Alex Jones (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Alexander H. Jones was a starting pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who played for five different teams between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 6", 135 lb., Jones batted and threw left-handed
. He was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania
.
Jones was 20 years old when he entered the majors in 1889 with the Pittsburg Alleghenys
, playing for them one year before joining the Louisville Colonels
(1892), Washington Senators
(1892), Philadelphia Phillies
(1894) and Detroit Tigers
(1903). Jones always was a bad luck pitcher either due to injury or playing on a bad baseball team. His most productive season came in 1892, when he posted a 3.31 ERA
in 16 combined starts for the Colonels and Senators, but finished with a negative record of 5-14. The rest of the time, he kept jumping between the minors and majors for almost 20 years.
In a four-season career, Jones posted a 7-15 record with a 3.73 ERA in 26 appearances, including 18 complete game
s and one shutout
, giving up 137 runs (54 unearned) on 199 hits and 77 walks
while striking out
65 in 200 ⅓ innings of work.
Jones died in Woodville , Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
, at the age of 71.
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played for five different teams between the and seasons. Listed at 5' 6", 135 lb., Jones batted and threw left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
. He was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania
Bradford, Pennsylvania
Bradford is a small city located in rural McKean County, Pennsylvania, in the United States 78 miles south of Buffalo, New York. Settled in 1823, Bradford was chartered as a city in 1879 and emerged as a wild oil boomtown in the Pennsylvanian oil rush in the late 19th century...
.
Jones was 20 years old when he entered the majors in 1889 with the Pittsburg Alleghenys
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, playing for them one year before joining the Louisville Colonels
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that played in the American Association throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891, first as the Louisville Eclipse and later as the Louisville Colonels , the latter name derived from the historic Kentucky colonels...
(1892), Washington Senators
Washington Senators (1891-1899)
The Washington Senators were a 19th century baseball team. The team was also known as the Washington Statesmen and the Washington Nationals. The team played at Boundary Field....
(1892), Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1894) and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1903). Jones always was a bad luck pitcher either due to injury or playing on a bad baseball team. His most productive season came in 1892, when he posted a 3.31 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 16 combined starts for the Colonels and Senators, but finished with a negative record of 5-14. The rest of the time, he kept jumping between the minors and majors for almost 20 years.
In a four-season career, Jones posted a 7-15 record with a 3.73 ERA in 26 appearances, including 18 complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s and one shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
, giving up 137 runs (54 unearned) on 199 hits and 77 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
while striking out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
65 in 200 ⅓ innings of work.
Jones died in Woodville , Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, at the age of 71.