Gene Harris (baseball)

{{Infobox baseball biography

| image = Gene Harris - Jacksonville Expos - 1988.jpg

| caption = Harris in 1988

| name = Gene Harris

| position = Relief pitcher

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1964|12|5}}

| birth_place = Sebring, Florida, U.S.

| bats = Right

| throws = Right

|debutleague = MLB

| debutdate = April 5

| debutyear = 1989

| debutteam = Montreal Expos

|finalleague = MLB

| finaldate = June 24

| finalyear = 1995

| finalteam = Baltimore Orioles

|statleague = MLB

| stat1label = Win–loss record

| stat1value = 12–18

| stat2label = Earned run average

| stat2value = 4.71

| stat3label = Strikeouts

| stat3value = 170

| teams =

Montreal Expos ({{mlby|1989}})
Seattle Mariners ({{mlby|1989}}–{{mlby|1992}})
San Diego Padres ({{mlby|1992}}–{{mlby|1994}})
Detroit Tigers ({{mlby|1994}})
Philadelphia Phillies ({{mlby|1995}})
Baltimore Orioles ({{mlby|1995}})

| highlights =

}}

Tyrone Eugene Harris (born December 5, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) in all or parts of seven seasons, from {{by|1989}} to {{by|1995}}.

Early life

Harris was a 1982 graduate of Okeechobee High School. He attended Tulane University, where he played football and baseball.1990 Topps baseball card. # 738 Harris accepted a scholarship to play football for the Tulane Green Wave with the expectation that he would also play on the baseball team. However, due to a change in coaching staffs, he was only allowed to play one season of college baseball.{{cite news |last1=Otterson |first1=Chuck |title=Short stops could make Harris a major league pitcher |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114121703/short-stops-could-make-harris-a-major/ |access-date=5 December 2022 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=16 October 1986 |page=4C}}

Career

Harris was a fifth-round draft pick of the Montreal Expos in 1986.

He made it to the majors with Montreal to start the 1989 season but was sent down to Triple-A in early May. Later that month, he became part of a trade that the Expos would rue. They gave up future 300-game winner Randy Johnson along with Brian Holman and Harris to the Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston and a player to be named later. Langston left as a free agent after the season.

Harris was up and down between the Mariners and Triple-A during his time in the Seattle organization. In May 1992, he left the Mariners to attend his stepfather's funeral and did not return to the team when scheduled. His agent told the team that he wanted to quit baseball to pursue a career in the National Football League.{{cite news |title=Report: Mariners' Harris may retire for a shot in NFL |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114121642/report-mariners-harris-may-retire-for/ |access-date=5 December 2022 |work=The Palm Beach Post |agency=Associated Press |date=7 May 1992 |page=5C}} Harris ultimately spent just two weeks away from baseball, after which he was traded to the San Diego Padres.{{cite news |last1=D'Angelo |first1=Tom |title=Harris regains form, direction |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114122329/harris-regains-form-direction/ |access-date=5 December 2022 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=12 April 1993 |page=7C}}

Harris enjoyed the best year of his career in 1993, posting 23 saves for the Padres.

During the 1994 season, an injured and ineffective Harris lost his closer role with the Padres to Trevor Hoffman in mid-April.{{cite news

|last = Olney

|first = Buster

|authorlink = Buster Olney

|title = Harris 'cool' with Riggleman; Hoffman takes over as closer

|newspaper = The San Diego Union-Tribune

|date = April 14, 1994

|url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/1994/apr/14/harris-cool-riggleman-hoffman-takes-over-closer/

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628201413/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/1994/apr/14/harris-cool-riggleman-hoffman-takes-over-closer/

|archivedate = June 28, 2011

|url-status = dead

}} He was traded in May to the Detroit Tigers, for whom he pitched only 11 1/3 innings.

Harris signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies ahead of the 1995 season but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in June. He made just three appearances for Baltimore before being sidelined with an injured elbow. He and underwent season-ending elbow surgery in August. At that point, his big-league career ended.

Harris pitched in the minors for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 1996. He was out of the game in 1997. He made a brief comeback for Norfolk, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, in 1998. That was his last action as a pro ballplayer.