Jerry Grote: New York Mets Hall of Fame Catcher (Part Two 1970-1977)

After the Championship: Over the next two seasons after the Miracle 1969 World Series, Grote caught in 120 plus games behind the plate both years. 

1970: The Mets opened the season as reigning World Champions with a 5-3 win at Pittsburgh. Grote went 0-4 in the game. He then drove in runs in three of the next four games before the home Opener when the raised the Championship flag.

Record Setter: On April 22nd, 1970, in a weekday matinee at Shea, Grote set a record for put outs in a game by a catcher with twenty. In that game, Tom Seaver tied an MLB record with 19 strike outs in a 2-1 win over the Padres. 

In late May he hit two HRs one in a loss to the Expos & another in a loss to the Cubs at Shea Stadium. They would be the only two HRs he would hit all season. At the plate Grote struggled, he didn't hit over the .200 mark until the end of June although he did drive in 15 runs in his first 48 games.

In July Grote batted .379 collecting 33 hits with a .438 on base %. He hit safely in 13 of 17 games raising his average almost seventy points. In the first ten games of the month, Grote had six multi-hit games. He would collect nine multi-hit games in the month.

He started out August hitting safely in eight of ten games & peaked with a .280 batting average on the year before falling off the rest of the season.

In September the Mets were still in the pennant race, being in a tie for first place as late as September 14th. 

Multi RBI Games: On September 5th, Grote hit a 9th inning two run double off the Cubs Ken Holtzman at Wrigley Field in a 5-3 win.

In his next game on September 7th, he helped start a Mets comeback rally in Montreal with a 7th inning RBI single off Carl Morton. In the bottom of the 8th, Cleon Jones tied the game with a two run HR.

Grote then drove in the games winning run with a base hit off Expo's relief ace Mike Marshall, leading to the 5-3 win in the first game of a double header sweep. Grote played in both ends of the twin bill & gathering up two more hits in the 5-1-night cap victory.

The Mets faded out of the race in late September, finishing up in third place. Grote ended the year with a .255 average, hitting two HRs with 14 doubles 34 RBIs a .313 on base % & a .621 OPS. 

Behind the plate he led the league in put outs (855) & caught 125 games (5th in the NL) posting a .991 fielding % (3rd in the NL). He threw out 39% of would-be base stealers, throwing out 26 runners (5th in the league).

1971: Grote had an Opening Day RBI in Tom Seaver's 4-2 win over the Montreal Expos. 

Walk Off HR: On April 11th in a classic Tom Seaver five hit shut out at Shea Stadium, Grote drove in the only run of the game with a walk off HR off the Reds Wayne Granger in the 1-0 win.

Multi RBI Game: On April 23rd he had the first of four multi-RBI games on the season. He drove in two runs with a pair of RBI singles in a 7-6 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. 

That day he got over the .300 mark & he finished the month batting .316 as one of the team's best hitters.

In May Grote had an eight-game hit streak with five multi-hit games, which brought him up to a .367 batting average. 

Four Hit Game: On May 3rd, Jerry collected a season best four hits, including an RBI double off Ken Holtzman in a 3-2 win over the Cubs at Shea. The Mets won it on Tommie Agee's walk off base hit.

On June 19th, Grote caught every inning of a 15 inning win over the Phillies at Shea. He also added an RBI in the 6-5 Mets win highlighted by Donn Clendenon's walk off HR.

On June 22nd, his 8th inning RBI single off the Pirates Bob Moose put the Mets ahead 4-0. But it proved important as Willie Stargell & Al Oliver drove in three runs in the 9th inning with Grote's run being the game winner.

On June 25th, he hit three doubles in a 4-1 win at Montreal while driving in a run as well.

On June 29th he hit one of his two HRs of the season, in Tom Seaver's 3-0 shut out over the Philadelphia Phillies for his tenth win of the year. The next day, Grote drove in another run as Nolan Ryan & Danny Frisella combined for a shut out over the Pirates.

In July he was still battling over .300 but missed some time struggling through an injury & it affected his hitting, as his average dropped off in August.

