Today marks Garth Iorg’s 72 birthday. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays from 1978 to 1987.
Born in Arcata, California, Iorg was selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 1982 amateur draft, but joined the Blue Jays in the 1976 expansion draft. Over nine seasons with Toronto, he batted .258/.282/.347, hit 20 home runs, and appeared in 931 games.
Iorg wasn’t a standout player. He joined the Jays as a second baseman and hit accordingly, showing little power, few walks, and limited speed (23
career stolen bases).
Iorg is best remembered as the right-handed half of the “Mullinorg” platoon at third base, paired with Rance Mulliniks, generally considered the stronger player. Iorg’s only standout season came in 1985, when he hit .313/.358/.469 with 7 home runs in 288 at-bats—coinciding with Toronto’s first playoff appearance. The Jays lost to the Royals in a seven-game ALCS, where Iorg struggled, batting just .133/.188/.133 in 15 at-bats. Aside from that year, he never truly excelled, even when facing primarily left-handed pitchers.
I recall him as a solid defensive player, though it may be that his lack of offensive production led me to assume he was more reliable with the glove.
The Jays often used platoon systems at third base, catcher, and designated hitter. In recent years, however, the increased number of pitchers on rosters has made platooning more difficult for teams.
Iorg debuted for the Jays in 1978, appearing in 19 games, mostly at second base. The team struggled that year, finishing 59-102, and Iorg hit just .163/.218/.163. He spent all of 1979 in the minors. In 1980, he returned as a utility player, appearing in 80 games at a variety of positions—2B, 3B, LF, 1B, and SS—and hit .248/.286/.329.
During the 1981 strike season, Iorg played 46 games at second base filling in for the injured Damaso Garcia, as well as a few games at third, but hit just .242/.269/.293. With Bobby Cox arriving in 1982, the Mullinorg platoon began. That year, Iorg played 100 games at third base and 30 at second, posting his best numbers to date: .285/.307/.365. The Jays also improved, finishing 78-84 as some future stars emerged.
In 1983, the Jays achieved their first winning season at 89-73, finishing fourth in the AL East. Iorg hit a hollow .275, with a .298 on-base percentage and a .376 slugging. The 1984 Jays finished second in the division, 15 games behind the World Series champion Tigers. That year, Iorg struggled at the plate, batting just .227/.244/.304. Rance Mulliniks arguably deserved the full-time third base job.
As previously noted, Iorg’s 1985 season stood out as his best.
In 1986, the Jays slipped to the middle of the AL East standings, and Iorg’s performance declined to .260/.303/.352. That year, Kelly Gruber was called up and began taking over at third base, while manager Jimmy Williams used Iorg more often at second as Damaso Garcia’s tenure waned.
In 1987, Iorg became the team’s primary second baseman but struggled offensively, hitting just .210/.262/.284. The season ended in disappointment, as Toronto was swept by Detroit in the final series, losing seven straight games and surrendering first place. Iorg made the final out of the deciding game, with the tying and winning runs on base.
That at-bat marked Iorg’s last appearance for the Jays. He became a free agent afterward but drew no interest from other major-league teams, ending his playing career with Toronto.
Following his playing days, Iorg managed at every minor league level in the Blue Jays organization. He also worked as an agent with Sosnick Cobb Sports Agency, representing many young players, and served as a roving instructor for the Milwaukee Brewers. Iorg is the brother of former major leaguer Dane Iorg and is a father of eight children.
Garth is also remembered for his unusual batting stance—standing on the toes of his front foot and leaning back toward the catcher as the pitch was delivered. As Rance Mulliniks succinctly put it: “It’s unique.”
Happy birthday, Garth. Wishing you a great day.
Nolan Reimold is celebrating his 43rd birthday today.
Reimold played 22 games for the Blue Jays in 2014 after being claimed off waivers from the Orioles, as the team hoped he would hit well against left-handed pitching. He posted a .212/.283/.404 line with 2 home runs before being lost on waivers to the Diamondbacks at the end of August.
Over eight major league seasons—seven with the Orioles—Reimold hit .246/.323/.422 with 56 home runs in 480 games.
Happy birthday, Nolan.
Tanyon Sturtze is turning 56 today.
A right-handed pitcher, Sturtze signed with the Blue Jays as a free agent before the 2003 season. He appeared in 40 games (8 starts), posting a 7-6 record and a 5.94 ERA. In 89.1 innings, he allowed 107 hits, 14 home runs, 43 walks, and struck out 54 batters.
Sturtze’s MLB career spanned parts of 12 seasons. He debuted with the Cubs, pitching 13 innings over 1995-1996, then had brief stints with the Rangers and White Sox, appearing in just one game for Chicago in 1999. The Rays acquired him midway through the 2000 season.
He had his best run with the Rays, spending three seasons there and compiling a 19-30 record with a 4.48 ERA in 91 games (65 starts).
Sturtze later spent three seasons in the Yankees’ bullpen, posting a 5.26 ERA in 110 games. He finished his career pitching 2.1 innings for the Dodgers in 2008.
Across 272 games (84 starts) for seven teams, Sturtze recorded a 5.19 ERA and a 40-44 record. I don’t recall much else about his career.
Happy birthday, Tanyon.
