Jerry Goff
Jerry Leroy Goff is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros. He was listed at and 207 pounds. In his last major league game, Goff tied two other players for the major league record for most passed balls in a single game post-1900. He is the father of NFL quarterback Jared Goff.
Amateur career
Goff was drafted twice as a player while attending San Rafael High School, by the Oakland Athletics in 1983 and the New York Yankees in 1984, but elected instead to attend the University of California, Berkeley. He is ninth in career home runs for Cal. Goff was drafted in the third round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft, 63rd overall, by the Seattle Mariners. He agreed to sign and went professional.Professional career
Goff struggled with a low batting average while advancing through Seattle's minor league system, but also showed good power.The Montreal Expos acquired him from Seattle in exchange for Pat Pacillo on February 27, 1990, and he made his Major League Baseball debut with them on May 15 of that year. Goff recorded his first major league hit on May 18, 1990, against San Francisco Giants pitcher Rick Reuschel at Candlestick Park. He returned to the minors for, but spent parts of the next six years as a backup catcher for the Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros.
On May 12,, Goff allowed six passed balls in a single game: two each in the first, third, and fourth innings, which tied him with catchers Rube Vickers and Geno Petralli for the single-game modern-era major league record. Goff had two hits in the game, including a home run, but his miscues led to five unearned runs for the Expos, who went on to win the game 8–7. The Astros sent Goff to Triple-A on May 17, and he never appeared in another big league game. In total, he appeared in 90 games in his major league career, and batted.215 with a.320 on-base percentage and a.336 slugging percentage in 214 at bats.
Goff played one more season of professional baseball in. While with the independent Amarillo Dillas, Goff was selected to the Texas–Louisiana League All-Star team. The last healthy position player remaining on the roster, Goff entered the game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and hit a game-winning double.
Working as a firefighter in 2001, Goff was still playing semi-pro baseball for the Novato Knicks, an exhibition team based in Marin County, California.