Jamie Moyer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jamie Moyer |
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Moyer in 2018
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: November 18, 1962 Sellersville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| June 16, 1986, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| May 27, 2012, for the Colorado Rockies | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 269–209 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.25 | ||
| Strikeouts | 2,441 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Jamie Moyer (born November 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for many teams during his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB). These teams included the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, and Colorado Rockies.
When he played his last game, Jamie Moyer was the oldest player in the major leagues. He also had the most wins, losses, and strikeouts of any active pitcher. On April 17, 2012, Moyer became the oldest pitcher in MLB history to win a game. He broke his own record a month later. He also set a record for the oldest MLB player to get a run batted in (RBI). Moyer is known for allowing the most home runs in major league history, with 522.
In 2003, Moyer was chosen for the All-Star team while playing for the Seattle Mariners. He has also received many awards for his good deeds and helping the community. These include the 2003 Roberto Clemente Award and the 2003 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. Jamie Moyer is one of only 31 players in baseball history to have played in MLB games across four different decades. In 2015, he was honored by being inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame.
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Playing Baseball Before the Pros
Jamie Moyer went to Souderton Area High School in Souderton, Pennsylvania. There, he played baseball, basketball, and golf. In his junior year of baseball, he had a perfect 10–0 record. He even threw three no-hitters in a row!
Moyer then went to Saint Joseph's University to play college baseball. In 1984, he set new school records for wins (16), earned run average (ERA) (1.99), and strikeouts (90). In 1997, he was one of the first three players inducted into the St. Joseph's Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2018, his jersey number, 10, was retired. This means no other player at Saint Joseph's baseball team will ever wear it again.
Jamie Moyer's Pro Baseball Journey
Starting with the Chicago Cubs (1986–1988)
The Chicago Cubs picked Jamie Moyer in the sixth round of the 1984 draft. He made his major league debut with the Cubs on June 16, 1986. He got his first win against the Philadelphia Phillies. On August 16, he threw his first shutout game.
In 1987, Moyer had 147 strikeouts, which was tenth best in the National League. He won 12 games and lost 15. In 1988, he won nine games and lost 15. However, his ERA improved a lot, going from 5.10 to 3.48. He also walked fewer batters.
Moving to Other Teams (1989–1996)
After his 1988 season, the Cubs traded Moyer to the Texas Rangers. He played for the Rangers in 1989 and 1990. In 1989, he was often injured with a sore left shoulder. In 1990, he spent some time pitching from the bullpen before becoming a starting pitcher again.
After the 1990 season, Moyer became a free agent. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991. He started seven games for them before going to the minor leagues. In 1992, he tried out with the Cubs again but ended up playing in the minor league system for the Detroit Tigers.
In 1993, Moyer signed with the Baltimore Orioles. He started the season in the minor leagues but was called up on May 30. He won 12 games and had a good ERA of 3.43. In 1994, his ERA went up, but he still pitched many innings for the Orioles. In 1995, he started in the bullpen again but worked his way back to the starting rotation.
Moyer signed with the Boston Red Sox on January 2, 1996. He played in 23 games for Boston, starting 10 of them.
Years with the Seattle Mariners (1996–2006)
In the middle of the 1996 season, the Red Sox traded Moyer to the Seattle Mariners. In Seattle, he started 11 games and had a great record of 6 wins and 2 losses. Across both teams that year, his winning percentage was .813, which was the best in the majors.
In 1997, Moyer won 17 games for the Mariners, which was fifth in the American League. His 17–5 record gave him the second-highest winning percentage in the league. He made his first postseason start against Baltimore but had to leave early due to an elbow injury.
In 1998, Moyer had a 15–9 record with a 3.53 ERA. He also had a career-high 158 strikeouts. He pitched 234.1 innings, which was fourth in the American League. On August 27, he got his 100th career win. He also got his 1000th career strikeout. The Seattle baseball writers named him the Mariners' Pitcher of the Year.
Moyer was very good at not walking batters. He walked two or fewer batters in 29 of his 32 starts. His three shutouts were tied for fourth in all of MLB. He was also named Seattle's Pitcher of the Year again in 1999.
