Greg Goossen: Mid Sixties Mets Catcher Turned Hollywood Actor (1965 - 1968)

Gregory Bryant Goossen was born on December 14, 1945, In Los Angeles, California. He was born to Anna Mae & Elliot Goossen, an LA Police Officer turned private investigator. The couple had ten children, eight boys & two girls.

 He was a star baseball & football player at Notre Dame high school in Sherman Oaks getting recruited by big colleges such as UCLA, USC, Stanford, Colorado & Arizona State. But Goossen chose baseball. In 1964 the six foot one, right-handed hitting catcher, was signed as an amateur free agent by the hometown Dodgers. 

He was released the next year & got picked up by the New York Mets picked on waivers.

In 1965 he hit 25 HRs batting .305 in the New York / Penn. League getting a September call up to the Mets at the age of 19. 

Mets Career: Gossen debuted on September 3rd at in a 6-3 Mets win in St. Louis, getting a single off future Met; the Cardinals Ray Sadecki, in his first career at bat. He collected two hits on the day, then two more in his second game three days later in loss t the Milwaukee Braves. 

On September 25th, he hit his first career HR, it came in Philadelphia off Bo Belinsky in a 4-1 Mets win. Goossen batted .290 in eleven September games, the best average he would hit for in his Mets career.

Casey Stengel made a classic remark to the press when holding court one day saying “See that guy there, (Ed Kranepool) in ten years he has a chance to be a star. There we have a fine young catcher who is only nineteen years old (Goossen) in ten years he has the chance to be twenty-nine”. 

In contrast to the Old Professor, some Mets people at that time had said, Goossen was the team's best minor league prospect. He was scouted as a decent hitter with potential but no defense.

Goosen was tutored by Yogi Berra as he was looked at to be a possible Mets catcher of the future. In another classic Yogism, Berra once told him to take extra batting practice saying- “It’s cold today & besides, you can stand to lose the weight.”

1966: Goossen spent most of 1966 in the minors where he hit 25 HRs & batted just .243 getting another September call up. 

On September 18th, in the second game of a double header at the Houston Astrodome, Goosen hit his first career HR. In the 8th inning he hit a three-run pinch hit HR off Dave Giusti in a 6-5 Mets loss. It was his second & last HR as a Met. 

1967: Gossen was aboard for most of the season, as one of three backup catchers behind Jerry Grote, appearing in 23 games behind the plate. John Sullivan (57 games) & Hawk Taylor (13 games) were the other two catchers. 

On April 14th he collected two hits in his first game of the year in a 5-1 loss at Philadelphia. He would have two more multi-hit games during the season.

Goossen he only hit .159 in 37 games with a double & three RBIs. In 23 games at catcher, he threw out 20% of would-be base stealers.

1968: Goosen played with the Mets from April to July 16th, he was behind the plate for just one game & played in 31 games at first base. 

He began the season with two multi-hit games. On April 23rd he drove in a run, off the Astros Denny LeMaster n a Jerry Koosman 3-1 Mets win. The win got Kooz to 3-0 in his rookie season. On May 12th, Goossen played both ends of a double header split at Wrigley Field. In the second game Goossen had a three-hit game driving in two of the Mets ten runs in a 10-0 win.

On May 31st, the Cardinals Larry Jaster had a no hitter going into the 8th inning with two outs Goossen broke up the no hitter with a single into left field. Don Bosch would get a hit in the 9th inning as Jaster finished with a 2-0 two hitter.

On June 30th, he grounded out in the 5th inning, but Ron Swoboda scored on the play. It was the only run of the game as Tom Seaver beat Mike Cuellar 1-0 on a five hitter in Houston. 

Overall, Goossen hit .208 playing in 38 games, with seven doubles & six RBIs. With Gil Hodges on board & the Mets starting to play better, he was sent down to the minors playing at both AA Memphis & AAA Jacksonville. He only hit .214 but did show power again with 10 HRs.

In February of 1969 Gossen was traded to the expansion Seattle Pilots for cash & a player to be named later, who turned out to be Jim Gosger. 

Post Mets Career: In 1969 Goossen had his best season batting .309, putting up career highs with 10 HRs 47 hits 24 RBIs & 52 games played. He played 31 games at first base & two games in the outfield for the Pilots who were in their only season of existence. Goossen was mentioned many times as a subject who could laugh at himself in Jim Bouton’s famous baseball book Ball Four. 

Bouton recorded that Goossen once told catcher Jim Pagliaroni "I found I can't play good if I feel good. I've got to have a little bit of a hangover to get the best out of me". He began to earn a reputation as a player who wanted to have more fun than playing ball.

The next year the team moved to Milwaukee with Goossen playing 15 games for those Brewers. In July he was purchased by the Washington Senators where he played 21 games batting .222.

In November 1970 he was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies with Gene Martin & Jeff Terpko for a player to be named later, who turned out to be Curt Flood. Goossen never played at the big-league level for the Phillies. 

Lifetime in six seasons he, batted .241 with 111 hits 13 HRs 24 doubles one triple 44 RBIs & 33 runs scored. He struck out 112 ties & walked 42 times for a .316 on base % & .699 OPS. 

Behind the plate at catcher, he appeared in 79 games throwing out 21% of would-be base stealers turning 45 double plays. He posted a .992 fielding % with five errors.

Retirement: After baseball Goossen was just 25 years old & had to find a way to make a living. First, he became a private detective at his father's agency. He sold women's shoes in Van Nuys & worked at his brother's boxing ring as a corner man.

Hollywood Actor: After that he found his calling with a life in Hollywood. He played the stand in for actor Gene Hackman in over a dozen films from 1989 -2001, including roles in Get Shorty, the Unforgiven, Behind Enemy Lines & Mr. Baseball. 

Quotes- Greg Goossen: "We met when I was managing boxers with my brothers, and Hackman was doing research for the 1988 film "Split Decisions. He just took a liking to me; we just got along very well. He took care of this old, befuddled, used-up baseball player."

Family: Greg was married & divorced. He had four daughters.

Passing: In February of 2011, Goossen was to be inducted into the Notre Dame High School Hall of Fame in Sherman Oaks. When he missed a photo shoot that day, a family member went to check on him & he was found dead.The Cause of death was later determined to be a stroke. He was survived by three daughters, seven brothers & two sisters.