Baseballtown loses a home grown legend

Reading Baseball Hall of Famer, life-long Berks County resident and long-time Major League pitcher Randy Gumpert passed away two days before Thanksgiving. He was 90-years old.

Gumpert was born and resided in Monocacy. He graduated from Birdsboro High School in 1936, the same year he made his Major League debut for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s.

Ten of his 17 seasons as a professional pitcher were spent in the Major Leagues with the A’s, Yankees, White Sox, Red Sox and Washington. He remained in the game until retiring in 1993. When his playing days ended he coached and managed in the Minor Leagues and also worked as a scout. 

As a big leaguer he appeared in 261 games, starting 113 of them. He was 51-59 with a 4.17 ERA. He was an American League All-Star in 1951 with the White Sox. That same year he surrendered the first of 536 career home runs to a rookie from the Yankees named Mickey Mantle. 

An old baseball card listed him at 6’3” and 195 lbs. as a player and described him as dark-haired, lanky, fine conditioned righty who hid his pitches well. That same right hand maintained a powerful handshake even in his later years. 

Like many players from his era, he sacrificed some of his physical prime to serve the United States in the Coast Guard during World War II. 

In addition to high school baseball, Gumpert played American Legion Baseball for Birdsboro. He did not play for Reading as a Minor Leaguer. 

Gumpert was inducted into the Reading Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. His obituary that was printed in the Reading Eagle also listed the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the Berks County Sports Hall of Fame, the Daniel Boone Wall of Fame and the Major League Scouting Hall of Fame among his professional accomplishments.

Gumpert was the second Reading Baseball Hall of Famer to pass away in November. Former Reading Indian Herb Score died on November 11.

This story was posted on December 1, 2008