Odell Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Odell Jones |
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: January 13, 1953 Tulare, California, U.S. |
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| Died: March 20, 2024 (aged 71) Palmdale, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 11, 1975, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 23, 1988, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 24–35 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.42 | ||
| Strikeouts | 338 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Odell Jones (born January 13, 1953 – died March 20, 2024) was an American baseball player. He was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for several teams during his career. These included the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Odell Jones played in parts of nine seasons. His career in the major leagues lasted from 1975 to 1988. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 175 pounds. He batted and threw with his right hand.
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Odell Jones' Baseball Journey
Odell Jones had a very long professional baseball career. It lasted for 21 seasons in total. He first signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1971. However, he didn't start playing professionally until 1972. His first team was the Niagara Falls Pirates.
He made his first appearance in Major League Baseball in 1975. This was with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who won their division that year. He played in two games in September. Over the years, he moved between different teams. He was traded from the Pirates to the Seattle Mariners in 1978. Then, the Pirates traded for him again a year later. He often spent time playing in the minor leagues, which are lower-level baseball leagues.
Leading in Saves
In 1983, Odell Jones played for the Texas Rangers. That year, he was the team's leader in saves. A save happens when a relief pitcher enters a close game and helps their team win. Jones recorded 10 saves for the Rangers that season.
Almost a No-Hitter!
One of the most exciting games of Odell Jones' career happened on May 28, 1988. He was playing for the Milwaukee Brewers at the time. Jones had not started a major league game since 1981. But he got a chance to start against the Cleveland Indians. This was because another pitcher, Teddy Higuera, was injured.
The Big Game Day
In the game before, Teddy Higuera had only pitched one inning. Odell Jones came in to pitch five innings in relief. He did very well, giving up only two hits and one run. Because of this good performance, he got to start the next game.
In his start against the Cleveland Indians, Jones almost achieved something amazing: a no-hitter. A no-hitter is when a pitcher plays an entire game without letting the other team get any hits. Jones was just two outs away from this rare achievement! However, an Indians player named Ron Washington hit a single. This broke up the no-hitter. After that, Jones was taken out of the game.
This game, played in Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was the best of his career. Jones had never pitched a complete game shutout before. He also had never given up fewer than five hits in any of his four career complete games. He told reporters after the game, "This is by far my best game ever." He also said he was "totally exhausted" after the hit that ended his no-hitter chance.
What Happened Next?
In his very next game, Jones didn't do as well. He pitched for less than five innings and gave up four runs and five hits. He never started another major league game after that. In 1989, he went back to playing in the minor leagues. He played for the Denver Bears, which was the Brewers' top farm team.
After his time in the minor leagues, Jones played in a league for older professional players. He played for the West Palm Beach Tropics and Fort Myers Sun Sox. He took a year off in 1991. Then, he tried to make a comeback in 1992 with the Edmonton Trappers. He played five games there. He finished his long baseball career playing in the Mexican League at the end of that year.
Looking Back at His Career
Over his nine seasons in Major League Baseball, Odell Jones had a record of 24 wins and 35 losses. His ERA was 4.42. ERA measures how many earned runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings. He played in 201 games and pitched for 549⅓ innings.
He started 45 games as a starting pitcher. In those games, he completed four of them. As a relief pitcher, he finished 91 games. He also recorded 13 saves during his career.
