From West Haven To The Bronx: The Fast Rise And Faster Fall Of Gil Patterson

West Haven Yankees minor league baseball only saw one no-hitter in the decade-long affiliate tenure. The no-hit feat came at the right-handed flamethrower of Gil Patterson, on June 28th, 1976.

The Double-AA Yankees were no-hit twice in their franchise history leading up to Patterson’s start, but on a hot mid-summer day in June, it would be West Haven doing the no-hit pitching. Both of the no-hitters against West Haven came in a shortened doubleheader 7 inning game, but for Patterson he went all nine innings.

Gil Patterson was the top pitching prospect in New York’s farm system at the height of their Bronx Zoo glory.

The no-hit game for Patterson came against Williamsport in what was the final give of a grueling five-game series set, it was also the 10th game of what was part of a 14-game no-off-day homestand for West Haven.

In control of the game from the first pitch, Patterson struck out eight and walked three, while only working his outfielders legs for a single play. The outing would give Patterson his eighth win of the 1976 season to improve his record to 8-1. 

West Haven scored their lone run in the fourth inning via a Larry Murray single, followed by sacrifice by Steve Coulson, an infield base hit by Garth Lorg and finally a single to Quigley’s deep 410-foot center by Daryl Jones which drove home Murray. Overall, West Haven’s box score would be 1 6 1 with Williamsport’s being 0 0 1.

The outing would contribute to Patterson’s 9-2 record with a 2.07 ERA with West Haven that 1976 season, where he allowed 67 hits in 100 innings. The Philly native threw the Eastern League’s only no-hitter of the season and would have been fourth in the league’s ERA standings if he qualified.

As you might expect, this type of display from your 20-year-old top prospect made him even more valuable as Patterson was considered a “super prospect” by the Yankees organization, which would later be highlighted in New York’s 1977 yearbook. 

Both the Cincinnati Red and Chicago White Sox tried trading for Patterson shortly after his no-hit bid. Cincinnati wanted a straight-up deal, offering New York Tony Perez. Chi-Town offered New York Bucky Dent, but New York’s GM Gabe Paul and George Steinbrenner turned down both offers. Of course though Steinbrenner did want a deal done for Dent and a deal was made. New York sent over one of West Haven’s top pitchers and future Cy Young winner LaMarr Hoyt to acquire Dent.

Patterson made his MLB debut the following season on April 19th, 1977, against the newly-formed Toronto Blue Jays, where he gave up 4 runs in 3.1 innings. Overall, Patterson was used sparingly in both the starter and reliever role and even was sent down to Triple-AAA at one point, before his rookie season ended abruptly in late August against the Rangers. His 1977 stat line consists of a 1-2 record across 10 games and a 5.40 ERA.

Patterson was in the majors long enough to get his rookie card, but the only problem was it wasn’t from him. Patterson’s 1977 Topps rookie card, numbered 472, depicts Don Aase, Bob McClure, Dave Wehrmeister…and Sheldon Gill, a catcher who barely was able to make it out of rookie ball.

Turns out the Yankees had sent the baseball card company the wrong Gil/Gill image, having Sheldon Gill displayed where Gil Patterson was supposed to be. While the other players on the card combined for more than 1,200 major league appearances, Patterson made just those 10. 

Patterson’s career was derailed with eight total surgeries and is considered as one of the biggest could-have-beens of New York Yankees history. Patterson never appeared in the majors again as a player post-1977.

Nonetheless Patterson was credited with a World Series being part of the 1977 squad.

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