Randy Jones Stats & Facts
Randy Jones
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right • Throws: Left
6-0, 178lb (183cm, 80kg)
Born: January 12, 1950 in Fullerton, CA us
Draft: Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 5th round of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft from Chapman University (Orange, CA).
School: Chapman University (Orange, CA)
Debut: June 16, 1973 (13,371st in major league history)
vs. NYM 1.1 IP, 4 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 2 ER
Last Game: September 7, 1982
vs. PIT 2.1 IP, 5 H, 0 SO, 2 BB, 2 ER
Full Name: Randall Leo Jones
Played For
San Diego Padres (1973-1980)
New York Mets (1981-1982)
Awards and Honors
1976 NL Cy Young
All-Star Selections
1975 NL
1976 NL
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1973
Dave Winfield
George Brett
Dave Parker
Brian Downing
Frank White
Bill Madlock
Frank Tanana
Steve Rogers
Randy Jones
The Randy Jones Teammate Team
C: Fred Kendall
1B: Nate Colbert
2B: Tito Fuentes
3B: Hubie Brooks
SS: Ozzie Smith
LF: Gene Richards
CF: Mookie Wilson
RF: Dave Winfield
SP: Clay Kirby
SP: Bob Owchinko
SP: Bob Shirley
SP: Gaylord Perry
SP: Mike Scott
RP: Rollie Fingers
RP: Mickey Lolich
M: John McNamara
Notable Events and Chronology
Biography
A poised, fast-working control pitcher and a master of the slider and sinker, Jones won the 1976 NL Cy Young Award, going 22-14 for the Padres with league highs in wins, starts, complete games, and innings. That year, he tied Christy Mathewson’s NL record of 68 innings without issuing a walk and became the first NL pitcher since WWII to win 20 and not strike out 100. With a 20-12 record and an ERA title (2.24) the previous season, Jones finished second to Tom Seaver in Cy Young voting, making him only the second pitcher to be runner-up one year and win the award the next (Mike Marshall was the other). He tied for most losses in the NL in 1974, when he went 8-22, and his 1975 performance won him TSN’s NL Comeback Player of the Year Award. He stopped the AL in the ninth inning of the 1975 All-Star Game and was the starter and winner in the 1976 contest. The owner of two one-hitters, Jones established a Padre record by hurling three consecutive shutouts in May 1980. He was often injured and generally ineffective after his trade to the Mets following the 1980 season, and he had trouble winning at Shea Stadium even in periods when he was pitching well on the road.
Jones established the ML season record for most chances accepted by a pitcher without an error (112 in 1976), tied ML pitchers’ records for highest season fielding percentage (1.000, 1976) and most assists in an inning (3, 9/28/75), and tied the NL pitchers’ season record for the most double plays (12, 1976)
Best Season, 1976
Jones won the NL Cy Young Award based on his 22 wins, 25 complete games, 315-plus innings, and 2.74 ERA. At home in San Diego Stadium, he was stingy, posting a 13-5 record with a dazzling 1.89 ERA and 23 walks in 21 starts. He was especially tough on the Phillies, throwing three shutouts and allowing just 16 hits and four walks against Philadelphia in three starts.
Factoid
Randy Jones never pitched on a team that finished above fourth place, and he played on just one team with a winning record (the 1978 Padres).
Where He Played: Starting pitcher (285 games), relief (20).
Big League Debut: June 16, 1973
Jones came on in relief and the first batter he faced was the Mets’ Ted Martinez, who grounded out.
Feats: On May 17, 1976, Jones walked Steve Ontiveros of the Giants in the eighth inning of a 12-2 victory. He didn’t walk another batter until June 22, when he issued a free pass to Giants’ catcher Marc Hill leading off the eighth inning. Jones had gone exactly 68 innings without walking a batter, tying Christy Mathewson’s National League record.
Notes
Jones was a home-field ace, posting a 2.82 ERA and a 58-56 mark when pitching in his own environs (San Diego Stadium 1973-1980, and Shea Stadium 1981-1982). His record on the road was 42-67 with a 4.13 ERA.
Transactions
June 6, 1972: Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 5th round of the 1972 amateur draft; December 15, 1980: Traded by the San Diego Padres to the New York Mets for John Pacella and Jose Moreno; November 5, 1982: Released by the New York Mets; Before 1983 Season: Signed as a Free Agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates; March 27, 1983: Released by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Winning with Finesse
In 1976, Jones became the first National League pitcher in 26 years to win at least 20 games and strike out fewer than 100 batters. Below are the NL pitchers to win 20 and strike out fewer than 100 batters in the same season, since 1940:
Name… Year, Team, W, SO
Johnny Beazley… 1942, STL, 21, 91
Rip Sewell… 1943, PIT, 21, 65
Elmer Riddle… 1943, CIN, 21, 69
Mort Cooper… 1944, STL, 22, 97
Bucky Walters… 1944, CIN, 23, 77
Rip Sewell… 1944, PIT, 21, 87
Hank Wyse… 1945, CHI, 22, 77
Red Barrett… 1945, STL, 21, 63
Johnny Sain… 1950, BOS, 20, 96
Randy Jones… 1976, SD, 22, 93
Bob Forsch… 1977, STL, 20, 95
Ross Grimsley… 1978, MON, 20, 84
Factoid
Randy Jones is one of only two pitchers to win the Cy Young Award the season after he finished second in Cy Young voting. In 1975, Jones was runner-up to Tom Seaver, and went on to win the honor in 1976.
Replaced
Jones entered the Padres’ 1973 rotation in place of the departed Mike Caldwell, who was shipped to the Giants.
Replaced By
Jones was one of four starters in the Mets’ 1982 rotation who were not with the club in 1983. The others were Charlie Puleo, Pete Falcone, and Mike Scott. Scott would haunt the Mets, but the others, including Jones, were not missed.
Best Strength as a Player
His sinker.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Arm strength. Jones was burned out by the time he was 31 years old.
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Coming soon
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