Jerry Goff

Jerry Leroy Goff (born April 12, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball player. Primarily a catcher, Goff was listed at 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and 207 pounds. He batted left and threw right.

Cal pitcher Ren Thompson is credited with giving Goff the nickname "Jack".

Amateur career

Goff was drafted twice as a player at San Rafael High School, by the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees, but he elected instead to attend the University of California, Berkeley. He is 9th in career home runs for Cal (29; tied with Josh Satin).^[1] He was drafted in the third round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft, 63rd overall, by the Seattle Mariners and he decided to turn pro.

Professional career

Goff struggled with a low batting average while advancing through Seattle's minor league system, but also showed good power. The Montreal Expos acquired him from Seattle in exchange for Pat Pacillo on February 27, 1990, and he made his Major League debut with them on May 15 of that year. He returned to the minors for 1991, but spent parts of the next six years as a backup catcher for the Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros.

On May 12, 1996, Goff allowed six passed balls in a single game: two each in the first, third, and fourth innings. This tied him with catchers Rube Vickers and Geno Petralli for the single-game record. Goff had two hits in the game, including a home run, but his miscues led to five unearned runs for the Expos, who went on to win the game 8–7.^[2] The Astros sent Goff to AAA on May 17, and he never appeared in another major league game. He appeared in 90 games in his major league career, batting .215 with a .320 on-base percentage and a .336 slugging percentage in 214 at bats.

Goff continued to play professional baseball after his days in the Major Leagues were finished. While with the independent Amarillo Dillas, Goff was a member of the Texas–Louisiana League All-Star team in 1997.^[3] The last healthy position player remaining on the roster, Goff entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and hit a game-winning double.^[4]

Working as a firefighter in 2001, Goff was still playing semi-pro baseball for the Novato Knicks, an exhibition team based in Marin County, California.^[5]

Post-career

Goff now lives in Novato, California with his wife and two children, Lauren and Jared, who was selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the number 1 overall draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Notes

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube