| Gordon Jones | |
|---|---|
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| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1930-04-02)April 2, 1930 Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
| Died: April 25, 1994(1994-04-25) (aged 64) Lodi, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 6, 1954, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 11, 1965, for the Houston Astros | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 15–18 |
| Earned run average | 4.14 |
| Strikeouts | 232 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Gordon Bassett Jones (April 2, 1930 – April 25, 1994) was an AmericanMajor League Baseballpitcher. The 6 feet (1.83 m), 190 pounds (86 kg)right-hander was a native ofPortland, Oregon. He was signed by theSt. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before the 1949 season, and played for the Cardinals (1954–56),New York / San Francisco Giants (1957–59),Baltimore Orioles (1960–61),Kansas City Athletics (1962),Houston Colt .45s / Astros (1964–65).
Jones made his major league debut on August 6, 1954, starting game one of adoubleheader against thePittsburgh Pirates atForbes Field. The Cardinals lost by a score of 7–3. His rookie year of 1954 turned out to be his most successful season, as he was 4–4 with anearned run average of 2.00. Jones pitched twoshutouts (August 25 against the Pirates and September 18 against theMilwaukee Braves) and allowed 18earned runs in 81innings.
In 1955 he started in 9 of his 15 appearances for St. Louis, but with much less success. His record was 1–4 with a 5.84 ERA. After that season, he pitched almost exclusively in relief. His best season after 1954 was for the original San Francisco Giants of 1958, going 3–1 with a 2.37 ERA in 11 games.
Career totals for 171 games include a record of 15–18, 21games started, 4complete games, 2 shutouts, 63games finished, 12saves, and anearned run average of 4.16. He had exceptional control during his MLB career, with astrikeout towalk ratio of almost 2-to-1, exceptional for his era. He walked only 120 batters in 378.2 innings for aBB/9IP of 2.85.
Jones handled 72 of 74chances successfully for afielding percentage of .973, and participating in 4double plays. He made noerrors during his last six major league seasons (119 games).
After his playing career, Jones served for 11⁄2 seasons as the Major Leaguepitching coach of the Astros—the full 1966 season and the first three months of the 1967 campaign. He was fired on July 8, 1967, bymanagerGrady Hatton after a rift developed between Jones and some members of his pitching staff.[1] Veteranrelief pitcherJim Owens took Jones' place and remained the Astros' mound tutor through 1972.[2]
| Preceded by | Houston Astrospitching coach 1966–1967 | Succeeded by |