Jerry Grote, who played catcher for the Dodgers for three seasons during his 16-year Major League career, passed away on Sunday. His age was 81.
Being a member of the 1969 World Champion New York Mets was Grote’s most well-known accomplishment as an All-Star.
After the 1978 season, Grote announced his retirement, but Kansas City persuaded him to come out of retirement in 1981. Grote, who was 38 years old, batted.304 in 22 games for the Royals before being released on September 1. After signing a contract with the Dodgers, Grote played his last month as Mike Scioscia’s and Yeager’s backup. During the final weekend of the regular season, Grote participated in two games. He was a pinch hitter and went 0 for 2.
Following his stint with the Houston Colt.45s (1963–1964), Grote played his whole 1965 season with Houston’s Triple-A Oklahoma City affiliate.
In 1966, after being dealt to New York, he started catching for the Mets. Young prospects like Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Gary Gentry, and Jerry Koosman helped the pitching staff under Grote thrive. The Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves in the first-ever National League Division Series three years later, under manager Gil Hodges, and shocked the heavily fancied Baltimore Orioles in the World Cup.
The Mets sent Grote to the Dodgers in August 1977 in exchange for two minor leaguers. In 1977 and 1978, Grote supported catcher Steve Yeager when the Dodgers won pennants. Between 1977 and 1981, Grote played 61 games for the Dodgers, batting.263 with 13 RBI.
