Jack William Armstrong (born March 7, 1965) is an American former

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), ...

right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who played for several teams between 1988 and 1994. He is a graduate of

Neptune High School Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townshi ...

Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 28,061, an increase of 126 from the 2010 census enumeration of 27,935, in turn an increase of 245 (+ ...

, where he once struck out 22 batters in a nine-inning game, and an alumnus of

Rider College Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

and the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

Amateur career

Armstrong attended

Rider University Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...

and the

. In 1985 and 1986, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fi ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

(CCBL). In 1986, he was MVP of the CCBL all-star game, and received the league's Outstanding Pitcher award.

Professional career

Drafted by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

in the 1st round of the 1987 MLB amateur draft, Armstrong made his big-league debut on June 21, 1988, and appeared in his final game on April 17, 1994. A torn rotator cuff helped end his career at the age of 27. Armstrong was also a member of the inaugural

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

team in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

. Armstrong had the best year of his career with the

in 1990. He won eight of his first nine starts and was the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

's starting pitcher in the

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

. He tailed off, however, ending the year with a record of 12–9 and a 3.42 ERA. He relieved

Scott Scudder William Scott Scudder (born February 14, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round of the 1986 MLB amateur draft, Scudder made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cincinn ...

in Game 2 of the

1990 World Series The 1990 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1990 season. The 87th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending champions and heavily favored American League (AL) ...

with the Reds trailing, 4–3. Armstrong pitched three scoreless innings against the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

, and the Reds won the game in the 10th inning. After his career 1990 season, he spent one more year with the Reds, before being traded for

Greg Swindell Forest Gregory Swindell (born January 2, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player. He had a 17-year career in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to . He played for the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins and Bost ...

. He then spent one season each with the Indians, Marlins, and Rangers before retiring.

Personal

His son, Jack Armstrong Jr., turned down a $1 million signing bonus from the Texas Rangers out of high school in order to play college baseball for the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's team ...

. He was later drafted by Houston and signed for a $750,000 bonus, although injuries derailed his career. Erik, his younger son, played baseball at the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Jack 1965 births Living people People from Englewood, New Jersey People from Neptune Township, New Jersey Neptune High School alumni Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey Cincinnati Reds players National League All-Stars Cleveland Indians players Florida Marlins players Texas Rangers players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from New Jersey Oklahoma Sooners baseball players Wareham Gatemen players Rider Broncs baseball players Billings Mustangs players Vermont Reds players Nashville Sounds players Brevard County Manatees players Newark Bears players