Larry Jackson

From BR Bullpen

Lawrence Curtis Jackson

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 2", Weight 190 lb.
School Boise Junior College
Debut April 17, 1955
Final Game September 20, 1968
Born June 2, 1931 in Nampa, ID USA
Died August 28, 1990 in Boise, ID USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Larry Jackson was a workhorse starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies in the 1950's and 1960's. A four-time All-Star, he was in double figures for both wins in losses for 11 consecutive seasons from 1958 to 1968. Pitching for generally mediocre teams, his record hovered around .500 most years, putting him among the league leaders for losses even if he was a significantly better-than-average pitcher (his career ERA+ was 113).

Jackson had a career year for the 1964 Cubs, winning a National League-leading 24 games with a 3.14 ERA in just under 300 innings. There was only one Cy Young Award for both leagues that season, and it was won by the Los Angeles Angels' Dean Chance, but Jackson finished second in the voting and would likely have won the National League award had it existed.

After the 1968 season, where he went 13-17 for the Phillies, but with a solid 2.77 ERA, he was left unprotected in the expansion draft. He was selected by the Montreal Expos, but chose to retire instead of joining his new team. The Phillies were forced to offer the Expos another player as compensation, eventually settling on shortstop Bobby Wine just before the 1969 season started.