Oct 7, 2022 - Sports

Terrance Gore is MLB's base stealer for hire

Terrance Gore

Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Pinch-running specialists are a staple of playoff baseball, and no player better encapsulates that role than Mets speedster Terrance Gore.

State of play: New York signed Gore to a minor league deal in June and added him to the active roster on Aug. 31, just in time to make him playoff eligible.

  • His job for the Mets is the same as it's been for the Royals, Cubs, Dodgers and Braves across his nine-year career: stay loose and run fast.

By the numbers: Gore, 31, is the only player in the modern era with fewer than 115 regular-season games played (112) and at least 40 stolen bases.

  • He has more than half as many steals (43) as plate appearances (85), and the numbers are even starker in the playoffs, with five steals and two plate appearances in 10 games.
  • Gore's lightning speed has earned him three World Series rings (2015 Royals, 2020 Dodgers, 2021 Braves), tied with Madison Bumgarner for the most among active players.

The last word: "I'm trying to catch Tom Brady," Gore told ESPN, hinting that he's still four rings shy of his ultimate goal. "I like my odds."

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