| Tom Paciorek | |
|---|---|
 Paciorek in 1981 | |
| Outfielder /First baseman | |
| Born: (1946-11-02)November 2, 1946 (age 79) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 12, 1970, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 4, 1987, for the Texas Rangers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .282 |
| Home runs | 86 |
| Runs batted in | 503 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Thomas Marian Paciorek (/pəˈtʃɔːrɛk/pə-CHOR-ek; born November 2, 1946) is an American formeroutfielder andfirst baseman who spent 18 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) with theLos Angeles Dodgers (1970–1975),Atlanta Braves (1976–1978),Seattle Mariners (1978–1981),Chicago White Sox (1982–1985),New York Mets (1985) andTexas Rangers (1986–1987). He appeared twice in the postseason, with theNational League (NL) champion Dodgers in 1974 and theAmerican League (AL) West-winning White Sox in 1983.
Following his retirement as an active player, he worked as acolor commentator for various MLB clubs, most notably the White Sox, on whose telecasts he was teamed withKen Harrelson throughout the 1990s. Paciorek was known by thenickname "Wimpy," which was given to him byTommy Lasorda after a dinner with minor league teammates in which he was the only one to order ahamburger instead ofsteak.[1]
After graduating fromSt. Ladislaus High School inHamtramck, Michigan, Paciorek playedbaseball andfootball for theUniversity of Houston from 1965 to 1968. Adefensive back, he was picked by theMiami Dolphins in the ninth round (240th overall) of the1968 NFL/AFL draft.[2] In baseball, he was named to the All-Tournament team after theCougars reached the finals of the1967 College World Series, and were the national runner-up toArizona State. Paciorek's number is one of only three to be retired by the Cougars.
Paciorek was selected by theLos Angeles Dodgers in the fifth round (89th overall) of the1968 Major League Baseball draft, one of eight players drafted by the Dodgers that year to reach the majors.[3][4] A top prospect, he wonThe Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year Award in 1972 with theTriple-AAlbuquerque Dukes.
Paciorek made his major league debut with the Dodgers on September 12, 1970, finishing the game 1-for-4 in an 8–3 loss to theSan Francisco Giants.[5] After making the majors full-time, he spent the1973 through1975 seasons as a fourthoutfielder andpinch hitter. He contributed to the Dodgers'1974 team that reached theWorld Series, but struggled during the 1975 season, finishing with a .193 batting average, a single home run, and 5 RBI in 62 games.[6]
Paciorek was traded along withJerry Royster,Lee Lacy andJimmy Wynn from theDodgers to theAtlanta Braves forDusty Baker andEd Goodson on November 17, 1975.[7] He hit .290 with four home runs and 36 RBI in 111 games while playing in a platoon role for Atlanta in1976.[6] However, he struggled to duplicate those numbers thefollowing year, batting .239 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 72 games.[6] The Braves released Paciorek after spring training in1978, but re-signed him just a week later. However, after six weeks and only nine at bats (with three hits), the Braves gave him his release a second time in May.[6][8]
On May 31, 1978, Paciorek signed with theSeattle Mariners, for whom he hit .299 with four home runs and 30 RBI in 70 games.[6]
Following two solid years as a platoon player, Paciorek put together a career season with the Mariners in1981. Playing full-time for the only time in his career at age 34, Paciorek batted .326 with 14 home runs and 66 RBI in 104 games.[6] His .326 average ranked second in theAmerican League,[9] and he was fourth in the AL inslugging percentage (.509).[10] He earned his only appearance to anAll-Star team at the1981 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and was tenth in the ALMVP race.[6]
After Paciorek requested increased compensation and a three-year contract,[9] the Mariners traded him to theChicago White Sox forRod Allen,Todd Cruz andJim Essian on December 11, 1981.[11] He hit over .300 his first two years with the Sox, and was part of Chicago's division championship team in1983.
With the White Sox in1984, Paciorek replacedRon Kittle in left field in the fourth inning of their game with theMilwaukee Brewers on May 8 – a game which went 25 innings, and was the longest game in major league history, as measured by time on the field. When it ended the following day, Paciorek had amassed five hits in nine at bats, a record for most hits in a game by a non-starting player which still stands.[12][13]
On July 16,1985, Paciorek was traded to theNew York Mets in exchange for infielderDave Cochrane.[14] He spent his final two seasons with theTexas Rangers.[6]
Tom was one of three brothers to play in the majors. His younger brotherJim played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1987,[15] while older brotherJohn played one game for theHouston Colt .45s in 1963.[16]
| Years | Games | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | FLD% |
| 18 | 1,392 | 4,465 | 4,121 | 494 | 1,162 | 232 | 30 | 86 | 503 | 245 | 704 | .282 | .325 | .415 | .989 |
Paciorek played 396 games at first base, 23 games at third base, one game at shortstop, 483 games in left field, 74 games in center field and 281 games in right field. His best position was at first base, recording a .994fielding percentage.[6]
Paciorek served as abroadcaster for several years after retiring as a player, with his most notable stint as thecolor commentator on White Sox television broadcasts alongsideKen Harrelson, who affectionately called him by his baseball nickname, "Wimpy", on-air. Paciorek broadcast for the White Sox from 1988 to 1999, then called selected games for theDetroit Tigers in 2000 and theSeattle Mariners in 2001 before calling theAtlanta Braves onFSN South from 2002 to 2005. In 2006, he was the color commentator for theWashington Nationals, but his contract was not renewed for 2007.[17][18] He is fondly remembered amongst Nationals fans for his distinct pronunciation of "Alfonso Soriano," a Nationals outfielder that season: "Eelfahnso Soriaahno".
In 1992, Paciorek was inducted into theNational Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.[19]
In the spring of 2002, Paciorek told theDetroit Free Press that priest Gerald Shirilla hadmolested him and three of his four brothers while working as a teacher atSt. Ladislaus High School inHamtramck in the 1960s. "I was molested by him for a period of four years," Paciorek said. "I would refer to them as attacks. I would say there was at least a hundred of them." Paciorek said he didn't tell anyone because no one would have believed him, saying "When you're a kid, and you're not able to articulate, who's going to believe you?" and "The church back then was so powerful, there's nothing that a kid could do."[20]
In 2016, Paciorek was named to theNational College Baseball Hall of Fame.[21]