Joey Jay

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Joey Jay (drag queen).
Joey Jay
Jay in 1962
Pitcher
Born: (1935-08-15) August 15, 1935 (age 88)
Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 21, 1953, for the Milwaukee Braves
Last MLB appearance
October 2, 1966, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
Win–loss record99–91
Earned run average3.77
Strikeouts999
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Joseph Richard Jay (born August 15, 1935) is an American former

switch-hitter
and threw right-handed.

In a 13-season big league career, Jay posted a 99–91

strikeouts, and a 3.77 earned run average (ERA), in 1546.1 innings
.

In July 2008, he was inducted into the

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.[1]

Bonus baby

In addition to being the first

NL Player of the Month award in July (going 5-2 in seven starts, posting an ERA of 1.39, and earning 46 strikeouts in 58+1⁄3 innings) but a broken finger kept him out of the World Series.[3]

Second chance with Cincinnati

The Braves traded Jay to the Cincinnati Reds after the 1960 season for infielder Roy McMillan. Braves General Manager at the time, John McHale, reportedly made the deal based on the feeling Carl Willey could do a better job for Milwaukee than Jay.[4]

Jay took full advantage of the trade, as he became a key figure in the Reds' stunning revival in 1961. Jay won 21 games (the first pitcher to win 20 since Ewell Blackwell in 1947), tied for the league lead in wins and shutouts, and won his second NL Player of the Month award in May (winning all six starts, including a May 4 one-hitter against the Phillies, a 2.72 ERA, and 38 strikeouts in 51+2⁄3 innings) as the Reds surged to their first National League pennant since 1940. However, the Reds faced a powerful New York Yankees club which won 109 games and featured Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford, as the Reds lost in five games. The lone Reds win occurred in Game 2, a 6-2 victory as Jay threw a complete-game four-hitter at Yankee Stadium, being Jay's single-game career highlight.

On May 1, 1962, at the

Houston Colt .45s pitcher Bobby Tiefenauer, in the fifth inning, a two-run blast (Don Zimmer
was on base).

Jay also won 21 games in 1962 as the Reds won 98 games to finish in third place behind the Giants and Dodgers. Jay's heavy workload in 1961 and 1962 took a toll the following year, as he struggled to a 7–18 record. Jay posted a mark of 11-11 mark in 1964, as the Reds finished a single game behind the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Jay would finish his career by returning to the Braves for their initial season in Atlanta in 1966.

Post-baseball career

Jay resided in Florida after retiring from baseball and pursued a business career.[5] An exploration and drilling company in which he was a partner expanded to own several oil fields in West Virginia.[5] In addition, Jay owned or had ownership stakes in taxicab companies, limousine fleets, a carpet-cleaning company and building maintenance firms.[5]

Family

In October 1954, Jay married Lois Elizabeth Bruggen in Middletown, Connecticut.[5] They were the parents of five children.[5]

See also

References

  1. Cincinnati Enquirer
    .
  2. ^ "Today in Baseball History June 24th". www.nationalpastime.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. ^ Joey Jay out of series due to broken finger
  4. ^ Braves Get McMillan in three-way deal
  5. ^ a b c d e Wancho, Joseph (July 1, 2014). "Biography, Joey Jay". Society for American Baseball Research. Phoenix, AZ: Cronkite School at Arizona State University. Retrieved November 5, 2021.

External links


Preceded by
Major League Player of the Month

July 1958 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Major League Player of the Month

May 1961 		Succeeded by
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