In 1999, Moyer won 14 games and had a 3.87 ERA. He started the first game ever at Safeco Field on July 15. He had a great second half of the season. His ERA after the All-Star break was one of the best among AL starters. He pitched four complete games that season, which was a career best.
In 2000, Moyer had 13 wins despite an early shoulder injury. He made his first Opening Day start for Seattle. He struggled with his shoulder and had a high ERA of 5.49. He allowed a career-high 11 runs in one game. Moyer also suffered a hairline fracture in his left kneecap at the end of the season. This injury made him miss Seattle's trip to the playoffs.
Moyer bounced back in 2001, a season where the Mariners won 116 games. He won 20 games, tied for second in the American League. His 3.43 ERA was sixth in the AL. He got his 150th career win on September 24. He became only the second Mariner pitcher to win 20 games in a season. In the postseason, Moyer was excellent, going 3–0 with a 1.89 ERA. He helped the Mariners win games in the first round of the playoffs.
In 2002, Moyer had a 13–8 record with a career-low 3.32 ERA. He pitched 230.2 innings, which was fourth in the AL. He was tied for second in the league with 34 starts. He also had a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings. He got his 1,500th career strikeout on August 24.
In 2003, Moyer had his best season, winning a career-high 21 games and losing only 7. His ERA was a career-low 3.27. He tied for second in the American League for wins. His 21 wins are still a club record for the Mariners. Moyer was chosen for his first and only All-Star Game in 2003. He was named Seattle Pitcher of the Year for the third time. He also received the Roberto Clemente Award for his community service.
In 2004, Moyer had a losing record for the first time since 1994, going 7–13. His ERA was 5.21, and he gave up the most home runs in MLB (44). He threw the slowest fastball of all AL starters, averaging about 81.6 miles per hour. He received the Branch Rickey Award for his community service after the season.
During the 2005 season, Moyer became the winningest pitcher for the Mariners on May 30. On July 8, he became the 25th left-handed pitcher to win 200 games in MLB. He finished the season with a 13–7 record. For the second year in a row, he threw the slowest fastball among major league starters.
On June 18, 2006, Moyer became the 33rd pitcher to start 500 major league games. In his 11 seasons with the Mariners, he had 145 wins and 87 losses. He holds the Mariners' franchise record for most starts and innings pitched. He was the oldest active American League player before being traded in August 2006.
Joining the Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2010)
On August 19, 2006, Moyer was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. In his first start with the Phillies, Moyer became the oldest pitcher to get a win for the team. He finished the 2006 season with a 5–2 record for the Phillies. After the season, he signed a two-year contract with them.
On April 12, 2007, at age 44, Moyer got his 2000th career strikeout. On April 29, he pitched a great game, allowing only two hits through 71⁄3 innings. On July 21, Moyer and David Wells set a record for the oldest matchup of left-handed starting pitchers in MLB history.
On the last day of the 2007 season, Moyer helped the Phillies win their division. He pitched well against the Washington Nationals. The Phillies won the division but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Moyer threw the slowest fastball of all National League starters in 2007.
In 2008, at age 45, Moyer became the oldest active player in Major League Baseball. On April 30, he got a hit, becoming the oldest Phillie ever to do so. He also became the oldest player to ever have a bobblehead giveaway.
On May 26, Moyer won his 235th career game. This meant he had beaten every single Major League team at least once. On September 11, Moyer won his 14th game of the season. On September 27, he helped the Phillies win the National League East title. He finished the season with 16 wins and a 3.71 ERA. He also threw the slowest fastball among NL starters again.
On October 4, Moyer became the second-oldest pitcher to start a playoff game. On October 12, he became the oldest pitcher to pitch in a National League Championship Series game. On October 25, Moyer made his first World Series start. He pitched well despite being sick. He won his first World Series ring when the Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on October 29. After the win, his teammates gave him the pitching rubber from the field as a souvenir. Moyer signed a new two-year contract with the Phillies in December 2008.
In 2009, Moyer got his 250th career win on May 31. He became the 44th pitcher and 11th left-handed pitcher to reach this milestone. By the All-Star break, he had 8 wins. On July 16, he won his 255th career game. Even though he led the team with 10 wins, the Phillies moved him to the bullpen to make room for another pitcher. Moyer was a great team player about this change. He even got two wins pitching out of the bullpen after rain delays. However, he tore muscles in his groin and abdomen on September 29, missing the rest of the season and the playoffs.
