James Clayton Parker (born December 19, 1962) is an American former professional baseball

middle relief pitcher In baseball, a middle reliever or middle relief pitcher, is a relief pitcher who typically pitches during the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings of a standard baseball game. In leagues with no designated hitter, such as in the National League prio ...

. Parker played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

and Detroit Tigers (1990) in parts of four seasons spanning 1987–1992.

Career

Parker was born in

Columbia, Louisiana Columbia is a town in, and the parish seat of, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 390 as of the 2010 census, down from 477 in 2000. History The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. A ...

. He graduated from Caldwell Parish High School in 1981 and attended

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

and college football for the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

. He played for the Tigers football team in the

1983 Orange Bowl The 1983 Orange Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 1. Part of the 1982–83 bowl game season, it matched the thirteenth-ranked LSU Tigers of the Sout ...

and the 1985 Sugar Bowl. Parker was selected by the Mariners in the 15th round of the 1985 MLB draft out of Louisiana State. He made his MLB debut on September 14, 1987 against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, allowing three

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

s on five hits and one

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

, while

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

five on 2⅓ innings of work and did not have a decision. During the offseason, he was sent along with

Lee Guetterman Arthur Lee Guetterman (born November 22, 1958), nicknamed "Goot," is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played from to for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball ...

and

Wade Taylor Wade Eric Taylor (born October 19, 1965, in Mobile, Alabama) is an American pitching coach and former Major League Baseball pitcher who played with the New York Yankees in . He has been an advance scout for the Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Was ...

to the

in the same transaction that brought Henry Cotto to the Mariners. His most productive season came in 1989 with the Yankees, when he posted a 4-5 record and a 3.68 ERA in 22 pitching appearances, including 17 starts and two complete games. In 1991 Parker found himself on the move again, this time along with

Lance McCullers Lance Graye McCullers Sr. (born March 8, 1964) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and Texas R ...

to the Tigers in exchange for Matt Nokes. He went 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 24 games at Detroit and spent 1991 in the minors, being released during the midseason. He returned to the Mariners in 1992, and went 0-2 with a 7.56 in six starts and two relief games. Overall, Parker registered a record of 7-10 with a 4.42 ERA in 62 games, striking out 121 and walking 78 in 234 innings. He also pitched from 1985 through 1995 in the minors, going 45-28 with a 2.92 in 118 games. In between, Parker played winter ball with the

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A. or better known by its commercial name as the ''Leones del Caracas'', is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. In its creation, its headquarters are the University Stadium of C ...

club of the

Venezuelan League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

in the 1987–1988 season, as he went 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA in four starts.

Personal life

His son, Clayton Parker, pitched for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

team as a freshman in 2013. Clay is a Partner and Senior Investment Advisor with the wealth management fir
Southport Capital
in Chattanooga, TN

Sources

External links

The Baseball Gauge
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Clay 1962 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Louisiana Bellingham Mariners players Calgary Cannons players Chattanooga Lookouts players Columbus Clippers players Detroit Tigers players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela LSU Tigers baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Yankees players People from Columbia, Louisiana Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Tigers players Toledo Mud Hens players Wausau Timbers players LSU Tigers football players