ed Ott and U.L. Washington. Zachry was a member of the New York Mets when I first started watching baseball so I got the opportunity to watch him pitch though I must confess I don’t remember many of his starts. Unfortunately, injuries derailed a career in which he won the 1976 National League Rookie of the Year and a World Series title with the Cincinnati Reds. However, the headlines (at least in New York) announcing the passing of Zachry will have the same message.
In 1977, Zachry was part of the most controversial trade in Mets’ history. He was one of the four players traded from Cincinnati to New York which saw franchise icon Tom Seaver going west to the Queen City. It’s a trade that stings Mets fans to this day as Seaver is still arguably the greatest player in the club’s history. It’s unfair to Zachry and the other players in the deal to be known for just being “those guys” who did not have Hall of Fame careers like Tom Seaver. Let’s face it, the teams trading the superstar almost never get an equal value on the exchange. That’s just how it is. From Babe Ruth being traded to the New York Yankees to Paul Goldschmidt being dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals, the returns are not equal.
Pat Zachry was an All-Star in 1978. He pitched reasonably well during one of the worst periods in Mets history. Injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential. Doug Flynn won a Gold Glove in 1980. Steve Henderson finished as the runner up for Rookie of the Year in 1977 and batted .287 during his time in New York. The return on Seaver was probably better than most of these superstar trades. Of course, Zachry being the pitcher coming back in the deal, had enormous shoes to fill in taking on the task of replacing “The Franchise”.
Pat Zachry left us too soon at age 71. May his family be strong during this time of great difficulty and to them, he is more than just a footnote in baseball history.
Threeunassisted 