Randy Jones (baseball)

Randall Leo Jones (January 12, 1950 – November 18, 2025), nicknamed "Junkman", was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets in the National League (NL). A two-time All-Star selection, Jones won the Cy Young Award with San Diego in 1976, after finishing second in 1975. The Padres retired his Template:Abbr 35.

Jones was known for his sinker, the large number of ground-ball outs he induced, and his exceptional control. He was inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame.

Early life and college

Jones was born on January 12, 1950, in Fullerton, California. He attended Brea-Olinda High School in Brea, California, where he had an 8–2 win–loss record with a 0.91 earned run average (ERA) and 110 strikeouts as a senior. At Chapman University in Orange, California,<ref name=":6"/> he was their top pitcher for three years, and was named an All-American as a senior.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

During high school, Jones suffered tendinitis in his pitching arm.<ref name=":5"/> He had a fine fastball as a college freshman,<ref name=":6"/> but arm problems sapped his velocity.Template:Efn However, he developed the ability to set up hitters with excellent control, moving pitches to different parts of the plate, and altering pitching speeds. Jones came to rely on his sinker and slider, rather than fastballs.<ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

From 1969 to 1972 at Chapman, Jones won 27 games, and was named the team's most valuable player each year. In his All-American senior year, Chapman had 38 wins and was the runner-up at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Far West Regionals. Jones set school records for strikeouts in a season with 155 in 1972, and career strikeouts with 311.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He was inducted into the Chapman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980.<ref name=":0" />

Professional baseball career

The San Diego Padres selected Jones in the fifth round of the 1972 Major League Baseball draft.<ref name=":0" /> In 1972, the Padres assigned Jones to the Single-A Tri-City Padres, where he played in one game, and the Double-A Alexandria Aces where he started 11 games.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He only had a 3–5 record with Alexandria, but had a 2.91 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He began 1973 in Alexandria, where he had a 8–1 record, 2.01 ERA, three complete games, one shutout and 67 strikeouts in 67 innings.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jones's Double-A pitching coach Warren Hacker suggested Jones work on developing his sinker, which proved successful for Jones. Over the ensuing years, he would develop techniques that added to his deceptiveness in throwing velocity and durability as a pitcher.<ref name=":9">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jones nickname as a Padre would be "Junkman".<ref name=":4"/>

Jones made his major league debut with the Padres on June 16, 1973, pitching 1 1/3 innings as a relief pitcher.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He started every other game in which he appeared that year (19), and had a 7–6 record, with a 3.16 ERA in his rookie season.<ref name=":1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1974, Jones went 8–22 with a 4.45 ERA.<ref name=":1" /> His 22 loses were tied for worst in the National League, his .267 winning percentage was third worst, and his ERA was well above the league average 3.63.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1975, Jones won 20 games and led the National League with a 2.24 ERA,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> earning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was the first 20-game winner in Padres franchise history.<ref name=finley_11192025/> Jones was second in wins and WAR (wins above replacement) (7.5) among pitchers, only behind future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver (22 wins and 7.8 WAR).<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The New York Mets' Seaver finished first in the Cy Young Award voting, receiving 15 first place votes to Jones's seven.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jones felt he lost out due to a lack of exposure to the influential New York media.<ref name="SJ">Template:Cite news</ref> He was selected to the 1975 NL All-Star team,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and finished 10th in NL Most Valuable Player voting.<ref name=":3" />

