Gene Tenace
Born: 10/10/1946 in Russellton, PA, USA
MLB Debut: 1969-05-29 | Final Game: 1983-09-30
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 190 lbs
Full name: Fury Gene Tenace
Biography
Gene Tenace was a professional baseball player born in 1946, whose career spanned from 1969 to 1983. Known primarily as a position player, Tenace played in 1,555 games over his 14-year career, during which he established himself as a reliable contributor at the plate and an asset to his teams. He recorded 1,060 hits, including 201 home runs and 674 RBIs, while maintaining a batting average of .241. His ability to draw walks and work counts made him a valuable player in the lineup, as he also stole 36 bases throughout his career.
Tenace gained particular acclaim during the postseason, earning the World Series MVP award for his outstanding performance in the 1972 World Series, which highlighted his ability to rise to the occasion in crucial moments. He was selected as an All-Star once, reflecting his standing among peers during his era. Tenace played in an era marked by a transition in baseball dynamics, witnessing the evolution of power hitting and the growing significance of on-base skills, which he exhibited in his playing style. His contributions to the game and his remarkable playoff performances have secured his place in baseball history.
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1555 | 4390 | 653 | 1060 | 179 | 20 | 201 | 674 | 36 | 984 | 998 | 0.241 | 0.388 | 0.429 | 0.817 | 18515.7 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | OAK | AL | 16 | 38 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0.158 | 0.0 |
| 1970 | OAK | AL | 38 | 105 | 19 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 23 | 30 | 0.305 | 777.4 |
| 1971 | OAK | AL | 65 | 179 | 26 | 49 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 25 | 2 | 29 | 34 | 0.274 | 685.4 |
| 1972 | OAK | AL | 82 | 227 | 22 | 51 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 32 | 0 | 24 | 42 | 0.225 | -72.2 |
| 1973 | OAK | AL | 160 | 510 | 83 | 132 | 18 | 2 | 24 | 84 | 2 | 101 | 94 | 0.259 | 2266.1 |
| 1974 | OAK | AL | 158 | 484 | 71 | 102 | 17 | 1 | 26 | 73 | 2 | 110 | 105 | 0.211 | 1654.0 |
| 1975 | OAK | AL | 158 | 498 | 83 | 127 | 17 | 0 | 29 | 87 | 7 | 106 | 127 | 0.255 | 2755.6 |
| 1976 | OAK | AL | 128 | 417 | 64 | 104 | 19 | 1 | 22 | 66 | 5 | 81 | 91 | 0.249 | 1964.8 |
| 1977 | SDP | NL | 147 | 437 | 66 | 102 | 24 | 4 | 15 | 61 | 5 | 125 | 119 | 0.233 | 1896.3 |
| 1978 | SDP | NL | 142 | 401 | 60 | 90 | 18 | 4 | 16 | 61 | 6 | 101 | 98 | 0.224 | 1658.4 |
| 1979 | SDP | NL | 151 | 463 | 61 | 122 | 16 | 4 | 20 | 67 | 2 | 105 | 106 | 0.263 | 2071.7 |
| 1980 | SDP | NL | 133 | 316 | 46 | 70 | 11 | 1 | 17 | 50 | 4 | 92 | 63 | 0.222 | 1420.4 |
| 1981 | STL | NL | 58 | 129 | 26 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 38 | 26 | 0.233 | 639.2 |
| 1982 | STL | NL | 66 | 124 | 18 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 1 | 36 | 31 | 0.258 | 896.2 |
| 1983 | PIT | NL | 53 | 62 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 0.177 | -97.6 |
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 114 | 10 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 33 | 0.158 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | WS | SLN | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1975 | ALCS | OAK | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1974 | ALCS | OAK | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0.000 |
| 1974 | WS | OAK | 5 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0.222 |
| 1973 | ALCS | OAK | 5 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0.235 |
| 1973 | WS | OAK | 7 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 0.158 |
| 1972 | ALCS | OAK | 5 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0.059 |
| 1972 | WS | OAK | 7 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0.348 |
| 1971 | ALCS | OAK | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.000 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 625 | 517 | 4754 | 275 | 36 | 420 |
| 2B | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3B | 17 | 14 | 18 | 26 | 4 | 4 |
| C | 892 | 759 | 3945 | 441 | 63 | 65 |
| OF | 11 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | OAK | C | 13 | 8 | 61 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1970 | OAK | C | 30 | 29 | 180 | 18 | 2 | 7 |
| 1971 | OAK | C | 52 | 45 | 300 | 20 | 2 | 3 |
| 1971 | OAK | OF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | OAK | C | 49 | 46 | 266 | 18 | 6 | 1 |
| 1972 | OAK | 1B | 7 | 6 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 1972 | OAK | 2B | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 | OAK | 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 | OAK | OF | 9 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 | OAK | C | 33 | 23 | 123 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
| 1973 | OAK | 1B | 134 | 132 | 1095 | 61 | 13 | 104 |
| 1973 | OAK | 2B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1974 | OAK | C | 79 | 58 | 293 | 42 | 6 | 3 |
| 1974 | OAK | 1B | 106 | 97 | 816 | 41 | 4 | 80 |
| 1974 | OAK | 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1975 | OAK | C | 125 | 114 | 541 | 63 | 10 | 10 |
| 1975 | OAK | 1B | 68 | 39 | 401 | 21 | 1 | 27 |
| 1976 | OAK | C | 65 | 61 | 263 | 25 | 5 | 3 |
| 1976 | OAK | 1B | 70 | 62 | 577 | 31 | 3 | 47 |
| 1977 | SDN | C | 99 | 89 | 523 | 61 | 12 | 9 |
| 1977 | SDN | 1B | 36 | 28 | 280 | 27 | 1 | 20 |
| 1977 | SDN | 3B | 14 | 13 | 17 | 24 | 3 | 4 |
| 1978 | SDN | C | 71 | 56 | 276 | 42 | 3 | 7 |
| 1978 | SDN | 1B | 80 | 67 | 668 | 37 | 5 | 61 |
| 1978 | SDN | 3B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1979 | SDN | C | 94 | 77 | 413 | 51 | 1 | 10 |
| 1979 | SDN | 1B | 72 | 58 | 582 | 32 | 7 | 55 |
| 1980 | SDN | C | 104 | 82 | 415 | 46 | 10 | 7 |
| 1980 | SDN | 1B | 19 | 11 | 125 | 10 | 1 | 9 |
| 1981 | SLN | C | 38 | 36 | 126 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
| 1981 | SLN | 1B | 7 | 3 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 1982 | SLN | C | 37 | 33 | 149 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982 | SLN | 1B | 7 | 4 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 1983 | PIT | C | 3 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | PIT | 1B | 19 | 10 | 83 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| 1983 | PIT | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 893 |
| First Base | 627 |
| Second Base | 5 |
| Third Base | 17 |
| Left Field | 1 |
| Right Field | 10 |
| Designated Hitter | 6 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Player of the Week | Week of 1980-09-05 |
| 1975 | Player of the Month | September |
| 1975 | Player of the Week | Week of 1975-09-12 |
| 1972 | Babe Ruth Award | C |
| 1972 | World Series MVP |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 13.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1975 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 18th | 7.0 | 336 | 0 |