Pat Zachry, one of the players the Mets acquired in the infamous Tom Seaver trade, died Thursday in Waco, Texas, at the age of 71, according to Mets public relations guru Jay Horwitz.
Horwitz wrote that Zachry died “after a lengthy illness.”
Former teammate Johnny Bench also reported Zachry’s death.
“One of the great characters and an unbelievable teammate passed yesterday! #PatZachry was ROY in 1976, had 2 successful starts that postseason and one of the key players in the Tom Seaver trade,” Bench wrote on X on Friday morning. “Tears have been shed for our friend!”
Zachry will forever be part of Mets lore for his role in arguably the worst trade in Mets history, bitterly known as the “Midnight Massacre.”
The Mets traded Seaver, who had won three Cy Youngs, to the Reds for a four-player package of Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman.
Seaver went 75-46 with a 3.18 ERA from 1977-82 with the Reds.
Zachry, the 1976 NL Rookie of the Year, gave the Mets one All-Star season in 1978, going 10-6 with a 3.33 ERA spanning 21 starts.
That season ended early — and in Metsian fashion — when he suffered an injury on July 24 after he yielded a hit to Pete Rose, which extended Rose’s hit streak.
Zachry went to kick a batting helmet after being pulled but whiffed, instead breaking his foot.
The righty went 41-46 with a 3.63 ERA spanning 135 outings (113 starts) with the Mets from 1977-82.
“It was a shame it didn’t work out better because of injuries and other stuff,” Zachry told The Post in 2020.
Zachry missed part of the 1978 season after accidentally kicking a dugout step in frustration and suffering contusions.
“The one thing I regretted was kicking the helmet and breaking my foot,” Zachry said. “That was my own damn fault. It led to some other things that took away from my performance that shouldn’t have.
“…It was always interesting and never dull. Too bad we didn’t give the people more for their money, but it wasn’t like we didn’t try.”
Zachry finished 69-67 with a 3.52 ERA in his 10-year career, which also included two seasons with the Dodgers and 10 games with the Phillies in 1985.
He won a championship with the Reds in 1976.
“None of us knew we could ever replace Tom,” Flynn told Horwitz, “We just stuck together. You couldn’t find a better teammate than Zach. We will all miss him dearly.”
Flynn added: “Pat was a Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and World Series. He just had a great career.”
