Former major league pitcher, and 1974 Los Alamitos High graduate, Greg Harris, held a couple of fundraisers recently, including a meet and greet at the Pike Fish Grill in Los Alamitos, during Game 1 of the World Series.
Harris, is looking to rejoin professional baseball as a pitching coach, and is trying to help causes he believes in before moving on the next stage of his life. He had stayed close to Los Alamitos, while his son, Greg Harris Jr. finished high school baseball. Harris Jr. is currently playing in the Dodgers’ minor league system, so senior has the freedom to move wherever a job might become available.
Harris Sr. was a 15-year big league pitcher, with eight different teams and even pitched in the 1984 World Series for the San Diego Padres. He pitched 1,467 innings, with 1,141 strikeouts and a career ERA of 3.69.
But Harris might be more remembered for becoming the only pitcher in Major League history to pitch with both his right and left hand, in the same game.
In 1995, his final year in the majors, while pitching for the Montreal Expos, Harris pitched in relief, facing the first batter with his usual right-handed pitching. When the next batter was left-handed, Harris, switched as well.
The feat had been something he wanted to do and was considered by his coaches as far back as 1986, when he was with the Texas Rangers. But it didn’t come to fruition, until 1995, because the situation didn’t present itself at the right time. But his manager in 1995 also wanted to see it done, and they found a spot, late in the season, to give it a go.
“That’s the reason this was able to happen, because of (manager) Felipe Alou,” Harris said.
Harris wanted to attempt it in a regular season game, but didn’t want to threaten any kind of playoff implications for either team, if it didn’t go well. Both the Expos and Reds were playing out the season when they met late in the year.
For the event, Harris signed memorabilia to raise money for the City of Hope, cancer treatment center in Duarte. Several of his childhood friends were in attendance, as was his son, who was on a break from having just finished his season with the Great Lakes Loons. Harris Jr. was 7-6 for the loons, with a 4.45 ERA and 92 strikeouts. He started 16 of the 22 games in which he appeared.
As for senior, he also spoke of his career in general and his childhood friends spoke of his early days. Kevin Lamp, one of his childhood friends also noted that when Harris played in the World Series, his first relief appearance came with the bases loaded and legendary Kirk Gibson at the plate. Harris proceeded to hit Gibson with a pitch, but settled in after that and eventually pitch 5 1/3 scoreless innings after that. His career World Series ERA is 0.00.
Ted Apodaca can be reached at 562-431-1397 or by email at editor@newsenterprise.net.