On an early August Road trip, Grote drove in runs in three straight games. On August 7th he collected three hits, with an RBI in the Mets 20-6 blowout of the Braves in Atlanta. In his next game at San Diego, he drove in a pair of runs in a 6-4 Mets win at Jack Murphy Stadium.

On September 4th he hit two doubles in combined Jim McAndrew & Danny Frisella shut out over the Phillies. It was his third multi doubles game of the season. 

Grote hit a career high 25 doubles leading the third place Mets in that category. He batted .270 with two HRs, 35 RBIs a .339 on base % & .686 OPS. 

Behind the plate he led the league in put outs once again, posting a .990 fielding % (3rd in the NL). That year he threw out just 26% of would-be base stealers, by far the lowest in his career as a starting player. He allowed 51 stolen bases (5th most in the NL).

1972: At the end of Spring Training 1972 Mets manager Gil Hodges passed away due to an untimely heart attack. The shocking tragedy crushed the organization in many ways. The team named the popular Yogi Berra as manager over other candidates including a young Whitey Herzog who had been more qualified for the job. Whitey had been the head of the Mets minor leagues for the past few years. The team tried to get to work after a short players strike had suspended play for two weeks.

On a rainy Opening Day, the Mets honored their late manager, Gil Hodges. Jerry Grote caught Tom Seaver's 4-0 rain shortened shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

On April 28th, his 8th inning double scored Jim Fregosi & Eddie Kranepool tying up a game against the Chicago Cubs. The Mets won it in the 12th inning, on Jim Beachamp's pinch hit walk off RBI single.

Multi HR Game: On May 19th, Grote hit a 5th inning solo HR off the Phillies Dick Selma at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. In the top of the 8th, he added a three-run shot off Chris Short completing his season high four RBI game in the 8-3 Mets win. It was his only multi-HR game of the year.

Injury & Back Up Role: For a brief time that season, manager Yogi Berra went with Duffy Dyer as the team's main catcher. Dyer had been hitting well & was a younger player. The experiment didn't last too long. Although Dyer was a fine defensive catcher, but as hitting faded out, it proved he was not as good all-around as Grote.

It was later revealed that Berra was covering up an injury Grote had. He would eventually need surgery to remove bone chips. In June he went down for two weeks & he would struggle on the DL the rest of the year.

In the final two months he only played in eight games. On the year he hit .210 with 3 HRs 5 doubles 21 RBIs a .310 on base % & .592 OPS playing in just 64 games.

At catcher, he threw out 53% of would-be base stealers, making 42 assists with just one error in 448 chances, good enough for a .998 fielding %. 

1973 Mets Pennant Season: The 1973 Mets pennant season brought more injuries for the battered catcher. He started out the season missing the first seven games & then appearing as a pinch hitter when he returned.

On April 19th, he had a pair of hits with his first RBI of the year, in the Mets 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. On April 29th, his sac fly RBI was the only run of the game, in a Jerry Koosman / Carl Morton pitcher's duel in Atlanta.

Injuries: In early May he fractured his wrist after getting hit by a pitch. He missed two months from May 11th through July 11th, only to return and have Pete Rose foul tip a pitch off his finger.

He suffered a fracture missing more time on & off in July as well. While he was on the DL, Duffy Dyer & Rookie Ron Hodges did well but the Mets pitching staff struggled without their main catcher.

Grote returned in August, as the Mets were in last place but still close in a four-team divisional
race in the up & down NL East. In early August Grote drove in runs in six straight games leading the team to wins in four of them.

On August 8th in Los Angeles, his RBI single off the Dodgers Andy Messersmith turned out to be the only run of the game as John Matlack shut out the Dodgers on a two hitter. 

Grand Slam HR: A week later on August 15th, Grote hit his first career grand slam HR, coming off the Padres; Steve Arlin in San Diego. Tom Seaver earned his fifteenth win of the year, in the 7-0 shutout. It would be the only grand slam in his Mets career.

Four Hit Game: On August 18th the Mets beat up on the Cincinnati Reds in a 12-1 win. It was a preview of that year's NLCS. Grote had four hits with a walk & run scored in the game. 

In a successful late August home stand against the Western division teams, Grote collected 13 hits in the 13 games. He drove in three runs as well as the Mets went 8-5 on the home stand.

