Former MLB speedster Terrance Gore dies at age 34 - ESPN

Terrance Gore, a dynamic baserunner whose speed impacted postseason games for the better part of a decade, has died at age 34, the Kansas City Royals announced Saturday.

According to USA Today, Britney Gore, his wife, posted on social media that Gore died from complications after routine surgery. He leaves behind three children.

«Very sad to wake up and hear this,» said the Dodgers' Dave Roberts, one of many major league managers who deployed Gore as a pinch runner during his career. «He was as confident a base stealer as I've ever been around.»

Eric Hosmer was a teammate of Gore with the Royals.

«Absolutely brutal news,» he texted. «A great teammate.»

Gore had 85 plate appearances during his big league career and batted .216. But in some Septembers and October, he led the majors in fear induced because of his speed. He was often added to rosters late in the regular season — first by the Royals, and subsequently by the Chicago Cubs, Dodgers and New York Mets — to serve as a pinch runner, usually in the late innings of close games. He played in the big leagues in parts of eight seasons, and in just 112 regular-season games and 11 more in the postseason, he stole 48 bases in 58 attempts.

Buck Showalter managed against Gore when the Baltimore Orioles faced the Royals in the playoffs and had Gore on his own roster in 2022 when Gore was with the Mets.

«I called him in to talk to him about what his role would be, but he already knew,» Showalter said. «He was such a weapon. He fit in well. He didn't take himself too seriously.»

Gore took batting practice daily and worked in the outfield before games. But Gore and his teammates knew how he would be used — if his team was down a run in the late innings, or if the score was tied,