Jim Palmer

James Alvin Palmer
(Cakes)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 196 lb.

• Debut April 17, 1965
• Final Game May 12, 1984
• Born October 15, 1945 in New York, NY USA

Inducted into Hall of Fame in 1990

BR page

[edit] Biographical Information

"Jim had one of the most beautiful deliveries I've ever seen. It was almost like watching ballet." - Ray Miller, former Orioles pitching coach

In the year that Mike Flanagan won the Cy Young Award, someone asked him about another Baltimore pitcher, Jim Palmer, who had earned the same honor years earlier: "Yeah, Palmer is Cy Old," Flanagan replied, without cracking a smile.

Righthander Jim Palmer spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles and was arguably the best pitcher of the 1970s. He won Cy Young Awards in 1973, 1975, and 1976 and won 20 games eight times. In 1983, he notched a final World Series win for the Orioles, but the next season, his ERA was over 9.00 and he was released. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 1990 by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 1991, he tried to make a comeback with the Orioles, which would have been unprecedented for a Hall of Fame inductee, but his attempt ended in spring training. Since his playing career ended, he has been a television broadcaster for the Orioles. He is also known for appearing in ads for Jockey underwear. Palmer gets his "Cakes" nickname for his love of eating pancakes.

He became the only pitcher to give up three home runs in an All-Star Game, doing so the 1977 All-Star Game. But despite four times in the league's top 10 for home runs allowed and a long career, Palmer never gave up a grand slam during his career.

In 2012, the Orioles unveiled a statue of his outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where his likeness joined that of other franchise greats, including manager Earl Weaver.

[edit] Notable Achievements

• 6-time AL All-Star (1970-1972, 1975, 1977 & 1978)
• 3-time AL Cy Young Award Winner (1973, 1975 & 1976)
• 4-time AL Gold Glove Winner (1976-1979)
• 2-time AL ERA Leader (1973 & 1975)
• 3-time AL Wins Leader (1975-1977)
• AL Winning Percentage Leader (1982)
• 4-time AL Innings Pitched Leader (1970 & 1976-1978)
• AL Complete Games Leader (1977)
• 2-time AL Shutouts Leader (1970 & 1975)
• 15 Win Seasons: 12 (1966, 1969-1973, 1975-1978, 1980 & 1982)
• 20 Win Seasons: 8 (1970-1973 & 1975-1978)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 11 (1966, 1970-1973, 1975-1978, 1980 & 1982)
• 300 Innings Pitched Seasons: 4 (1970 & 1975-1977)
• Won three World Series with the Baltimore Orioles (1966, 1970 & 1983)
• Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1990

[edit] Further Reading

• Thomas Boswell: "Palmer vs. Palmer", in Why Time Begins on Opening Day, Penguin Books, New York, NY, 1984, pp. 223-238.

[edit] Related Sites

• Jim Palmer Interview 7-27-06 [1]
• Voice of America blog with quotes