Former All-Star pitcher Pat Zachry dies at 71, cause of death unknown

Pat Zachry, the former All-Star pitcher known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers, passed away on Thursday at the age of 71. He was in Austin, Texas, at the time of his death. According to Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz, Zachry had been battling a lengthy illness.

Before Friday night's game against the Mets, the Reds held a minute of silence in Zachry's memory.

Doug Flynn, who was also part of the famous Tom Seaver trade, said he will miss his old teammate.

“None of us knew we could ever replace Tom,” Flynn told Horwitz. “We just stuck together. You couldn’t find a better teammate than Zach. We will all miss him dearly. Pat was a Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and World Series winner. He just had a great career.”

Zachry, a native of Richmond, Texas, attended Richfield High School in Waco. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round of the 1970 MLB draft.

The late Zachry made his debut as a relief pitcher on April 11, 1976. However, he soon found himself in the starting rotation. In his rookie year, he had a record of 14-7 with a 2.46 ERA across 38 starts, earning him a share of the Rookie of the Year honors with former San Diego Padres relief pitcher Butch Metzger.

Two years later, in June 1977, the Reds traded Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman to the New York Mets in return for Tom Seaver.

Pat Zachry regretted getting injured after kicking the dugout in the 1978 season

During the 1978 season, Pat Zachry, frustrated at getting pulled from the game, kicked the dugout in anger, leading him to miss games in that season. In a 2020 interview, Zachry recalled the incident and said he regrets it to this date. After all, he was traded for the legendary Tom Seaver, and better things were expected of him.

“The one thing I regretted was kicking the helmet and breaking my foot,” Pat Zachry said.

“That was my own damn fault. It led to some other things that took away from my performance that shouldn’t have … It was always interesting and never dull. Too bad we didn’t give the people more for their money, but it wasn’t like we didn’t try.”

In his six seasons with the Mets, Zachry had a record of 41-46 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across 741.2 innings pitched in 135 games.

Before the 1983 season, the Mets traded him to the LA Dodgers for Jorge Orta. However, Zachry's role changed, and he appeared as a relief pitcher during his stint with the Dodgers.

Pat Zachry achieved an 11-7 record and registered two saves with a 3.25 ERA. The Dodgers traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for Al Oliver in the 1985 offseason. He played in 10 games for the Phillies, which were his last in the majors.