| Gary Pettis | |
|---|---|
 Pettis with the Houston Astros | |
| Center fielder | |
| Born: (1958-04-03)April 3, 1958 (age 67) Oakland, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 13, 1982, for the California Angels | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 10, 1992, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .236 |
| Home runs | 21 |
| Runs batted in | 259 |
| Stolen bases | 354 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Gary George Pettis (born April 3, 1958) is an American former professionalbaseballcenter fielder and third basecoach. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1992 for theCalifornia Angels,Detroit Tigers,Texas Rangers, andSan Diego Padres. Pettis won fiveGold Glove Awards and finished in the top ten instolen bases in theAmerican League seven times.
Pettis was selected in the 6th round of the1979 draft by theCalifornia Angels after attendingCastlemont High School inOakland, California, and played minor league baseball for theSalinas Spurs of the class "A" California League in 1980, then theHolyoke Millers of the double "A" Eastern League in 1981. In 1982, Pettis was promoted to theCalifornia Angels, where he played the first six seasons of his career.
After the 1987 season, Pettis went on to play two seasons with theDetroit Tigers, 1988 through the following season of 1989. After two years with Detroit, Pettis joined the Texas Rangers for two seasons, 1990–91. Pettis finished his career in the major leagues in 1992. The 1992 season saw Pettis play for two teams. After leaving the Texas Rangers, Pettis joined the San Diego Padres for the 1992 season but ended that season back in Detroit with the Tigers.
During his career, Pettis consistently hit for lowaverages and was known for striking out often, but he performed extremely well on defense, earning fiveGold Glove Awards. He was noted for making many spectacular leaping or diving catches, depriving hitters of home runs or base hits, and was known in baseball circles as "The man who made center field look easy". Additionally, he was a prolific base runner and had five seasons where hestole over 40 bases. Pettis held the Angels' club record for stolen bases for nearly 20 years, until it was broken byChone Figgins on July 15, 2007. Pettis was tagged as "Pac Man" Pettis by a local radio station listener call-in contest in 1986, referring to his unusual speed in the outfield and ability to chase down opponents' hits.
On his 1985Topps baseball card, the person posing in the picture is not Pettis; it is in fact a picture of his younger brother, Lynn.[1]
In2022, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to theWorld Series and defeated thePhiladelphia Phillies in six games to give Pettis his secondWorld Series title as an Astro.[2] After the2024 season, it was announced that the Astros would not renew Pettis' contract for the 2025 season, ending his tenure with the club.[3]
His nephew,Austin Pettis, is a formerwide receiver for theSt. Louis Rams andSan Diego Chargers.[4]Pettis has four children, Paige,Kyler, Shaye, andDante. Dante plays wide receiver for theNew Orleans Saints and set theNCAA record for most career punt return touchdowns while at theUniversity of Washington.[5] Kyler is an actor who appeared on the NBC daytime dramaDays of Our Lives.[6]His brother Stacey Pettis was drafted 94th overall in the 4th round of the 1981 draft by thePittsburgh Pirates, and played in the Pirates (1981–1984) and Angels (1985–1986) systems. Stacey has worked as a scout for theSeattle Mariners (2001–2016) andSt. Louis Cardinals (2018–present).
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Houston Astrosthird base coach 2015—2024 | Succeeded by |
