Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #10 Tom Gorman

#33
Thomas Patrick Gorman
Relief Pitcher

The season before he had eight relief appearances with the Phillies, Tom Gorman was on the other end of one of the most memorable games in Phillies history.  Gorman was the starting pitcher for the Mets on June 11, 1985, lasting a third of an inning and allowing six runs including the first of two Von Hayes home runs hit in the first inning.  The Phillies would go on to win the game 26-7.

Gorman was released by the Mets at the end of spring training in 1986, and signed a few weeks later with the Phillies.  He'd spend the bulk of the 1986 season pitching for the Triple-A Portland Beavers, but he'd get the call to the Phillies in early July when the struggling Mike Maddux was sent down.  Gorman struggled in his eight outings and he was sent back to Portland in early August, replaced on the roster by Michael Jackson who would soon make his big league debut and assume Gorman's #33.

Gorman finished out the season in Portland and was released following the 1986 season.

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  194
Born:  December 16, 1957, Portland, OR
Drafted:  Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 4th round of the 1980 amateur player draft, June 3, 1980
Major League Teams:  Montreal Expos 1981-1982, New York Mets 1982-1985, Phillies 1986, San Diego Padres 1987
Professional Affiliations:  Montreal Expos 1980-1982, New York Mets 1982-1985, Phillies 1986, San Diego Padres 1987, Minnesota Twins 1987, Oakland Athletics 1988

Phillies Career
8 games, 0-1 and 7.71 ERA in 11 2/3 innings pitched
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets, April 19, 1986
Debut:  July 5, 1986 - Relieved Tom Hume in the 6th inning and allowed a run over two innings to the Reds
Final Game:  August 5, 1986
Departed:  Released on October 7, 1986.  Signed as a minor league free agent with the San Diego Padres, January 13, 1987

1984 Topps #774
 
1986 Fleer #82
 
1986 Topps #414
 
1986 ProCards
Portland Beavers #7
3 Gorman Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1986 Fleer #82
Last Card:  1986 ProCards Portland Beavers #7

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1984 Topps #774
First Topps Base Card:  1984 Topps #774
Last Mainstream Card:  1986 Topps #414
Other Notable Cards:  1985 Topps #53, 1991 WIZ Mets #146

I first attempted a Phillies card for Gorman using the photo from his 1986 ProCards Portland Beavers card a few years ago.  This original card can be found here.

Sources:  Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember Tom Gorman with the Mets, I didn't remember him being with the Phillies. When I got to his 1986 stats, I realized why I didn't remember Tom Gorman with the Phils.

Jim said...

After the beat-down the Phillies (and Von Hayes) gave him in that one game, I was shocked they had signed him. Then again, the mid-80's Phillies pitching staffs weren't exactly setting the world on fire.