Johnny Gooch
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John Beverley (Johnny) Gooch (November 9, 1897 - March 15, 1975) was catcher who played in Major League Baseball between 1921 and through 1933. Gooch was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He was born in Smyrna, Tennessee.
A slick-fielding catcher, Gooch reached the majors in 1921 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, spending six and a half years with them before moving to the Brooklyn Dodgers (1928-29), Cincinnati Reds (1929-30) and Boston Red Sox (1933). His most productive season came in 1922 with the Pirates, when he posted a career-high .329 batting average and collected an extra-inning six-hit game, two four-hit games, and eight three-hit games. While in Pittsburgh, he was a member of the 1925 World Champion team and also appeared in the 1927 World Series swept by the New York Yankees in four games.
In an 11-season career, Gooch was a .280 hitter with seven home runs and 293 RBI in 805 games played.
Following his playing career, Gooch became a successful manager in the minors and also coached for Pittsburgh in 1937 and 1938.
Gooch died in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 77.
