Gene Harris

Tyrone Eugene Harris

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.
• School Tulane University
• High School Okeechobee High School
• Debut April 5, 1989
• Final Game June 24, 1995
• Born December 5, 1964 in Sebring, FL USA

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Gene Harris was signed as a 5th round pick in the 1986 amateur draft by the Montreal Expos and scout Bob Oldis and Executive assistant of scouting Frank Wren.

He was one of three young pitchers traded by the Expos to the Seattle Mariners on May 25, 1989 to obtain ace LhP Mark Langston; the others were Brian Holman and Randy Johnson. Harris had made his major league debut earlier that season, having made the Expos' opening day roster, but had been sent down to the minors a couple of weeks before the trade. He pitched 10 games for the Mariners later that season, going 1-4, but contrary to Holman and Johnson, never could earn a regular spot in four seasons with the team. In May 1991, Harris announced he was retiring from baseball to pursue an NFL career (he had played defensive back in college at Tulane University). He was placed on the suspended list but was unable to find a new career on the gridiron and came back to the Mariners at the end of June

After struggling again at the start of the 1992 season, he once again announced that he wanted to try his luck in the NFL. This time, the Mariners had had enough and a week later, he was traded to the San Diego Padres for speedy minor league outfielder Will Taylor. He returned to the fold once again at the end of May, and in 1993, he earned the job of closer for San Diego, going 6-6, 3.03 in 59 games, with 23 saves. He couldn't build on that however. At the start of 1994, he gave up 21 hits and 8 walks in his first 12 1/3 innings for San Diego and was traded to the Detroit Tigers on May 11th. He didn't fare any better in the Motor City, with 10 runs allowed in 11 innings, and he was sent down to the minors, then became a free agent after the season. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and started off the 1995 season decently, going 2-2, 4.26 in 21 games then on June 7th was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Andy Van Slyke, who was on his last legs. For his part, Gene hurt his arm after three games and never pitched again in the majors after that.

Further Reading

• Alan S. Kaufman and James C. Kaufman: The Worst Baseball Pitchers of All Time: Bad Luck, Bad Arms, Bad Teams, and Just Plain Bad, McFarland & Company, Jefferson, NC, 1993, p. 61. ISBN 978-0899508245