Mauro Gozzo

Mauro Gozzo
Mauro Gozzo
	Gozzo in 1988
Gastonia Baseball Club – No. 5
	Pitcher / Manager/Pitching Coach
	Born: March 7, 1966 (age 58); New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
	August 8, 1989, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
	August 11, 1994, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	7–7
Earned run average	5.30
Strikeouts	55
Teams
	Toronto Blue Jays (1989); Cleveland Indians (1990–1991); Minnesota Twins (1992); New York Mets (1993–1994);

Mauro "Blond Herring" or "Goose" Gozzo (born March 7, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and current manager of the Gastonia Baseball Club. He played all or parts of six seasons in the majors, from 1989 until 1994.

Career

Playing

He was selected in the 13th round of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Mets, and was traded to the Kansas City Royals in 1987 as part of the package for David Cone.^[1] Two seasons later, he was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the minor league draft, and he debuted in the majors for the Jays on August 8, 1989. After his rookie season, Gozzo played two years for the Cleveland Indians and one for the Minnesota Twins.^[2] During his two games with the Twins, he had a blond mustache with brown hair, earning him the nickname of Blond Herring. He played his final two seasons for the Mets, playing his final game on August 11, 1994. (That was the last day of the 1994 season. The players' strike began the next day, and continued into 1995.^[3]

Coaching

Gozzo served as the director of the Goose's Gamers AAU baseball league in 2010.^[4] In 2018, Gozzo served as the pitching coach for the New Britain Bees of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was promoted to manager for the 2019 season following Wally Backman's departure.^[5] In 2020, he became pitching coach under manager Wally Backman for the Long Island Ducks.^[6]

On February 18, 2021, Gozzo was announced as manager of the new Gastonia Honey Hunters franchise in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.^[6] In 2024, he was hired as manager by the Gastonia Baseball Club when they replaced the Honey Hunters in the Atlantic League after two seasons.^[7]

Personal life

Gozzo was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and graduated from Berlin High School, he moved to Wallingford, Connecticut, after his playing career ended. Gozzo has twin sons, Paul and Sal both of whom have played college baseball.^[8]

References

^ "Mets Strike Gold in Trade For David Cone". Metsmerized Online. March 27, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
^ "1990 - Cleveland trades pending free agent Bud Black (11-10) to Toronto for Mauro Gozzo, Steve Cummings, and Alex Sanchez. Black will sign with the Giants on November 9th". This Day In Baseball. September 16, 1990. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
^ "Longest strike in major league baseball history ends". history.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
^ "2012-12U-NAVY". www.mountainridgeevents.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
^ "Bees Name Goose Gozzo Manager". New Britain Bees. January 8, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Team Manager Announcement". Gastonia Honey Hunters. February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021.
^ Hughes, Joe L. II (April 24, 2024). "Here's what to know as the Gastonia Baseball Club begins the 2024 ALPB season". The Gaston Gazette. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
^ Putterman, Alex (January 8, 2019). "New Britain Bees hire local favorite Mauro 'Goose' Gozzo as new manager". Hartford Courant. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

Sources

Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)

[1] "Mets Strike Gold in Trade For David Cone". Metsmerized Online. March 27, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

[2] "1990 - Cleveland trades pending free agent Bud Black (11-10) to Toronto for Mauro Gozzo, Steve Cummings, and Alex Sanchez. Black will sign with the Giants on November 9th". This Day In Baseball. September 16, 1990. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

[3] "Longest strike in major league baseball history ends". history.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

[4] "2012-12U-NAVY". www.mountainridgeevents.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

[5] "Bees Name Goose Gozzo Manager". New Britain Bees. January 8, 2019.

[auto-6] "Team Manager Announcement". Gastonia Honey Hunters. February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on March 28, 2021.

[7] Hughes, Joe L. II (April 24, 2024). "Here's what to know as the Gastonia Baseball Club begins the 2024 ALPB season". The Gaston Gazette. Retrieved May 17, 2024.

[8] Putterman, Alex (January 8, 2019). "New Britain Bees hire local favorite Mauro 'Goose' Gozzo as new manager". Hartford Courant. Retrieved February 22, 2021.

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