| Jerry Garvin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1955-10-21)October 21, 1955 (age 69) Oakland, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 10, 1977, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 1982, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 20–41 |
| Earned run average | 4.43 |
| Strikeouts | 320 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Theodore Jared Garvin (born October 21, 1955) is an American former professionalbaseball player who pitched a total of six seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) with theToronto Blue Jays from 1977 to 1982. He was named by Topps as their left-handed rookie pitcher of the year in 1977.
Garvin was born on October 21, 1955, inOakland, California.[1] His family later moved toMerced, California, where he played baseball forMerced High School.[2] He was initially drafted by theBaltimore Orioles of theAmerican League (AL) in the 17th round of the1973 Major League Baseball Draft that was held on June 5, but did not sign a contract with the team.[1] He re-entered the draft in time for the January secondary draft held on January 9, when he was drafted by theMinnesota Twins, also of the AL.[1] He signed with the Twins franchise and was assigned to the class-AWisconsin Rapids Twins of theMidwest League.[3]
Garvin began his pitching career with four wins by the end of April, the first rookie to do so in baseball history.[4] He was battlinginfluenza when he was defeated by the Yankees on June 30, his fourth consecutive loss.[2][5] He finished the season with a record of 10–18, and became known for his ability to pick off runners at first. In fact, Garvin established an unofficial Major League record of 26 pickoffs in the 1977 season, although this was not recognized in the record books; official statistics had never distinguished between pickoffs and runners caught stealing by any other method.
His 34games started stands as the Blue Jays' rookie record, though tied byGustavo Chacín in 2006.[6] He surrendered 33home runs during the season, the most allowed by a Blue Jays pitcher untilWoody Williams allowed 36 in 1998.[7][8]
Garvin fell to 4-12 in 1978, and by 1979 was primarily a reliever. In September 1979, Garvin spent some time on thedisabled list, re-activated on September 1.[9] Garvin re-signed with the Blue Jays on January 20, 1981, after appearing in a club record 61 games in 1980.[10]
On August 20, 1982, the Blue Jays re-activatedoutfielderWayne Nordhagen from thedisabled list. To clear a spot for him, they optioned Garvin to the franchises' class-AAA team, theSyracuse Chiefs of theInternational League.[11] At the time of the demotion, Garvin was the franchise's all-time leader in pitching appearances with 194.[11] He was recalled to the majors for two more games in late September.
On January 18, 1983, Garvin was sold by the Blue Jays to theSt. Louis Cardinals of theNational League for an undisclosed amount, and was assigned to their class-AAA team, theLouisville Redbirds of theAmerican Association.[12] However, he was cut from the roster during spring training, and ended his professional career without ever playing for the Redbirds.
After his playing days, he has become involved in thereal estate business.
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