"Gary Roenicke and Britt Burns, two of the newest Yankees, have met before. Their paths crossed July 13, 1985 when the former Orioles outfielder hit his 100th career home run off the ex-White Sox pitcher. This year, however, Burns doesn't have to worry about Roenicke teeing off him anymore, but other A.L. pitchers will.
A right-handed [hitting] left fielder with power was on the Yankees' off-season shopping list and Roenicke fit the bill. As a part-time player with Baltimore, he hit 15 homers last season in only 225 at-bats and has averaged over 16 dingers over his last four campaigns. The veteran is well-adjusted to platooning which is what the Yankees have in store for him and his left-handed counterpart Dan Pasqua.
Roenicke not only tags the long ball, he also runs them down in the outfield. A power hitter who can field- it sounds like Burns has found a new friend."
-The New York Yankees Official 1986 Yearbook
"Gary hit for his lowest professional average (.218) playing his fewest games since the strike-shortened 1981. He had his lowest single season totals in hits (49) and doubles (9), yet hit five home runs more than his 1984 total of 10.
He hit career home run No. 100 on July 13 in Baltimore off new teammate Britt Burns. Gary scored three runs (for the sixth time in his career) on May 5 at Minnesota, and hit two home runs in a game (for the fourth time in his career) and set a career single game RBI mark with six in the July 13 game against Chicago. He homered off Ron Guidry on September 28 in New York.
Roenicke made only one error in 88 games played in the outfield and was second on the Orioles with 43 pinch-hit appearances (3-for-29 for a .103 average with two sacrifice flies and nine walks). He played 17 games as a DH, going 6-for-25 (.240) and went 3-for-14 (.214) against the Yankees. He has nine career homers off Yankee pitching and is 56-for-232 (.241 BA) with 34 RBIs against New York, his 232 at-bats his most against any American League opponent.
In 1984 Roenicke platooned in left field mostly with John Lowenstein, but also shared the position with three other Orioles. He saw action at all three outfield positions and was third among AL outfielders in fielding with a .995 mark. Roenicke hit an eighth inning grand slam at Yankee Stadium on June 17, his fourth career grand slam (all four were hit on the road). He was hit by four pitches in 1984, second most on the Orioles.
In 1983, Gary was the second busiest pinch hitter in the AL behind Chicago's Jerry Hairston. He batted .211 as a pinch hitter (8-for-38), and finished third on the Orioles with 19 homers and was fourth with 64 RBIs. Gary reached base nine times in 10 plate appearances in the ALCS against Chicago and hit a two-run homer off Floyd Bannister in Game 2. He set career highs in 1982 in batting (.270) and RBI (74) and finished second on the team in slugging (.499); of his 106 hits, 47 went for extra bases (44%). Gary also hit in a career high 16 straight games from August 7-27, also an Oriole team best.
Gary appeared in only 17 games in the first six weeks of the 1978 season and was optioned to Rochester in May. He rejoined Baltimore in September after hitting .366 in his last 34 games with the Red Wings. In 1979 Gary tied for second on the Orioles with a career high 25 homers. He was hit in the face by a pitch from the White Sox' Lerrin LaGrow on April 7, the second game of the '79 season, and 25 stitches were required to close the wound. Gary returned to action eight days later, using a helmet face guard which he would later discard before the start of the '81 season. He hit into a triple play against Oakland on May 7, and two days later got Baltimore's only hit off Oakland's Mike Norris. Gary had seven straight hits over two games, June 2 and 4.
In 1980 he hit .341 from May 28 through August 28, despite missing 30 games with a fractured wrist from June 9 through July 15. He hit just .103 in his last 30 games and underwent surgery that fall for removal of loose bone fragments from his right elbow. Gary batted .328 in the first half of the 1981 season, but only .191 after the strike. He was batting .293 on September 26 before a 1-for-21 slide in his last 14 games brought his average down to .269.
As an outfielder, Gary has a career fielding percentage of .989, making only 16 errors in 1,481 total chances. His brother Ron, two years younger, plays for the Padres.
Gary has attended both Cal Poly and UCLA in the off-seasons. His hobbies include water skiing, fishing, hunting and golf."
-1986 New York Yankees Information Guide
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