Upon his healthy return Grote had drivee in 14 runs in the month bringing his average up from .184 to .244.

During the incredible Mets September stretch run, they went 19-7 coming from last place to win the NL Eastern crown. Once the steady catcher regained control of the Mets' staff, the pitchers found confidence & started winning again. 

They threw eight shutouts once Grote returned, and Tug McGraw who earlier in the year couldn't find the strike zone, became the best reliever in the league for the final month.  From August 27th on the Mets went 24-9 to capture the NL East.

Hot September Pennant Run: In September, Grote hit safely in 16 of the 25 games he played in, batting .304 with 27 hits in that month. He had eight multi-hit games and drove in 11 runs in the month. 

Three Hit Game: On September 16th, Grote had a three-hit game in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. In the 8th inning he drove in what was the winning run with a single off Bob Locker. The victory brought the Mets to 2.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Three Hit Game: On September 21st, he had another three-hit game, with two doubles, a single & a walk. In the 1st inning he doubled off Steve Blass, driving in two runs in the Mets four run inning in the 10-2 win.

The victory had the Mets take over first place from those Pittsburgh Pirates, as Tom Seaver won his 18th game of the season. 

The Mets went into a rainy Chicago Wrigley Field needing to win to clinch the NL Eastern title.

On September 30th they won the second game of a double header guaranteeing them at least a tie for the Divisional title. 

Mets Clinch NL East: On October 1st, Tom Seaver went out & beat the Cubs to clinch the East.

In the top of the 4th inning, Grote singled off Burt Hooton scoring Cleon Jones & John Milner, putting New York up 3-0. 

As Seaver tired in the 9th, Tug McGraw came on to get Glen Beckert to ground out for the last out of the game. Grote congratulated the pitcher & his team mates in an empty, rainy Wrigley Field. The Mets had won the NL Eastern division. It was onto the post season for the Mets for the second time in four years.

Grote played in 86 games on the 1973 season, batting .256 with ten doubles, one HR and 32 RBIs. In 81 games behind the plate, he posted the league's second-best fielding % (.995%). He also helped lead Tom Seaver in earning his second Cy Young Award.

He threw out 35% of would-be base stealers, which was just around the league average. That season Grote posted the league's best range factor, per game & per nine innings. It is a stat not looked at much- especially in those days, but Grote led the league in that department six different times.

1973 Post Season- NLCS: In the 1973 NLCS the Mets went up against the heavily favored Cincinnati Reds- aka The Big Red Machine.

In Game #1 at Riverfront Stadium, Grote was behind the plate as Tom Seaver shut out the Reds on four hits thru seven innings. He then gave up an 8th inning HR to Pete Rose & a walk off HR to Johnny Bench in the 2-1 loss. Grote was 0-4 on the day.

In Game #2 also at Riverfront Stadium, Grote called the pitches for Jon Matlack who threw a two-hit shutout beating the Big Red Machine to even the series.

In the top of the 9th inning, the Mets were clinging to a 1-0 lead. Cleon Jones singled to score Felix Millan, setting up Grote, who hit a two-run single off Red's pitcher, Pedro Borbon driving in Jones & Rusty Staub. The Mets went on to a 5-0 victory & headed back to New York tied at one game each.

In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, the Mets won big in a 9-2 victory. The game was highlighted by the Bud Harrelson - Pete Rose bench clearing brawl in the 5th inning. Grote was right in the middle of things, getting a base hit off Dave Tomlin, drawing a walk & scoring two runs.

In Game #4 at Shea, Grote got one of the Mets three hits, in the 2-1 loss, evening the series. 

In the final Game #5, Grote went 1-4 with a single, as Tom Seaver earned the win & Tug McGraw the save in the 7-2 victory. In the bottom of the 9th, he ran for his life to the safety of the clubhouse, as the Mets fans stormed the field when Tug McGraw got Dan Driessen to ground out to first base for the final out. The Mets had won their second the NL Pennant in five years, heading to the World Series to face the mighty Oakland A's. 

Overall, in the NLCS Grote hit .211 (4-19) with two RBIs, two runs scored, a walk & three strike outs in five games.