Jones in 1978

His best season was in 1976,<ref name="uncsuc">Template:Cite magazine</ref> when he survived a car crash, went 22–14 with a 2.74 ERA, and started the All-Star Game against Mark Fidrych.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He became the first Padre to win the Cy Young Award,<ref name=finley_11192025/> and was also the first in franchise history to receive a postseason award from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.<ref name="SJ"/> The Sporting News named him their NL Pitcher of the Year,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and selected him as the left-handed pitcher on their NL All-Star Team for the second consecutive season.<ref name=":1"/> At the All-Star break in July Template:Mlby, Jones's record was 16–3.<ref name="sdwajg">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="despiw">Template:Cite news</ref> a first-half win total that no one has equaled since.<ref name=":6"/> Jones finished the season as the major league leader in wins, complete games (25), games started (40), and innings pitched (315.1).<ref name=finley_11192025/> In addition he was tied for second in the NL with five shutouts.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1976, he tied inaugural Hall of Fame inductee and pitching legend Christy Mathewson's<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> National League record of 68 consecutive innings without allowing a base on balls.<ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their NL record was broken in 2001 by Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jones owns the distinction of recording a save for the NL in the 1975 All-Star Game and being the starting and winning pitcher the next year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During his last start of the 1976 season, he injured a nerve in his pitching arm that required surgery, and he was never quite able to regain his Cy Young form.<ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Post-surgery, in 1977 he pitched less than half the number of innings he had pitched a year earlier, and ended up with a 6–12 record and 4.58 ERA.<ref name=":1" /> On May 4, 1977, Jones and his Philadelphia counterpart, Jim Kaat, pitched the fastest game in Padres history at one hour and 29 minutes. San Diego won 4–1, as Jones induced 19 ground-ball outs while striking out one and walking one.<ref name=finley_11192025/>

Jones pitched effectively for San Diego in 1978 and 1979, with records of 13–14 and 11–12, 2.88 and 3.63 ERAs and 263 and 257 innings pitched, respectively in those years.<ref name=":1" /> In 1980, his record fell to 5–13, with a 3.91 ERA in only 154.1 innings pitched.<ref name=":1" /> On December 15, 1980, he was traded to the Mets for José Moreno and John Pacella.<ref name=":4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After two years, Jones was released by the Mets,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was released by the Pirates before the 1983 season started, thus ending his playing career.<ref name=":4" />

Coaching

After retiring from Major League Baseball, Jones coached young pitchers. His most prominent pupil was Barry Zito,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who won the 2002 Cy Young Award winner with the Oakland Athletics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Legacy

Jones's No. 35, retired by the Padres, displayed at Petco Park.

Jones's career win–loss record was just Template:Winpct, but had a lifetime 3.42 ERA.<ref name=":1" /> He rarely walked or struck out batters. <ref name=digiovanna_03041985/> His sinker, which "dropped like an anvil", was his default pitch that induced batters to hit ground balls.<ref name=":5" /> He was adept at forcing double plays.<ref name=digiovanna_03041985/> Pete Rose, MLB's all-time hit leader who only had a .183 lifetime batting average against him,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> said that Jones threw "a Template:Convert fastball".<ref name=digiovanna_03041985/> Jones remains the only starting pitcher to win a Cy Young Award but retire with a losing record.<ref name=":7" />

One of the Padres' first homegrown stars,<ref name=finley_11192025/> Jones had his uniform No. 35 retired by the team on May 9, 1997.<ref name=":5" /> His starts at home for San Diego spiked attendance by the thousands, and the crowd began a tradition on Opening Day in 1976 of greeting him with a pregame ovation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=digiovanna_03041985>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, when he won the Cy Young, the Padres drew an average of 27,400 fans in his 21 home stats, compared to 15,769 in their other home games.<ref name=flm_11192025>Template:Cite news</ref> In its first six years of existence (1969–1974), the franchise never won more than 63 games, but then won over 70 games in Jones's two peak years (1975–1976). He is credited with having put the Padres "on the map".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":9" /> In 1985, Jones was inducted into the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was enshrined by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1996.<ref>San Diego Sports Association - Breitbard Hall of Fame</ref> He was inducted as part of the inaugural class of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 1999.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

After retiring from play, Jones ran a restaurant and catering business in San Diego,<ref name=":5" /> where he also operated a string of car washes.<ref name=":6" /> He opened the popular Randy Jones BBQ on the concourse of Qualcomm Stadium before moving it to the Padres' new home at Petco Park.<ref name=finley_11192025/>

In 2016, Jones was diagnosed with throat cancer, likely caused by years of using chewing tobacco. His treatment was successful and he was declared cancer-free the following year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

His post-career projects included the Randy Jones Run/Walk that raises money for Home of Guiding Hands, an organization benefiting the developmentally disabled in the San Diego area, with which Jones worked for many years.<ref name=":8" />

Jones died on November 18, 2025, at the age of 75.<ref name=finley_11192025>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• List of San Diego Padres team records
• San Diego Padres award winners and league leaders

External links

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