Don’t be surprised if you spot some “Mets money” during Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.
The ninth horse in the race is named “Gosgar,” a nod to former outfielder Jim Gosgar, who played 74 games for the Mets, including 10 with the legendary “Miracle Mets” in 1969.
This grey Kentucky colt is owned by Harvey Clark Racing stables, and the name came about through a quirky Facebook connection with Donna Clark, a horse owner. According to reports, it’s a rather interesting story.
Gosgar was marked with odds of 20-1 on the morning line, tying for the biggest price alongside another horse named Pavylee.
“It’s incredible,” the real Gosgar shared. “I’m really excited about this. I had a fortunate career in baseball, but this is really special.”
The 82-year-old Gosgar played for six teams over a decade-long career, and while his stats might not stand out, his journey is quite memorable.
He was notably the last batter to face the legendary Satchel Paige and was even declared dead by the Mets at one point.
That incident happened when Paige was brought out of retirement by Charlie Finley, the Kansas City A’s owner. At 59, Paige pitched three scoreless innings and ended with Gosgar’s ground ball.
“I went out to the field, and as I was grabbing my glove, he pulled my arm. It was quite a moment,” Gosgar recalled. “He looked at me and said, ‘Lucky, young man.’ I’ll never forget that.”
Gosgar joined the Mets midway through the 1969 season, playing primarily as a defensive sub for Gil Hodges’ team, but he didn’t make the postseason roster.
Though he didn’t get a World Series ring, he was honored years later during the 50th anniversary celebration of the “Miracle Mets.” However, a bit of a mix-up occurred when the Mets mistakenly included him in a tribute video where they declared him dead.
“They told me I was dead, and honestly? That was shocking,” he said. A Mets official did apologize for the slip-up.
Gosgar wrapped up his major league career in 1974 after two stints with the Mets. Over his time, he batted .226 with 16 home runs and 177 RBIs across 705 games with teams including the Mets, Expos, Red Sox, and Seattle Pilots.
It’s kind of wild, really, that fans wanted to honor him by naming a racehorse after him despite those stats.
Donna Clark is a passionate Mets fan who, along with her late husband Harvey, managed the family stable. She reminisced about being nine years old in 1969, falling for Ken Boswell, which sparked the idea to name a new colt “Boswell.” Since that name was already taken, they decided to pivot to Gosgar instead.
A few years back, Clark and Gosgar became Facebook friends, making it easy for her to reach out to request the name for the horse.
This isn’t the first time Harvey Clark Racing has named a Triple Crown contender after an athlete—2016’s Kentucky Derby winner, Nyquist, was named after Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings.
Interestingly, Gosgar the horse is sired by Nyquist.
While Clark and her family invited Gosgar to the race in Baltimore, he had to decline, as he needed to look after his five dogs back home in Port Huron, Michigan.
Although Jim Gosgar may not have clinched a 1969 World Series ring, he’s certainly left his mark in Triple Crown lore this Saturday. Not bad for a guy with a .226 lifetime batting average!
