Rodney Earl Gaspar is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. A switch hitter, Gaspar played for the New York Mets and San Diego Padres. A former player at Long Beach State and Long Beach City College, Gaspar played 178 games in his career, 118 of them in his rookie year, 1969. He began the year as the Mets? starting right fielder, then became a utility outfielder after Ron Swoboda became the regular right fielder. That year, he hit .228, recorded in 14 of his 17 career runs batted in, and hit his only Major League home run, off Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants on May 30. He also excelled defensively, leading all Mets outfielders in assists with 12, and leading the National League in double plays with six. That year, Gaspar was a member of the Miracle Mets team that unexpectedly won the World Series in five games over the Baltimore Orioles. In Game Four of that Series, Gaspar scored the winning run on a controversial play at Shea Stadium. With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the tenth, Gaspar pinch-ran for Jerry Grote, who had led off the inning with a double. An intentional walk to Al Weis followed, after which J. C. 

April 3rd, 1946 in Long Beach (Age 78)