Go West Gary

By Scoop Fox

'Parting is such sweet sorrow...'

Those 4 words from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet can best describe what happened down at McCoy Stadium today.  Yesterday was the last day we would see Pawtucket Red Sox skipper Gary DiSarcina in the Pawtucket dugout. As of today, he was hired by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to become their third base coach at the major league level.

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Gary is no stranger to the Angels organization. Drafted in the sixth round of the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft, he made his major debut the following year for the Angels at shortstop. Gary then spent the next 12 years with the Angels from 1989 all the way to 2001,posting a career batting average of .258 with 28 HRs, 355 RBIs and had a career fielding percentage of .974 in 1,086 games. This included a '95 season where he made the AL All-Star team. He was also an assistant to the general manager from 2011-2012.

His first interaction with Boston came in 2002 when he played for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2002. In that season. Gary appeared in 35 games while hitting for .243 with 1 HR and 9 RBIs. After he retired in 2002, Gary stayed around the Boston scene. His first managerial experience came in the form of a 3-year experience managing the Lowell Spinners, the Boston Red Sox Short Season-A NY-Penn League affiliate. From 2007-2009, he composed a 125-99 record with the Lowell Spinners and had playoff births in 2008 and 2009.

Then in 2013, Gary was promoted to become the next skipper of the Pawtucket Red Sox to replace Arnie Beyler, who was called up to become the Boston Red Sox's first base coach. However the PawSox were coming off a 2012 season where they won Governors' Cup. At just a quick glance, you would think Gary would have a lot of pressure to succeed but he took it in stride and one game at a time. The 2013 PawSox finished 80-63 (.559), clinching the International League North Division and beat their rivals, the Rochester Red Wings, in the first round of the playoffs. However the dream of a repeat fell short as the Boys of Pawtucket lost to the Durham Bulls 3-1 in the Governors' Cup Finals.

 It comes to no surprise to those who watched Gary manage the team during the season. You could see he had the composure to handle a difficult situation as well having compassion for the well-being of his players. Gary had a big smile on his face every time as you could tell he enjoyed being in McCoy. 

Now as Gary heads west to the City of Angels, the PawSox are now left searching for a new manager for their fifth manager in five years since 2009. Though his time in McCoy was short, it was far from forgettable. Good luck Gary, we'll miss you.