Crime & Safety

Bronze Plaque Honoring 'Lefty' Gomez Stolen from San Marin High

Someone swiped the plaque in the past few days; it honored the Hall of Fame pitcher who once lived in Novato.

Where's Lefty?

Somebody has swiped the Vernon "Lefty" Gomez plaque at 's baseball diamond.

Mark Whitburn, the longtime baseball coach at San Marin who was friends with Gomez before the all-time great died in 1989, said he was speechless when he received a call Friday morning about the theft.

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"It's disgusting," Whitburn said. "There has been a lot of senseless vandalism through the years at the field, but to go and pry off Lefty Gomez? Man, times are so tough that somebody thinks they can go sell it, I guess. It's terrible.

officers were called to San Marin on Thursday morning to investigate the theft of the plaque, which was embedded in a concrete mount behind the field's backstop. Sgt. Eric Riddell said it appeared someone pried the plaque from the concrete.

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It's unknown how long the plaque — which measures 2 feet by 3 feet — has been missing, police said. It has an estimated value of $1,000, but Whitburn said sentimental value really made it priceless.

"When I first coached at the school in the early 1980s, he would come by and ask if anybody needed a glove or cleats," he said. "Lefty was a rep for Wilson sporting goods at the time. The next thing you know, he'd be back giving things away. He had a big heart for the kids."

Gomez, who spent some time living in Novato and Fairfax, was a pitcher for the New York Yankees during the team's heyday in the 1930s.  In his Hall of Fame career, he was a seven-time All-Star and compiled a pitching record of 189-102 with a 3.34 earned-run average.

Gomez died at age 80 and is buried at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael.

Know anything about this theft? Call Novato police at 897-4361 during office hours or 897-1122 after hours.


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