Jump to content

Randy Jones (baseball)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Randy Jones
Jones with the Padres in 1977
Pitcher
Born: (1950-01-12) January 12, 1950 (age 75)
Fullerton, California, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Left
MLB debut
June 16, 1973, for the San Diego Padres
Last MLB appearance
September 7, 1982, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Win–loss record100–123
Earned run average3.42
Strikeouts735
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Randall Leo Jones (born January 12, 1950), nicknamed "Junkman", is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets in the National League (NL). Jones won the Cy Young Award with San Diego in 1976, after coming in second for the award in 1975. The Padres retired his No. 35.

He was known for his sinker and the large number of ground-ball outs he induced, and his exceptional control. He was inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame.

Early life and college

[edit]

Jones was born on January 12, 1950, in Fullerton, California. He attended Brea-Olinda High School in Brea, California, and Chapman University in Orange, California.[1][2] He was Chapman's top pitcher for three years, and was named an All-American as a senior.[3]

During high school, Jones suffered tendinitis in his pitching arm, which recurred during his junior season at Chapman. He could no longer pitch with the same velocity, but developed the ability to set up hitters with excellent control, moving pitches to different parts of the plate, and altering pitching speeds. Jones came to rely on his sinker and slider, rather than fastballs.[4]

From 1969-72 at Chapman, Jones won 27 games, and was named the team's most valuable player each year. In his All-American senior year, Chapman had 38 wins and was the runner-up at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Far West Regionals. Jones set school records for strikeouts in a season with 155 in 1972, and career strikeouts with 311.[5]

He was inducted into the Chapman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980.[5]

Professional baseball career

[edit]

Jones was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft.[5] In 1972, the Padres assigned Jones to the Single-A Tri-City Padres, where he played in one game, and the Double-A Alexandria Aces where he started 11 games.[6] He only had a 3–5 won–loss record with Alexandria, but had a 2.91 earned run average (ERA) and 63 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched.[7] He began 1973 in Alexandria, where he had a 8–1 record, 2.01 ERA, three complete games, one shutout and 67 strikeouts in 67 innings.[8]

Jones's Double-A pitching coach Warren Hacker suggested Jones work on developing his sinker, which proved successful for Jones. Over the ensuing years, he would develop techniques that added to his deceptiveness in throwing velocity, and durability, as a pitcher. Jones nickname as a Padre would be "Junk Man".[9]

He made his major league debut with the Padres on June 16, 1973, pitching 1.1 innings as a relief pitcher.[10] He started every other game in which he appeared that year (19), and had a 7–6 record, with a 3.16 ERA in his rookie season.[11] In 1974, Jones went 8–22 with a 4.45 ERA.[11] His 22 loses were tied for worst in the National League, his .267 winning percentage was third worst, and his ERA was well above the league average 3.63.[12]

He was able to turn it around in 1975 when he won 20 games and led the National League with a 2.24 ERA,[11][13] earning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award.[14] Jones was second in wins and WAR (wins above replacement) (7.5) among pitchers, only behind future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver (22 wins and 7.8 WAR).[13][15] Seaver finished first in the Cy Young Award voting, receiving 15 first place votes to Jones's seven.[16] Jones felt that he should have been a contender to win the 1975 Cy Young Award but lost out due to a lack of exposure from the media.[17] He was selected to the 1975 NL All-Star team,[18] and finished 10th in most valuable player voting.[16]

His best season was in 1976,[19] where he survived a car crash, went 22–14 with a 2.74 ERA, started the All-Star Game against Mark "the Bird" Fidrych,[20] won the National League Cy Young Award,[17] and was named The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year.[21] He was selected as the left-handed pitcher on The Sporting News NL All-Star Teams after the 1975 and 1976 seasons.[citation needed] At the All-Star break in July 1976, Jones' record was 16–3.[22][23] a win total that no one has equaled since. In 1976, Jones led the NL in wins, had the most complete games with 25 (eight more than the next closest pitcher), and led the league in innings pitched (315.1). He was tied for second with five shutouts.[17][24]

In 1976, he tied inaugural Hall of Fame inductee and pitching legend Christy Mathewson's[25][26] National League record of 68 consecutive innings without allowing a base on balls.[27] Their NL record was broken in 2001 by Hall of fame pitcher Greg Maddux.[28][29]

Jones in 1978

Jones owns the distinction of recording a save for the NL in the 1975 All-Star Game and being the starting and winning pitcher the next year.[30][31] During his last start of the 1976 season, he injured a nerve in his pitching arm that required surgery, and he was never quite able to regain his Cy Young form.[32] Post-surgery, in 1977 he pitched less than half the number of innings he had pitched a year earlier, and ended up with a 6–12 record and 4.58 ERA.[11]

Jones pitched effectively for San Diego in 1978-79, with records of 13–14 and 11–12, 2.88 and 3.63 ERAs and 263 and 257 innings pitched, respectively in those years.[11] In 1980, his record fell to 5–13, with a 3.91 ERA in only 154.1 innings pitched.[11] On December 15, 1980, he was traded to the New York Mets for José Moreno and John Pacella.[33] After two years, Jones was released by the Mets,[34] and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was released by the Pirates before the 1983 season started, thus ending his playing career.[33]

