Homecoming: The Gary DiSarcina Story

By Patrick McAvoy
After nearly 20 years around professional baseball, Gary DiSarcina is finally home. Over the course of his career he has been an all-star shortstop, Single-A manager, Triple-A manager, major league base coach and now has become the bench coach for his hometown Boston Red Sox.
Gary DiSarcina grew up about twenty minutes from Boston in Billerica, Massachusetts where his love of the game began. He always viewed baseball as a fun game to play but to him it was always more than that. “It was something to do as a family; I grew up with two brothers and a very active father in a neighborhood that was filled with kids my age so we played whenever we got an opportunity.” Baseball was a big part of his life and in turn, so too were the Red Sox. “I always loved the Red Sox. We didn’t get to go to Fenway Park a lot but when we did go, it was a blast.” His love for the Sox started like so many other kids from this area but unlike many others, he is living his dream of coaching his hometown team.
DiSarcina’s baseball career began to take off as a standout on teams for Billerica Memorial High School during the 80’s alongside with Hall of Famer Tom Glavine. He wasn’t drafted out of high school, but he earned a Division-1 scholarship to the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he initially went to be a high school history teacher before his baseball career exploded to the next level. Being a professional baseball player wasn’t a goal of DiSarcina’s, but instead it was something that came to him. “I was very happy with getting my degree and going into the workforce as a history teacher and when the opportunity came about and got drafted by the Angels it was pretty tough to pass it up. I didn’t seek it out, it found me.”
The average career of a Major League Baseball player is about five years and Gary DiSarcina did that and much more. His career spanned twelve seasons as the shortstop and field general of the Angels where he was a one time all-star and career .258 hitter. Once he retired, he took a few years off before venturing into another passion of his, coaching. “I always wanted to coach ever since college. Especially being a shortstop and being aware what everyone had to do on the baseball field and being in a leadership position I felt like it was in my future.”
Gary DiSarcina’s got his in with the Red Sox organization in 2007 when he was named the manager of the Spinners, the Single-A affiliate of the Red Sox. Over the course of three seasons, DiSarcina led the Spinners to a record of 125-96 and two playoff appearances. In 2011, DiSarcina returned to the team that drafted him in a role of special assistant to the general manager. He then returned back the Red Sox organization in which he was the manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox. From 2014-2016 Disarcina went back to the Angels where he was a base coach and finally today he is back home and working as the bench coach of the Red Sox.
Although over the course of DiSarcina’s long professional baseball career he has accomplished many feats as well as worked for his hometown team and team that drafted him, he never looks too far ahead. “Very similar to when I was in college and high school and little league I’ve never said, ‘hey when I’m 50 years old I want to be coaching for the Red Sox.’ You take it year to year because first and foremost when you coach you put the players first; your agenda has to be put on the side.” He has spent his whole coaching career attempting to help the players around him improve and accomplish their dreams like he has done.
At each stage in Gary DiSarcina’s career thus far he has been successful. He was a standout high school player on a team filled with stars. He was a solid Division I shortstop and an all-start shortstop. Once his playing career ended, his coaching career took off where he led the Spinners to three winning seasons and PawSox to one winning season as well as being a successful bench coach for the Angels. He is in his next challenge right now as the bench coach for the Sox and has helped lead the team to a winning record thus far with hopefully more to come throughout the rest of the season. He hasn’t taken anything for granted throughout his career and still takes it one year at a time. Gary DiSarcina has had an extremely successful career. He is a blue-collar guy from a small town near Boston living his dream for his hometown team. “It’s amazing how life works out, I am extremely happy. It is not a clear cut path, sometimes you gotta take a different path to get where you wanna be. I’m lucky to be where I’m at.”