1973 World Series: In the 1973 World Series against the Oakland A's, Grote would set three different defensive World Series fielding records. He caught every inning of the World Series just as he did in 1969, although this was a seven-game affair.

In the series opener, he went 0-4 in the Mets 2-1 loss.

In Game #2 Grote was behind the plate for every inning of the 12-inning marathon which was the longest game in World Series history up to that point in time. 

He collected two hits in six at bats & scored a run as well. 

In the top of the 6th, he was hit by a pitch on the wrist by pitcher Horatio Pina. The ball struck him in the same spot he had broken his wrist earlier in the season. He was attended to by trainer Tom McKenna & Manager Yogi Berra. The tough catcher grunted, shook off the pain & remained in the game. 

He later scored when A's first baseman Gene Tenace threw wildly to home plate as he was trying to score on a Jim Beachamp ground ball. 

 There was a lot of excitement in New York as the Series returned to Shea Stadium tied at one game apiece on a cool fall evening.

In Game #3 the two best pitchers in baseball went head-to-head, as Tom Seaver faced off against Jim Catfish Hunter. Hunter was shaky in the 1st inning, allowing two runs, but he settled down to pitch six innings, exiting behind 2-1. Tom Seaver pitched eight innings, striking out 12 A's hitters, leaving the game in a 2-2 tie.

In the top of the 10th inning, with Ted Kubiak on first base, Mets relief pitcher Harry Parker struck out Angel Mangual. But the third strike got passed Grote & Mangual reached base with Kuiak advancing. The pitch was ruled a passed ball.

Bert Campaneris drove a base hit to center field scoring Kubiak in what was the games winning run.

Quotes- Jerry Grote: “The ball was scuffed on one side & the ball had been sailing. Apparently, Harry turned the ball around without realizing it & the ball went the other direction a little bit. And being a little bit on the tired side at this stage of the game, I just couldn't react quick enough to catch the ball".

In Game #4 at Shea Stadium, Grote came back with a big 3-4 night at the plate. The Game was highlighted by Rusty Staub's 1st inning three run HR & his five RBI night. Mets pitcher Jon Matlack rolled to a 6-1 win. Grote singled in the 1st off Ken Holtzman, then again in the 5th & 7th innings off Horatio Pina.

Game #5 was another classic pitcher's duel as Jerry Koosman shut out the A's & Vida Blue 2-0. In the bottom of the 6th inning with two outs, Grote singled to left field off Blue & then scored on Don Hahn's RBI triple. 

The win put the Mets ahead three games to two, heading west back to Oakland.

In the Game #6 Mets 3-1 loss, Grote went 1-4 with one of the six Mets hits. In this game manager

Yogi Berra went with Toom Seaver on four days rest passing up George Stone who never got a start in the series. He was rested & also available for Game #7.

In the final Game #7, the Mets took a 5-2 loss with Grote going 1-4 with a 4th inning base hit off Ken Holtzman. These Mets fell one game short of another miracle.

Overall, in the seven game World Series Grote batted .267 (8-30) with two runs scored. The A's stole three bases all by Bert Campaneris, with Grote throwing out four of the seven attempted steals.

After the Pennant: In 1974 the Mets began the season in Philadelphia, dropping the opener 6-4. 

Four RBI Game: In the second game, Grote had a two run double off Jim Lonborg then added a three run HR (2 RBIs) off Ron Diorio in the 9-2 win over Phillies.

In the home opener on April 10th, the Mets raised the NL Pennant flag. Grote led the offense with his second HR of the season plus an RBI single leading Koosman to a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. 

On April 30th he drove in two runs helping the Mets to an 8-7 win in L.A. over the Dodgers. Jerry finished April batting under .200 (.196) but had a better May where he would bat .302 with two more HRs & ten RBIS & an .802 OPS.

Grote would have three multi-RBI games that month & raised his average sixty points while hitting safely in 15 of 20 games.

On May 7th he homered in a Mets loss to the Giants at Shea, then drove in a pair of runs in each of his next two games.

On May 13th, he hit a two-run 8th inning HR off the Cardinals Bob Gibson, leading to a 5-3 Mets win. 

Mets Umpire Drama: That month the Mets officials accused umpires of pocketing baseballs, claiming the usual five dozen balls given to the home team, kept coming up short. The newspapers ran with the story causing controversy. 

