Remembering Terrance Gore, Royals Legend

On Saturday morning, Martie Cordaro, Omaha Storm Chasers President and GM, shared some tragic news that Terrance Gore, a postseason hero in 2014 and 2015, passed away at the age of 34. 

Gore's wife confirmed his passing on Facebook, noting that he died from complications from a routine surgery. The Kansas City Royals also shared their condolences to Gore and his family on social media later in the morning. 

Gore is survived by his wife, Britney, and three children. On Saturday, many shared their condolences and fond memories of Gore's tenure in Kansas City. That included former GM and Royals President of Baseball Operations Dayton Moore, who was quoted in an Anne Rogers article about Gore's passing. 

Quote

 

“The thing about Terrance, one of the things I really admire -- most people looked at him as just a basestealer,” Moore said. “That fired him up a little bit. He took pride in developing as a hitter and outfielder. He could have easily just showed up every day, kept his legs in shape and basestealing skill at a high level. But he worked at all aspects of his game. He just worked really, really hard, and that continued after he stopped playing.”

 

Former Royals First Baseman and All-Star Eric Hosmer also shared his condolences on Twitter with a broken-heart emoji and some pictures of him and Gore playing together with the Royals. 

A 20th-round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft by the Royals, Gore played in 112 career games at the Major League level. Most of his career was spent with the Royals, where he played in 85 games (including a career-high 58 in 2019). That said, Gore also played with the Cubs, Mets, and Dodgers. 

He was primarily utilized as a pinch runner, as he only had 85 career plate appearances and accumulated a 0.1 fWAR and .580 OPS. That said, he was a weapon for the Royals during the 2014 and 2015 postseason runs. He had four postseason stolen bases with the Royals, including one in the 2014 Wild Card game against the Athletics and two in the 2014 ALDS against the Angels. His unique role for the Royals made him a bit of an anomaly, as baseball content creator Jolly Olive profiled in a 2022 breakdown on YouTube.

Gore will certainly be missed, not just by his family and friends, but by Royals fans who remembered his career fondly, especially in the postseason.

Without Gore, it's possible that the Royals may still be searching for that second World Series championship today. 

Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images