A control pitcher, Leach used a low sidearm motion. Bending low to his right as he threw, he would scrape his padded right knee on the mound. Leach had a career season (11-1) in 1987, when numerous injuries to the Mets staff gave him more chances to pitch. After three straight wins in relief, he became a starter and won another seven in a row, for a Met-record 10 consecutive wins from the beginning of the season.
Leach set another record in his first stint with the Mets. His 10-inning, 1-0 one-hitter against the Phillies on October 1, 1982 is the only extra-inning one-hitter in club history. His NL career record as a starter is 11-2 with a 2.82 ERA, but the Mets’ rotation was so deep that he only saw emergency work in that role. He was a valuable long-relief man on two pennant winners. In 1989 he was traded to Kansas City and finished up his career with the Twins and White Sox.