In a May game at Shea Stadium, umpire Bruce Froemming sent over the baseballs with a note that said; " here's your five dozen baseballs- count 'em!". In the 8th inning, a pitch from Harry Parker got by Grote & hit the umpire Froemming. 

Grote & his manager Yogi Berra claimed the battery got crossed up. But Froemming charged that it was deliberately done, to get back at him for his note. He also pushed that the catcher did not go out to the mound to talk to the pitcher after the cross up, as is usually done. Grote insisted it was a mistake, saying that the newspaper articles must have really hit home.

1974 All Star: By the All Star break he was batting .278 and his manager Yogi Berra who was the NL All Star skipper, named Grote to the All-Star team.

The Game was played in Pittsburgh & many of the fans there, were upset at Berra choosing his own Grote over the Pirates local young star Dave Parker. Grote came into the game to catch pitcher Mike Marshall in the 9th inning of the NL's 7-2 win.

Grote's second half of the season was cut short when a foul ball hit off his hand in late August & he missed all of September. 

On August 13th he hit a two run HR off Al Downing of the Dodgers leading the Mets & Jon Matlack to a 3-0 shut out at Shea Stadium.

The Mets as a team, were unable to avenge their NL title having a terrible year falling to fifth place (71-91). 

Overall, Grote caught 94 games throwing out 35% of would-be base stealers, while posting a .988 fielding %. At the plate he batted .257 with five HRs eight doubles 36 RBIs with a .326 on base % & .661 OPS.

1975: Entering the season, Grote was 32 years old, having played 11 seasons getting battered behind the plate. But he would hit a career high .295 while playing in 119 games, the most games he had played in, in four seasons. Grote would be the anchor behind the plate for a pitching staff that came in at the top four of almost every major pitching category. Tom Seaver would also earn his third Cy Young this season.

The '75 Mets would finish third with an 82-80 record under Yogi Berra who get fired near the end of the season. 

In April, Grote played in 14 games while batting .267. On April 20th, he hit his first HR of the year coming in a 4-3 win over the Cubs in the first game of a Shea doubleheader.

On April 27th, his 7th inning RBI single off the Expos Dave McNally started a six run Mets inning in the comeback win.

In May & June he had a dozen multi hit games & was batting near .290 by early July. From June 7th to July 7th, he hit safely in 17 of 20 games batting .353 with eight RBIs.

4th of July HR: On the Fourth of July in Philadelphia, with the Mets down 3-2 in the top of the 9th inning, Grote hit a two run HR off former teammate Tug McGraw, who was now a Philie. The runs proved to be the game winners in the 4-3 win.

By the end of July, he hit safely in 11 of 12 games, raising his average over .300 while holding a .350 on base %. In August he drove in a dozen runs in the month, along with four multi-RBI games. The Mets entered September tied for third place, just four games back in a four team race. 

MLB Record for Reaching Base: In a bizarre feat on September 5, 1975, Grote tied the modern major-league record by reaching base on errors three times in a single game. It happened during a 5–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. 

On the season Jerry would hit a career high .295 (third best on the club, second best among everyday players) while matching career bests in hits (114) & a on base & (.357%). He also had a career best .731 OPS.

Grote hit two HRs with 14 doubles 39 RBIs & 30 runs scored. He struck out 23 times with 38 walks. Behind the plate he ended the year leading all catchers in fielding (.995%) nailing 35 runners trying to steal (2nd in the NL) 34 %, with 706 put outs (3rd in the NL) & 55 assists (5th in the NL). 

Bicentennial Year: On Opening Day, Grote helped Tom Seaver to a 3-2 win over the Expos, by driving in the first run of the Mets season with a single off Steve Rogers. He would collect two more RBIs two days later in the Mets 7-6 loss to Montreal. In April he would hit .389 & remain at .300 through most of the month of May.

In a June 13th double header sweep in San Francisco, Grote homered in the first game, helping Mickey Lolich to a 4-2 win. In the night cap he drove in two more runs with a double & sac fly off Jim Barr, leading Tom Seaver to the win.

