A control pitcher, Leach used a low sidearm motion. Bending low to his right as he threw,
he would scrape his padded right knee on the mound. Leach had a career season (11-1) in
1987, when numerous injuries to the Mets staff gave him more chances to pitch. After
three straight wins in relief, he became a starter and won another seven in a row,
for a Met-record 10 consecutive wins from the beginning of the season.
Leach set
another record in his first stint with the Mets. His 10-inning, 1-0 one-hitter against
the Phillies on October 1, 1982 is the only extra-inning one-hitter in club history.
His NL career record as a starter is 11-2 with a 2.82 ERA, but the Mets' rotation
was so deep that he only saw emergency work in that role. He was a valuable long-relief
man on two pennant winners. In 1989 he was traded to Kansas City and finished up his career with the Twins and White Sox.
(SH)
FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY
»October 1, 1982:
Mets pitcher Terry Leach tosses a 10-inning one-hitter against the Phillies, finally winning 1–0 on Hubie Brooks's sacrifice fly. Luis Aguayo's 5th-inning triple is the Phillies sole hit. It is the only extra inning one-hitter in Mets history.