Dillon Kyle Gee (born April 28, 1986) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, Texas Rangers and

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

. In addition, Gee pitched for the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB).

Early life

Dillon Gee was born on April 28, 1986, in

Cleburne, Texas Cleburne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,352. The city is named in honor of Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate general. Lake Pat Cleburne, the reservoir that ...

, the second son of Kevin, a Fort Worth Fire Department

fireman A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

, and Kelly Gee. His brother Jared is five years his senior. Gee played baseball at

Cleburne High School Cleburne High School is a public high school located in the city of Cleburne, Texas. The school is in the Cleburne Independent School District. History A high school was occupied in Cleburne in the 1910s, replacing an older schoolhouse. The ...

in Cleburne. In his first start in his senior year, Gee pitched a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

, falling one out short of a

perfect game Perfect game may refer to: Sports * Perfect game (baseball), a complete-game win by a pitcher allowing no baserunners * Perfect game (bowling), a 300 game, 12 consecutive strikes in the same game * Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, New Yo ...

. He later threw a second no-hitter, finishing the year as the team's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

and earning first team all-state and all-district honors. As a batter, he hit .443 with six

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run ...

and 46 RBI in his senior year. He also played for the school's

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

team.

Collegiate career

In 2005, Gee attended the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the second oldest university in the University of Texas System and was founded in 1895. It was in the Texas A& ...

and played baseball for the

Mavericks Maverick or Maveric may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bureau T-32 Ma ...

. At UT Arlington, Gee helped the Mavericks to a berth in the 2006 NCAA tournament. He ranks second on the school's career list with 298.1 innings pitched and was a two-time honorable mention All-Southland Conference recipient (2005 and 2006).

Professional career

New York Mets

2007–2009

Gee was drafted by the

in the 21st round of the

Major League Baseball draft The Major League Baseball draft (officially the Rule 4 Draft; also known as the first-year player draft or amateur draft) is the primary mechanism by which Major League Baseball (MLB) assigns amateur baseball players from high schools, colleg ...

and began his professional career with the Class-A

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. He initially worked mostly out of the bullpen, yet by season's end, Gee was starting and amassed a 3–1 record with a 2.28 ERA as a starter. In 2008, Gee had a break out year with the Class-A

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

of the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

(FSL), winning the Sterling Award and being named to the FSL All-Star team. Later in 2008, Gee was promoted to the Class-AA

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

of the Eastern League, where he went 2–0 with a 1.33 ERA in four games. In 2009, Gee started the season with the Class-AAA

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, yet was shut down May 25 due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

2010

In 2010, Gee had a bounce back season and recouped his health after his season-ending injury in 2009. He went 13–8 for Buffalo, and led Class-AAA with 165 strikeouts in 161 innings, yet he gave up more than a hit per inning and finished with a 4.96 ERA. Nonetheless, Gee made his major league debut with the Mets on September 7, marking the first time in Mets history that two starting pitchers made their major league debuts in the same game, as Gee faced rookie

Yunesky Maya Yunesky Maya Mendizula (born August 28, 1981) is a Cuban-born professional baseball pitcher for the Piratas de Campeche of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals and in the KBO Le ...

of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. Gee also became the first Mets pitcher to record an RBI in his major league debut. He pitched brilliantly in his debut, taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning when

Willie Harris William Charles Harris (born June 22, 1978) is an American professional baseball Manager (baseball), manager who currently serves as the manager for the Daytona Tortugas, the Single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. Harris served as the Coach ...

broke it up with a lead off home run. Gee finished allowing only two hits and one run in seven innings. Gee stayed with Mets until the end of the season, compiling a 2–2 record with a 2.18 ERA in five starts.

2011

The Mets recalled Gee to the major leagues on April 17, from the Buffalo Bisons, where he went 1–1 with a 4.63 ERA in two starts. Gee then went on to go 7–0 with a 2.86 ERA in his first nine games as a starting pitcher. Gee was off to the best start by a New York Mets rookie to open a season in franchise history, exceeding

Jon Matlack Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack (born January 19, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and Coach (baseball), coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from through for the New York Mets and the Texas Rang ...

's 6–0 start in 1972. He ended the season at 13–6 with a 4.43 ERA in 30 games.