His career win–loss record was just 100–123 (.448), but had a lifetime 3.42 ERA.[11] His sinker, which "dropped like an anvil", was his default pitch that induced batters to hit ground balls.[4] Jones remains the only starting pitcher to win a Cy Young Award but retire with a losing record.[27]

He was named an All-Star in 1975 and 1976. After his retirement, Jones' uniform No. 35 was retired by the Padres on May 9, 1997.[4] His starts at home for San Diego would spike attendance by the thousands, and the crowd began a tradition on Opening Day in 1976 of greeting him with a pregame ovation.[35][36] In its first six years of existence (1969-74), the Padres franchise never won more than 63 games, but then won over 70 games in Jones's two peak years (1975-76); and Jones is credited with putting the Padres "on the map".[37][9]

Post-playing career

[edit]
Jones's No. 35, retired by the Padres, displayed at Petco Park.

After retiring from Major League Baseball, Jones has coached young pitchers. His most prominent pupil was Barry Zito,[38] a former Major League pitcher and the 2002 Cy Young Award winner while with the Oakland Athletics.[39]

In 1996, Jones was inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame.[40] He was inducted as part of the inaugural class of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 1999.[41]

Personal life

[edit]

After retiring from play, Jones ran a restaurant and catering business in San Diego.[4] He also operated a string of carwashes in San Diego.[32]

In 2016, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, likely caused by years of using chewing tobacco. His treatment was successful and he was clear of cancer the following year.[42][43][44]

His post-career projects include the Randy Jones Run/Walk that raises money for Home of Guiding Hands, an organization benefitting the developmentally disabled in the San Diego area, with which Jones has worked for many years.[44]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Randy Jones MLB Baseball Statistics | The Baseball Cube". www.thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  2. ^ DiGiovanna, Mike (March 4, 1985). "Former Padre Ace Randy Jones Changes Suits but Still Has a Good Pitch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  3. ^ Evans, Jim Tal (May 5, 2016). "Jones endures as a Padre icon - Escondido Times-Advocate". Escondido Times-Advocate. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Lin, Dennis (April 21, 2014). "Randy Jones put Padres on the map". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Randy Jones (1980) - Chapman Athletics Hall of Fame (est. 1979)". Chapman University. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  6. ^ "Randy Jones Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  7. ^ "1972 Alexandria Aces Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  8. ^ "1973 Alexandria Aces Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Sanders, Jeff (March 12, 2016). "'Junk Man' Randy Jones had it going in 1976". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  10. ^ "San Diego Padres vs New York Mets Box Score: June 16, 1973". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g "Randy Jones Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  12. ^ "1974 National League Standard Pitching". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "1975 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  14. ^ "The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  15. ^ "Seaver, Tom | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "1975 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c Jones 'survives' to win NL Cy Young award, web: The Salina Journal, 1976, retrieved March 13, 2023
  18. ^ "1975 MLB All-Star Game Roster - Major League Baseball - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  19. ^ Fimrite, Ron (July 12, 1976). "Uncommon success for a common man". Sports Illustrated. p. 20. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021.
  20. ^ "1976 All-Star Game Box Score, July 13". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  21. ^ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  22. ^ "SD wins as Jones gets 16th". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. July 9, 1976. p. 25.
  23. ^ "Jones gets No. 16 despite the witch". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. July 9, 1976. p. 2D.
  24. ^ "1976 National League Pitching Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  25. ^ "Mathewson, Christy | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  26. ^ "1936 - 1939 | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  27. ^ a b Hill, David (March 4, 2020). "San Diego Padres History: Randy Jones Sets Walks Record". FOX Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  28. ^ "Greg Maddux Breaks Record for Walk-less Innings". www.chattanoogan.com. August 7, 2001. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  29. ^ "Maddux, Greg | Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  30. ^ Kenney, Kirk (June 1, 2016). "46th All-Star Game: Randy Jones saves day for NL". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  31. ^ "Padres' Jones winning pitcher in 1976 ASG". MLB.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  32. ^ a b Cohen, Alan. "Randy Jones – Society for American Baseball Research". SABR.org. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  33. ^ a b "Randy Jones Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  34. ^ "Mets Release Randy Jones". The New York Times. November 6, 1982. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  35. ^ Center, Bill (August 3, 2006). "Padres to honor Jones today with 1976 retro day". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
  36. ^ DiGiovanna, Mike (March 4, 1985). "Former Padre Ace Randy Jones Changes Suits but Still Has a Good Pitch". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015.
  37. ^ "San Diego Padres Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  38. ^ Kepner, Tyler (November 8, 2002). "BASEBALL; Zito Beats Martínez to Win First Cy Young Award". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  39. ^ "2002 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  40. ^ San Diego Sports Association - Breitbard Hall of Fame
  41. ^ "Padres Hall of Fame". padres.mlb.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2014.
  42. ^ "Ex-Padres P Jones cites tobacco for cancer". ESPN.com. January 27, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  43. ^ "Jones clean of throat cancer". MLB.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  44. ^ a b Miller, Bryce (January 19, 2018). "Resilient, cancer-free Randy Jones 'not close to being done' on road back". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Randy_Jones_(baseball)&oldid=1285276022"