On June 23rd in St. Louis, he hit a HR in the top of the 9th inning breaking a 4-4 tie to beat Brooklyn born, future Met, Pete Falcone & the Cards 5-4.

In July he fell into a batting slump, dropping his average to .246. But he returned with a good August where he hit .376 with twenty hits including seven doubles & eight RBIs. In three games against the Dodgers that month, he homered & drove in five RBIs.

On August 22nd in a classic Sunday afternoon pitcher's duel in San Diego, Grote drove in the game's only run with a 7th inning double off Randy Jones as the Mets & Jon Matlack won the game 1-0.

Injuries nagged the 34-year-old Grote once again as he missed almost all of September. A young John Stearns was waiting for his chance to replace Grote, as he been acquired in the Tug McGraw trade a year earlier. 

Grote hit .272 with 4 HRs 14 doubles 28 RBIs & 30 runs scored. He struck out 19 times & walked 38 times with a .350 on base % (fourth best on the club) & .715 OPS.

Defensively he had 617 put outs with a .993 fielding % (5th best in the NL). He allowed 61 stolen bases (5th most in the NL) throwing out 33% of would-be base stealers. That season he played two games in the outfield as well.

1977: By now there were big changes within the organization & none of them good. After the loss of their dear owner Mrs. Joan Payson, the ownership went to her daughter who gave M. Donald Grant control of the team.  In the wake of free agency, the ignorant Grant refused to give in too what he called the selfish players financial requests. The Mets made no efforts to improve the team.

Most of the players from their championship years were gone & for the few that were left, their days were numbered. Lucky for them bad for the fans. That summer the horrible Midnight Massacre occurred, where Tom Seaver was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Also traded away to a lesser extent were Dave Kingman. Once Seaver was gone, Grote wasn’t too far behind.

Grote had begun the year telling the press he was there to back up John Stearns on days the youngster needed a rest. 

On April 16th, Grote drove in two runs in a 4-1 win over the Cubs at Shea. 

Last Mets RBIs & Game Winning Runs: On June 14th, Grote hit a pair of RBI singles off the Phillies Steve Carlton, driving in both runs of the Nino Espinosa, Skip Lockwood Mets 2-0 shut out win. These would be the final Mets RBIs for Grote. In his last ten career Mets games he collected hits in seven of them, with the last coming off the Astros Floyd Bannister in a 2-1 win on August 23rd.

Traded: On August 31st, Grote was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor leaguers Dan Smith & Randy Rogers.

Mets All Time Leader Board: Jerry Grote is the Mets All-time leading catcher in games behind the plate, catching 1176. He is fifth on the Mets all-time list for games played (1235).

Grote is eleventh in hits (994) thirteenth in walks (363) fourteenth in total bases (1278) eighteenth in doubles (143) nineteenth in triples (18) &twentieth in RBIs (357).

Post Mets Career: Grote played only 61 games with the Dodgers, over the next two seasons but got to the World Series both times with the NL Champions as back up to Steve Yeager.

In 1977, he was the team's third string catcher backing up Yeager & Johnny Oates. He also played two games at third base. Grote batted .259 with four RBIs in 18 games.

1977 Post Season: In the NLCS win over the Phillies, Grote would appear in two games getting one at bat drawing a walk. He made one defensive appearance in the World Series.

In 1978 he backed up Yeager & Joe Ferguson at catcher, seeing action in 35 games. He hit .217 in 41 games with nine RBIs.

1978 Post Season: In the NLCS win over the Phillies he made one appearance then had two more defensive appearances in the World Series.

Divorce & return to MLB: After playing with the Dodgers for two seasons, he retired to be with his family. But family issues saw he & his wife Sharon divorced a year later. Grote was then lured back to the game by his former Mets coach, Billy Connors.

Royals Career: After being out of the game for two seasons, he returned in 1981 at the age of 38, playing for the Kansas City Royals as a third string catcher & pinch hitter. 

Grand Slam & Seven RBI Game: On June 3, 1981, Grote had the biggest offensive game of his career. In the 5th inning he hit his second career grand slam, his first HR since 1976 five years earlier. The blast came off Seattle's Ken Clay.

That day he went 3-for-4, adding a two run double & RBI single for a then club-record seven RBIs, leading the Royals to a 12–9 win over the Mariners. 