2012

Gee broke camp with the Mets as their fifth starter. To begin the season, Gee had a rough stretch posting 5.65 ERA through his first seven starts. In that stretch, Gee surrendered a career-high 12 hits in his start against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

on April 23. Gee then went on to win consecutive games against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

; in the latter, he posted a career-high nine strikeouts over seven innings. On June 20, Gee matched his career high in strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles and improved to 5–5 on the season. Gee ended the first half of the season at 6–7 with a 4.10 ERA in 17 starts and was scheduled to open the team's second half in Atlanta. But on July 10, Gee was indefinitely placed on the disabled list after a clot in the artery of his right shoulder was discovered. He decided to undergo surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, to address the issue. The surgery shut him down for the rest of the season. Gee finished the season at 6–7 with a 4.10 ERA in innings pitched, with 97 strikeouts and 29 bases on balls.

2013

On May 30, 2013, Gee recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in a game which led to the Mets sweeping the

Subway Series A Subway Series in Major League Baseball (MLB) is one played between teams based in New York City, currently the New York Yankees and New York Mets, and historically the Yankees versus the New York Giants or Brooklyn Dodgers. The venues for g ...

against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

for the first time ever. On June 17, 2013, Gee hurled shutout innings against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

before allowing a 2-run walk-off home run to

Freddie Freeman Frederick Charles Freeman (born September 12, 1989) is a Canadian and American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Freeman made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2010 and played ...

. After a horrible start to the season, Gee bounced back to become the team's second-best starter, behind Matt Harvey. Gee was the only member of the Mets' Opening Day rotation to last the entire season. In 32 starts in 2013, he went 12–11 with a 3.62 ERA and 16 quality starts, striking out 142 in 199 innings.

2014

Gee was named the Mets' opening day starter at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball park, baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Boroughs of New York, borough of Queens, New York City, United States. Opened in 2009, Citi Field is the home of Major League Baseball's New York M ...

for 2014. He had eight starts and went 3–1 with a 2.73 ERA, before being placed on the disabled list with a strained right latissimus dorsi on May 15. After six weeks on the disabled list, Gee made his first start on July 9, against the Atlanta Braves at home, going seven innings and giving up one run on six hits to earn the win.

2015

During spring training, Gee was preparing to accept a role in the Mets'

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

when it was announced that starting pitcher

Zack Wheeler Zachary Harrison Wheeler (born May 30, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets. Wheeler was born to a baseball-playin ...

would miss the entire 2015 season due to injury. Gee therefore began the 2015 season in the Mets' starting rotation. On May 8, Gee was placed on the disabled list with a

groin In human anatomy, the groin, also known as the inguinal region or iliac region, is the junctional area between the torso and the thigh. The groin is at the front of the body on either side of the pubic tubercle, where the lower part of the abdom ...

strain and was replaced in the rotation by top prospect

Noah Syndergaard Noah Seth Syndergaard (born August 29, 1992), nicknamed "Thor", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phi ...

. He was eventually returned to the active roster on June 3, at which point the Mets announced plans to use a six-man starting rotation. However, after one poor start, the Mets announced plans to return Gee to the bullpen. A frustrated Gee told the media, "I'm almost at the point now where I just don't even care anymore. I mean, I'm kind of just over it all." Gee was designated for assignment by the Mets on June 15. On June 21 Gee was sent to the Las Vegas 51s. On October 7, 2015, Gee opted out of his contract, making him a free agent. In 2015, Gee went 0–3 in eight games, seven of which he started, with a 5.90 ERA. In the minors with the 51s, Gee went 8–3 with a 4.58 ERA in 14 starts.

Kansas City Royals

On December 14, 2015, Gee signed a minor league deal with the

. He had his contract selected to the major league roster on March 15, 2016. He elected free agency after being outrighted on November 8, 2016.

Texas Rangers

On January 17, 2017, Gee signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. He elected free agency on June 18, 2017.

Minnesota Twins

On June 22, 2017, Gee signed a minor league contract with the

. On June 23, Gee's contract was selected by the Twins. He became a free agent following the season.

Chunichi Dragons

On January 4, 2018, it was announced that Gee had signed a one-year contract with the

worth JP¥120 million (US$1.06 million). He became a free agent following the season.

Retirement

Gee announced his retirement from baseball on January 28, 2019.

Personal life

Gee is married to Kari Ann and his hobbies include hunting and golf. On November 16, 2013, Dillon's wife gave birth to their first child, named Hudson Kyle.

References

External links

*
NPB.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gee, Dillon 1986 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Johnson County, Texas Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players 21st-century American sportsmen Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chunichi Dragons players Gulf Coast Mets players Kansas City Royals players Las Vegas 51s players Leones de Ponce baseball players Omaha Storm Chasers players Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players New York Mets players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Sportspeople from Cleburne, Texas Rochester Red Wings players Round Rock Express players St. Lucie Mets players Texas Rangers players UT Arlington Mavericks baseball players