Rodney McCray (baseball)
| Rodney McCray | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McCray with the South Bend White Sox c. 1988 | |
| Outfielder | |
| Born: September 13, 1963 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 30, 1990, for the Chicago White Sox | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 11, 1992, for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .214 |
| Runs scored | 13 |
| Stolen bases | 9 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Rodney Duncan McCray (born September 13, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player who is best known for crashing through an outfield fence attempting to make a catch. He played mostly in the minors, but also made it to the majors with the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets from 1990 to 1992. He is currently the head coach for the New York Rise of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP).[1]
Early life and career
[edit]Born in Detroit, McCray's family moved west while he was still a child. He enrolled at University High in Los Angeles, then attended West Los Angeles Junior College and Santa Monica Junior College. The speedy outfielder was drafted in the first round by the Chicago White Sox in 1982 and then by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1983, but opted to stay in school. Finally, he signed with the San Diego Padres in 1984.
After four years in the Padres chain, the White Sox claimed him in the 1987 minor league draft. Never much of a hitter (his career minor league batting average was just .226), McCray proved effective by drawing walks (enough to pump his career on-base percentage up to .362) and stealing bases (as many as 91 in one season, with Charleston in 1986).
After making the majors with the White Sox in 1990, McCray was sent back down to the AAA Vancouver Canadians of the Pacific Coast League the following year. On May 27, 1991, at Civic Stadium (now Providence Park) in Portland, Oregon, McCray chased after a fly ball hit by Portland's Chip Hale. McCray initially made the catch, but immediately turned to run right through a plywood fence in right field, just to the right of the 369-foot (112 m) marker, which caused him to drop the ball. The play was shown repeatedly on newscasts across the country; a video clip of the play is now part of a blooper reel looped at the Baseball Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
McCray made it back up to the White Sox later that year, but was used almost exclusively as a pinch runner and backup outfielder.
After signing with the New York Mets in 1992, McCray was again relegated to pinch running until May 8 against the Dodgers in Shea Stadium, when he pinch-ran for Eddie Murray, stayed in the game as the right fielder and then batted in the ninth with two men on and the score tied at 3-3. Off reliever Tim Crews, McCray delivered a game-winning single in what was to be his only major league at-bat of 1992 (and the final one of his career). After appearing in two more games as a pinch runner, the Mets released McCray on June 8; after batting .242 in 61 games for the independent Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks of the Northern League in 1993, he retired as a player.
McCray played in 67 major league games but logged just fourteen at-bats (with three hits), while stealing nine bases in ten attempts.
Personal life
[edit]McCray served as a roving outfield and baserunning instructor for years in the minor league systems of the Montreal Expos, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers.[2]
On August 12, 2006, McCray was honored in Portland with the "Rodney McCray Bobblehead Night", honoring his memorable crash through the wall.[3] McCray threw out the first pitch, and right-center field of PGE Park was renamed "McCray Alley" in his honor. "I just wish I had run through something like a Coca-Cola sign so I could have gotten endorsements," McCray said. "Instead, I ran through a local sign, `Flav-R-Pac meats.'"[This quote needs a citation]
ESPN, in its series Who's Number 1?, ranked the fence incident as the seventh-favourite sports blooper of all time. The Best Damn Sports Show Period ranked the incident number one in their countdown of the Top 50 Devastating Hits in sports history.[citation needed]
On June 4, 2019, McCray's son Grant was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. His daughter, Sidney, accepted a scholarship to play college softball at Grand Canyon University.[2]
Notes
[edit]- ^ "A League of Their Own: Pro Softball to 'Rise' in New York". thenewyorkrise.com. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Baggarly, Andrew (August 15, 2024). "Giants' Grant McCray clears the fence as a baseball family celebrates: 'This is the dream'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "Player who ran through fence will get bobblehead". ESPN.com. ESPN.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Video of McCray running through wall
- 1963 births
- Living people
- African-American baseball players
- American expatriate baseball players in Canada
- American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
- Baseball players from Detroit
- Birmingham Barons players
- Charleston Rainbows players
- Chicago White Sox players
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- New York Mets players
- Reno Padres players
- Santa Monica Corsairs baseball players
- Sarasota White Sox players
- South Bend White Sox players
- Spokane Indians players
- Baseball players from Los Angeles
- Sultanes de Monterrey players
- Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks players
- Tidewater Tides players
- Vancouver Canadians players
- West Los Angeles Wildcats baseball players
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- University High School (Los Angeles) alumni
- Minor league baseball coaches