One of the great things about writing a baseball blog is the opportunity to reflect on the careers or some of your boyhood heroes. About a year ago, I wrote about the 1957 Braves’ rookie Bob “Hurricane” Hazle, who played a key role in the Milwaukee Braves’ 1957 NL pennant drive – hitting over .500 in his first month (22 games) as a Brave. (See the box near the end of this post for more on Hazle and a link to that full story.)
In this post, I’m going to take a look at another boyhood favorite (who made his debut with my Milwaukee Braves in 1953). That player is Joey Jay, who never quite reached his potential with the Braves, but later earned his way onto the cover of the October 9, 1961 issue of Sports Illustrated and the cover of the February 1962 Baseball Digest, as well as into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.
Why was Joey Jay a boyhood fave? First, I was born in Milwaukee and was a six-year-old baseball fan when the Braves moved there – and Jay made his MLB debut. Then there was his name. When you love playing ball and have a name like David Karpinski, you long for a true “big league” moniker like Joey Jay (or Billy Bruton, Mickey Mantle, Minnie Minoso, Robin Roberts, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Wally Moon or even Yogi Berra). “Joey Jay” – it just had a big league ring to it. Then there was the fact that Jay was the first Little League alum to make it to the major leagues (giving all Little Leaguers hope) and took the mound in the majors at the age of 17. He was, in fact, the youngest major league player in each of his first two seasons. (Little did I know his status with the Braves at that age was due to MLB’s “Bonus Baby” rule.) But, I’m getting ahead of the story.
Being a Joey Jay – Seems Like a Pretty Good Idea
Here’s something I came across as I researched this post. If you check the term “Joey Jay” at urbandictionary.com here;s what you will find:
JOEY JAY
A nickname for a male with absolute swag or full of swagger, while still a very genuine person. Also referred to as a “baller” or a “boss.” Only the most handsome, well rounded, down to earth guys are nicknamed “Joey Jay.”
Joey Jay played Little League in Middleton. Connecticut, and went on to play American Legion and High School ball. In high school, the 6’4”, 220-pound righty was a truly dominant force on the mound, with three no-hitters (for Woodrow Wilson High) and a healthy following of big league scouts. After graduating from high school in 1953, Jay signed with the Braves, reportedly for a $40,000 bonus. At the time, MLB’s “Bonus Baby” rule required that any player signed for more than $4,000 could not be optioned to the minors for two years (unless first clearing waivers).
Jay saw his first MLB action on July 21, 1953 – two innings of scoreless relief in a Braves’ 10-0 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia – becoming the first former Little Leaguer to appear in an MLB game. His next appearance was a start against the Reds (in Milwaukee) on September 20. In that outing, he pitched a seven-inning, complete-game shutout (game shortened due to weather). He appeared once more on the mound that season, a one-inning scoreless relief stint on September 26. Not bad for a teenager forced onto the major league roster: three appearances, one win (no losses), one complete game, one shutout and a 0.00 earned run average in ten innings of work.
Things did no go as well going forward. In 1954 and 1955, Jay appeared in 27 games (one win-no losses) with a 5.59 ERA. In early July of 1955 – with the Bonus Baby restrictions no longer in force for Jay – the Braves sent him down to Triple A Wichita. He spent 1956 and 1957 in the minors and seemed to come into his own in 1957, going 17-10, 3.31 with 199 strikeouts in 223 innings at Triple A – relying more and more on an improving slider. (He got in just 2/3 of an inning with Milwaukee late that season.)
In 1958, Jay was in the bigs to stay. He got off to a slow start, pitching in just seven games (three starts) through June – going 1-2, with a 3.46 earned run average. But he turned it on in July, going 5-2 in seven starts, with five complete games, two shutouts, a 1.39 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. Then, late in the month, he suffered an elbow injury, followed in September by an injury to his glove hand – and pitched just 12 1/3 innings in August/September. In 1959, Jay seemed to regress – going 6-11, 4.09 in 34 games (19 starts). Relegated to relieving and spot starts in 1960, Jay went 9-8, 3.24 in 32 appearances (11 starts). In December, the Braves traded Jay and fellow pitcher Juan Pizzaro (23-years-old and in his fourth MLB season) to the Reds for veteran shortstop Roy McMillan – which proved to be a less than stellar move.
From 1953 through 1960 Joey Jay went 24-24, 3.39 for the Braves, splitting time between starts (45) and relief appearances (70).
In his first season with the Reds (1961), Jay made the All Star team, led the National League with 21 wins (10 losses) and four shutouts (among 14 complete games) and put up a 3.53 ERA. The Reds, who had finished sixth the year before, won the NL pennant. That season Jay was fourth in won-loss percentage (.677), seventh in innings pitched (247 1/3) and eighth in strikeouts (157). He also pitched well against his former team – facing the Braves five times (the Reds won all five), going 4-0, with three complete games, one shutout and a 2.32 earned run average. (In his first season with the Braves, McMillan, a three-time Gold Glover provided the plus defense the Braves sought, but hit just .220, with seven home runs , 48 RBI, 42 runs scored and two stolen bases).
OUCH!
What really hurt was losing the young Braves. I’ve always felt we would have won some more championships if we’d have held onto Pizzaro and Jay.
Hank Aaron
From his 1991 Autobiography “If I Had a Hammer.”
In 1961, Jay also picked up the Reds’ only win in the World Series – throwing a four-hit, two-run, complete game as the Reds took Game Two from the Yankees by a 6-2 score. He followed that up in 1962 with a 21-14, 3.76 stat line, as the Reds finished third – 3 ½ games behind the Giants. (The Braves finished fourth in 1961 at 83-71, 10 games behind the NL-leading Reds and fifth in 1962, 15 ½ games off the pace at 86-76).
Joey Jay was a bit of a slow starter, with a 25-24, 4.13 career record for April/May and a 74-67, 3.64 record for June-September.
Jay pitched for the Reds from 1961 until mid-June 1966, when he was traded back to his original team, by then the Atlanta Braves, where he went 0-4, 7.89 in his final nine MLB appearances.
Oh, for Just One More Game – or One More Whiff
In a 13-season MLB career, Joey Jay won 99 games (91 losses) and struck out 999 batters (in 1546 1/3 innings). He put up a 3.77 career ERA threw 63 complete games (203 starts/107 relief appearances) and 16 shutouts.
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Bob “Hurricane” Hazle and the 1957 National League Pennant
Bob “Hurricane” Hazle … still a treasured autograph.
In July of 1957 (July 11 to be exact), the Milwaukee Braves were in a tight race for the National League pennant. They came into the day’s action (versus the Pirates) in second place with a 44-35 record – trailing the Cardinals by three games and standing ½-game up on the Reds, a game ahead of the Phillies and two games clear of the Dodgers.
In the first inning of that contest against the Pirates, the Braves’ pennant chances were deal a seemingly disastrous blow, as their lead-off hitter and center fielder Billy Bruton suffered season-ending injuries in a collision with shortstop Felix Mantilla. The Braves tried to patch together a lineup and outfield until late July, when they called up a 26-year-old rookie name Bob Hazle (Hazle had a total of 13 MLB at bats, with the Reds, in 1955). That move may have brought the pennant to Milwaukee.
In his first month as a Brave (July 29-August 28), Hazle hit .507 (34-for-67 in 22 games), with five home runs, 22 RBI and 16 runs scored. He finished the season at .403-4-27 in 41 games.
For the full Bob Hazle story, click here.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Society for American Baseball Research; Milwaukee Braves … Heroes and Heartbreak by William Povletich.
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