In late September, he was released by the Royals after batting .304 in 22 games. He then returned to Los Angeles to finish off the year in two games with the Dodgers. That year the Dodgers won the World Series although Grote did not appear in the post season.

Career Stats: Lifetime in his entire career Grote played in 1421 games, hit .252 with 1092 hits 39 HRs 160 doubles 22 triples 352 runs scored & 404 RBIs. He struck out 600 times with 399 walks posting a .316 on base % & .642 OPS. 

Behind the plate he caught 1348 games (52nd most all time) with a 991 fielding %, making 8081 put outs (37th all time) with 635 assists making 76 double plays. He has made 78 errors in 8851 chances. He threw out 38% of would-be base stealers, nailing 350 runners in total.

Quotes- Jerry Grote: "As a member of three NL Champions, two World Championship teams & being selected to play in two All tar Games were great chapters in my career. But there was nothing more exciting than squatting behind the plate & giving the fastball sign to legendary Nolan Ryan or calling for Tom Seaver to put one low & outside."

Trivia: Grote caught 116 shutouts in his career, ranking him 15th all-time among catchers. 

Post Season Stats: In four post seasons, 26 post season games, s Grote was 18 for 81 (.222) with three doubles, eight runs scored, four RBIs & four walks.

"There was never any doubt that Jerry Grote was one of the best defensive receivers in the National League. He always handled pitchers well and had a rifle arm."

Retirement: He briefly coached for the Detroit Tigers' Lakeland and Birmingham farm clubs. 

In 1985 while managing at Lakeland, he was short on catchers during a double header. He called his GM & activated himself to catch the second game of the twin bill. at age 42. He was promptly deactivated after the game.

He also played in the Senior Professional baseball league in 1989 hitting two HRs there.

Outside of baseball he raises prize Texas longhorns on his ranch near Austin. He was once a sales manager for a development team for a San Antonio firm.

Grote has sold real estate, as well as owned a meat market & cattle ranch. He also worked as a color commentator on the Round Rock Express (PCL) on hometown broadcasts.

Quotes- Jerry Grote: “Many folks ask me how my knees and arms are holding up after all those years of catching. Well, the truth is... GREAT! I fortunately and surprisingly never had any problems through all the years I played which I attribute to the "wise" way in which I caught and played. My only knee surgery came from playing in a golf tournament while in Washington, D.C. I slipped and fell while trying to escape a monstrous thunderstorm there!”

Honors: In 1992 Jerry Grote was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame.

He is also a member of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, The San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame, The Trinity University Athletic Hall of Fame & the San Antonio Missions Wall of Fame.

Grote was on hand for the 20th anniversary of the 1973 NL Championship team in 1993. He was at Citi Field for the 40th & 50th anniversary of the 1969 Amazing Mets team at Citi Field. 

Grote was a popular favorite at Mets fantasy camps & instructional events. He also has made many appearances at baseball card & collectible shows. In 2022 he appeared in the netflix  documentary Facing Nolan Ryan.

Sit Com: Jerry Grote appeared with some of his former teammates in the Season 3 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond "Big shots". 

Family: Jerry was married to his first wife Sharon in his Mets days, together they had three children, daughters Sandra & Jenifer as well as son Jeffrey.

Jerry married a second time to his wife Cheryl & they resided in San Antonio.

Passing: On April 7th, 2024, Jerry Grote passed away at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institue in Austin, Texas, he was 81 years old.

Quotes- Mets owners Steve & Alex Cohen: "We are incredibly saddened to hear about the
passing of Jerry Grote. The Met Hall of Famer was the backbone of a young Mets team who captured the heart of New York City in1969. Known as the best defensive catcher in franchise history, he was a two-time All Star who played 12 seasons in Flushing. 

We are grateful that Jerry was able to reunite with his teammates one last time during the 1969 World Series reunion at Citi Field in 2019. Our thoughts & prayers are with his wife, Cheryl, family & friends.".

Quotes- Jerry Koosman: "He was the reason for my success. I have a photo in my home of me jumping into his arms after we won in 1969. I am heartbroken. No one was better behind the plate. He really controlled the game".