In 2010, Moyer was one of only two active MLB players who had played in the 1980s. On April 10, at age 47, he became the sixth-oldest pitcher to appear in a game. He also became the eighth pitcher to start a game in four different decades. On May 7, Moyer became the oldest player in MLB history (47 years, 170 days) to pitch a shutout game. He also became the only MLB pitcher to throw a shutout in four different decades.
On June 5, Moyer became the third MLB pitcher to win 100 games after turning 40 years old. On June 16, he became the oldest pitcher to ever defeat the New York Yankees. On June 27, he gave up a home run that made him the all-time major league leader in home runs allowed (506). On July 20, Moyer left a game due to an elbow injury. This injury caused him to miss the rest of the 2010 season.
After the 2010 season, Moyer's contract ended. He had Tommy John surgery on December 1, 2010, to repair his elbow. He hoped to make a comeback in 2012.
Playing for the Colorado Rockies (2012)
On January 18, 2012, Moyer, at age 49, signed a contract with the Colorado Rockies. This team didn't even exist when he first started playing in MLB in 1986! He made the Rockies' opening day roster and was their number-two starting pitcher. He made his Rockies debut on April 7.
On April 17, Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher in MLB history to earn a win. The previous record was held by Jack Quinn, who got his last win in 1932. On May 16, Moyer became the oldest player in MLB history to get an RBI. He also extended his record for the oldest pitcher to record a win. Five days later, Moyer pitched in his 50th different MLB stadium, which is the most for any pitcher since 1900.
On June 4, the Rockies released Moyer. He had a record of 2 wins and 5 losses in 10 starts for them.
Brief Stints and Retirement (2012–2013)
Moyer signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles on June 6. He pitched well for their Triple-A team, the Norfolk Tides. He went 1–1 with a 1.69 ERA in three games. He then chose to become a free agent again.
He then signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made two starts for their Triple-A team, the Las Vegas 51s. He got one win and one loss. On July 5, he was released by Toronto.
On September 7, 2013, it was reported that Moyer was trying to make a comeback as a knuckleball pitcher. He had talked to other knuckleball pitchers like Charlie Hough and Tim Wakefield.
Jamie Moyer officially announced the end of his baseball-playing career on October 2, 2013. He said he planned to start a pitching academy and continue his charity work. He also said he would be open to coaching in the major leagues.
Moyer wrote a book with Larry Platt called Just Tell Me I Can't: How Jamie Moyer Defied the Radar Gun and Defeated Time.
In 2018, Moyer was on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. He did not receive enough votes to stay on the ballot for future years.
Life After Playing Baseball
Broadcasting Career
On February 11, 2014, it was announced that Moyer would join the Phillies' television broadcast team as a color analyst. He worked alongside fellow former Phillie Matt Stairs. After the 2014 season, Moyer decided not to return to broadcasting. He wanted to spend more time with his family.
How Jamie Moyer Pitched
As Jamie Moyer got older, his pitching style changed. Most pitchers lose speed on their fastball as they age, and Moyer was no different. His average fastball speed in 2012 was about 80 miles per hour, which is very slow for a pitcher who doesn't throw a knuckleball. Instead of throwing hard, Moyer focused on being very accurate and mixing up his pitches. He used five main pitches: a sinker, a cut fastball, a slider, a changeup, and a curveball.
Personal Life and Charity Work
In 1996, Moyer earned a college degree from Indiana University.
Jamie Moyer was married to Karen Phelps, whose father was a famous basketball coach. They had eight children together.
In 2000, Moyer and Karen founded Eluna, an organization that helps children who are going through tough times.
Moyer's oldest son, Dillon, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2010 but chose to go to college. He was later drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013. Another son, Hutton, was drafted in 2015.
Images for kids
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Moyer in 2018
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Moyer in 2005
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Moyer with the Phillies in 2007
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Moyer with the Phillies in 2008
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Moyer pitched with the Phillies for five seasons
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Moyer pitching for the Colorado Rockies in 2012
See also
- Home runs allowed
- List of Major League Baseball career wins leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players who played in four decades
- List of oldest Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball career hit batsmen leaders
- List of Major League Baseball career strikeout leaders
