{"id":9636,"date":"2019-01-06T13:35:09","date_gmt":"2019-01-06T19:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.baseballroundtable.com\/?p=9636"},"modified":"2019-01-06T13:35:27","modified_gmt":"2019-01-06T19:35:27","slug":"boyhood-heroes-we-should-all-grow-up-to-be-joey-jays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baseballroundtable.com\/boyhood-heroes-we-should-all-grow-up-to-be-joey-jays\/","title":{"rendered":"Boyhood Heroes – We Should All Grow Up to be Joey Jays"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019 rookie Bob \u201cHurricane\u201d Hazle, who played a key role in the Milwaukee Braves’ 1957 NL pennant drive \u2013 hitting over .500 in his first month (22 games) as a Brave.\u00a0 (See the box near the end of this post for more on Hazle and a link to that full story.)<\/p>\n

\"Jay1\"<\/a>In this post, I\u2019m going to take a look at another boyhood favorite (who made his debut with my<\/em><\/strong> Milwaukee Braves in 1953).\u00a0 That player is Joey Jay<\/strong><\/span>, 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<\/em> and the cover of the February 1962 Baseball Digest<\/em>, as well as into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Why was Joey Jay a boyhood fave?\u00a0 First, I was born in Milwaukee and was a six-year-old baseball fan when the Braves moved there \u2013 and Jay made his MLB debut. Then there was his name.\u00a0 When you love playing ball and have a name like David Karpinski, you long for a true \u201cbig league\u201d moniker like Joey Jay (or Billy Bruton, Mickey Mantle, Minnie Minoso, Robin Roberts, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Wally Moon or even Yogi Berra).\u00a0 \u201cJoey Jay\u201d \u2013 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.\u00a0 He was, in fact, the youngest major league player in each of his first two seasons.\u00a0 \u00a0(Little did I know his status with the Braves at that age was due to MLB\u2019s \u201cBonus Baby\u201d rule.)\u00a0 But, I\u2019m getting ahead of the story.<\/p>\n

Being a Joey Jay – Seems Like a Pretty Good Idea<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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:<\/span><\/p>\n

JOEY JAY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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.”\u00a0 Only the most handsome, well rounded, down to earth guys are nicknamed “Joey Jay.”<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Joey Jay played Little League in Middleton. Connecticut, and went on to play American Legion and High School ball.\u00a0 In high school, the 6\u20194\u201d, 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.\u00a0 After graduating from high school in 1953, Jay signed with the Braves, reportedly for a $40,000 bonus.\u00a0 At the time, MLB\u2019s \u201cBonus Baby\u201d 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).<\/p>\n

Jay saw his first MLB action on July 21, 1953 \u2013 two innings of scoreless relief in a Braves\u2019 10-0 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia \u2013 becoming the first former Little Leaguer to appear in an MLB game.\u00a0 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jay2\"<\/a>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.\u00a0 In early July of 1955 \u2013 with the Bonus Baby restrictions no longer in force for Jay \u2013 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 \u2013 relying more and more on an improving slider. \u00a0(He got in just 2\/3 of an inning with Milwaukee late that season.)<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 going 1-2, with a 3.46 earned run average.\u00a0 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 \u2013 and pitched just 12 1\/3 innings in August\/September.\u00a0 In 1959, Jay seemed to regress \u2013 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 \u2013 which proved to be a less than stellar move.<\/p>\n

From 1953 through 1960 Joey Jay went 24-24, 3.39 for the Braves, splitting time between starts (45) and relief appearances (70).<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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 \u2013 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.\u00a0 (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).<\/p>\n

OUCH! <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What really hurt was losing the young Braves. I\u2019ve always felt we would have won some more championships if we\u2019d have held onto Pizzaro and Jay.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Hank Aaron<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0From his 1991 Autobiography \u201cIf I Had a Hammer.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In 1961, Jay also picked up the Reds’ only win in the World Series \u2013 throwing a four-hit, two-run, complete game as the Reds took Game Two from the Yankees by a 6-2 score.\u00a0 He followed that up in 1962 with a 21-14, 3.76 stat line, as the Reds finished third – 3 \u00bd games behind the Giants.\u00a0 (The Braves finished fourth in 1961 at 83-71, 10 games behind the NL-leading Reds and fifth in 1962, 15 \u00bd games off the pace at 86-76).<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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 \u00a0\u00a00-4, 7.89 in his final nine MLB appearances.<\/p>\n

Oh, for Just One More Game \u2013 or One More Whiff<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

_____________________________________________________<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Bob \u201cHurricane\u201d Hazle and the 1957 National League Pennant<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bob<\/a>

Bob “Hurricane” Hazle … still a treasured autograph.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\u2019s action (versus the Pirates) in second place with a 44-35 record \u2013 trailing the Cardinals by three games and standing \u00bd-game up on the Reds, a game ahead of the Phillies and two games clear of the Dodgers.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the first inning of that contest against the Pirates, the Braves\u2019 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 <\/strong>(Hazle had a total of 13 MLB at bats, with the Reds, in 1955). That move may have brought the pennant to Milwaukee.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For the full Bob Hazle story, click here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Primary Resources:\u00a0 Baseball-Reference.com; Society for American Baseball Research; Milwaukee Braves … Heroes and Heartbreak\u00a0<\/em>by William Povletich.<\/p>\n

\n

_____________________________________<\/p>\n

BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE MAKES TOP 100 BASEBALL BLOG LIST<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"100\"<\/a>Baseball Roundtable has made the Feedspot list of the Top 1oo Baseball Blogs.\u00a0 To see the full list, click\u00a0here.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT<\/h3>\n

Follow\/Like Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0 More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019 rookie Bob \u201cHurricane\u201d Hazle, who played a key role in the Milwaukee Braves’ 1957 NL pennant drive \u2013 hitting over .500 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n