Gene Tenace

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Tenace was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics from Valley High School in Lucasville, Ohio, and played for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted and threw right-handed. Despite his relatively modest career batting average of .241, his career on-base percentage of .388 is the fourth-highest all-time among qualifying catchers, and his .429 slugging percentage was considerably above the average in the era he played. His 46.8 Baseball Reference Wins Above Replacement (WAR) ranks 13th all-time among catchers, and his 7-year peak WAR is tied with Roy Campanella for 12th all-time among catchers. Also of note is that his career rWAR is fifth highest among all sub .250 hitters. Tenace's career 140 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) are tied with Mike Piazza for the highest all-time among catchers. Tenace won the 1972 World Series Most Valuable Player Award. After his playing days ended, Tenace coached for several organizations, most notably for the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2023, he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

According to the source, Mookie Betts hit his first career grand slam on August 29, 2014, against Chris Archer at Tropicana Field, becoming the youngest Sox player to do so in 49 years. In 2018, he became the first player to win the MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title, and World Series in a single season. The text notes his comparison to Dustin Pedroia due to his height and high contact rate. It also mentions his trade to Los Angeles after six seasons with Boston and his role in winning World Series titles in 2020, 2024, and 2025. No narrative events concerning Gene Tenace are present.

Reader's Guide

Tenace made his major league debut for Oakland on May 29, 1969, against the Detroit Tigers. He hit the first home run of his career on June 6, 1969, at Tiger Stadium against Earl Wilson. He finished the 1969 season with a .158 batting average, a home run and two runs batted in, appearing in just 38 games as a third-string catcher. He continued to play the next two years as the third-string catcher before serving as Dave Duncan's backup in 1971. Tenace entered the 1972 season backing up Duncan, but was given a chance to show his abilities by being made the team's regular catcher in the post-season. In the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers, he drove in the clinching run in Oakland's 2–1 victory in Game 5. In Game 1 of the 1972 World Series, he became the first player to hit home runs in his first two World Series at bats and drove in all three runs in the A's 3–2 victory. He went 8-for-23 in the Series, with four home runs and 9 RBI to earn the World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Tenace served as the team's starting first baseman for two seasons, while still serving as the backup catcher to Ray Fosse. He had his roles reversed in 1975, starting at catcher while backing up first base. He drew over 100 walks in a season three times for Oakland, and led the American League in walks in 1974. His best year with Oakland was in 1975, when he hit a career-best 29 home runs and drove in 87 runs, drew 106 walks, finished 18th in the American League Most Valuable Player Award balloting and was selected to be the starting first baseman for the American League in the 1975 All-Star Game. As a member of the A's, Tenace hit the final home run in the history of Kansas City's Municipal Stadium on September 30, 1972. Tenace and teammate Rollie Fingers were the first players from the re-entry draft to sign, with both joining the San Diego Padres in December 1976. In four years as a starter with the Padres, his power numbers dropped in part due to the cavernous dimensions of San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, only reaching 20 home runs once; but his batting eye remained, recording three more seasons of 100 walks, with a career best of 125 in 1977. In 1979, Tenace led National League catchers with a .998 fielding percentage, committing only one error in 94 games. On August 1, 1979, Tenace was part of a bench-clearing brawl against the Atlanta Brav

Did You Know?

• Tenace's career 140 wRC+ is tied with Mike Piazza for the highest all-time among catchers.
• He is the first player to hit home runs in his first two World Series at bats.
• Tenace won four World Series rings as a player (1972, 1973, 1974, 1982) and two as a coach (1992, 1993).
• He led the American League in walks in 1974 despite a career-low .211 batting average.