He was left handed.

And he was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1930-43.

But in his first year, he made only 15 appearances.  In 1940, he played in only nine games, and in 1943, he made but a single appearance. Even so, he became a Baseball Hall of Fame legend.

Fans loved Lefty Gomez for his goofiness, and delighted in his penchant for playing practical jokes on everyone from teammates to umpires. Baseball remembers him as one of the finest pitchers of his generation. In his career, Lefty won 189 games against only 101 losses for a .649 winning percentage. He won 20 or more games four times and held opponents to a lifetime .242 batting average while pitching in the heavy-hitting 1930’s. He was particularly effective in the World Series, winning six games in the Fall Classic without a loss. Lefty pitched his way to the first-ever All-Star game hosted in Chicago on July 6, 1933,  and not only did he earn his spot in the All-Star game, he had the honor of being the first-ever starting pitcher.  That All-Star game in 1933 was the first of seven consecutive All-Star Game selections for Gomez. He started the All-Star Game five times. 

The personalities we share here on NPDD aren’t always fanciers or breeders, but people who love the dogs they own, and we suspect this is because their breed is a good fit. A “good fit” hints at personalities that are “simpatico.”  Leftie’s dog, “Hootman,“was a breed that is smart, loyal, and a lot like an M&M candy: Tough on the outside, but soft on the inside.

For all his antics, Lefty Gomez’s lighthearted nature belied a ferocious desire to win, and the same description could be applied to Scottish Terriers, Hootman’s breed.

We leave you with a joke we think apropos of the Scottie, a threat veiled as humor.