James Wesley Hook (born November 18, 1936 in Waukegan, Illinois

Waukegan, Illinois

Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...

, United States) is a former starting pitcher

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...

. From 1957 through 1964, Hook played for the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 (1957–61) and New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

 (1962–64). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

In an eight-season career, Hook posted a 29-62 record with 394 strikeout

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....

s and a 5.23 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 752.2 innings pitched

Innings pitched

In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...

.

Jay attended high school at Grayslake Community High School (now Grayslake Central High School

Grayslake Central High School

Grayslake Central High School is a high school located in Grayslake, Illinois and is part of Grayslake Community High School District 127.- History :...

).

A bonus baby signed by the Cincinnati Reds out of Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

, Hook made his major league debut with Cincinnati in 1957. He joined the Reds regular pitching rotation in 1960 and had a 11-18 mark, including a two-hit 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....

 against the Milwaukee Braves.

Ineffective in 1961, Hook was acquired by the New York Mets in the 1961 MLB Expansion Draft

1961 MLB Expansion Draft

The 1961 MLB Expansion Draft was held by Major League Baseball on October 10, 1961 to fill the rosters of the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s. The Mets and the Colts were the new franchises which would enter the league in the 1962 season...

, along with Hobie Landrith

Hobie Landrith

Hobart "Hobie" Neal Landrith is a former American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1950 through 1963 for the Cincinnati Reds & Redlegs, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Senators...

, Elio Chacón

Elio Chacón

Elio Chacón Rodríguez was a Major League Baseball second baseman and shortstop who played in the National League from 1960 to 1962. He was the seventh baseball player from Venezuela to play in the majors....

, Roger Craig

Roger Craig (baseball)

Roger Craig may refer to:*Roger Craig , former NFL running back*Roger Craig , former pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball...

, Gil Hodges

Gil Hodges

Gilbert Ray Hodges was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. During an 18-year baseball career, he played in 1943 and from 1947–63, spending most of his career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers...

, Don Zimmer

Don Zimmer

Donald William "Popeye" Zimmer is a former infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball, currently serving as a senior advisor to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization...

 and Gus Bell

Gus Bell

David Russell "Gus" Bell, Jr. was an American center and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs , New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves...

, among others.

Hook started and won the first game in Mets franchise history. On April 23, 1962, he pitched a five-hit 9–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates

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...

 at Forbes Field

Forbes Field

Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to 1971. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's National Football League franchise...

, giving his team their first regular-season victory after nine defeats. In that season he compiled an 8-19 mark for the Mets, and led the team in complete games (13) and games started

Games started

In baseball statistics, games started indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he faces the first opposing batter...

 (34).

After receiving a master's degree

Master's degree

A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 in thermodynamics

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...

, Hook retired in 1964 at age 28 to take a job with Chrysler Corporation.

Jay Hook and his wife Joan now reside in Maple City, Michigan

Maple City, Michigan

Maple City is an unincorporated community of Kasson Township, Leelanau County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population of Kasson Township, inclusive of Maple City, was 1,577. It is located at , between sections two and three of the township. The ZIP code is...

.

External links