James Condia Jones (born April 20, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach, and former
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 ...
. He played eight seasons 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) with the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
,
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
,
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
, and
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
, and two seasons in
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(NPB) with the
Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...
in and . Jones is the pitching coach for the
Amarillo Sod Poodles
The Amarillo Sod Poodles, nicknamed the Soddies, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Amarillo, Texas, and play their home games at Hodgetown in downtown ...
, the Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the San Diego Padres.
Playing career
Jones was selected in the first round (third overall) of the
1982 Major League Baseball draft by the Padres out of
Thomas Jefferson High School in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
. While in high school Jones had gained national attention for striking out 28 batters in a 16-inning play-off game while throwing 251 pitches. Jones claimed in a 2004 interview that his arm was so sore two days after the marathon effort that he could not throw a baseball from third base to first base.
Jones threw a one-hit shutout against the first-place Houston Astros in his big league debut on September 21, 1986. He was the first pitcher to throw a one-hitter in his debut game since
Billy Rohr in 1967.
Coaching
Jones served as the interim bullpen coach for the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
for part of the
2012 season, following the death of
Darrel Akerfelds
Darrel Wayne Akerfelds (June 12, 1962 – June 24, 2012) was a professional baseball pitcher. He also served as the bullpen coach of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres, from until his death. He also pitched in the major leagues in par ...
. He was replaced by
Willie Blair
William Allen Blair (born December 18, 1965) is an American former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball and current pitching coach for the West Michigan Whitecaps.
Playing career
Blair played baseball for Morehead State University bef ...
in December 2012.
Jones served the pitching coach for the
Peoria Padres
The Arizona Complex League Padres are a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, which is also the ...
of the
Arizona League
The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it f ...
, as well as the for the
San Antonio Missions
The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...
of the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jimmy
1964 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
Baseball coaches from Texas
Baseball players from Dallas
Beaumont Golden Gators players
Columbus Clippers players
Houston Astros players
Jackson Generals (Texas League) players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Minor league baseball coaches
Montreal Expos players
New York Yankees players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Ottawa Lynx players
Reno Padres players
San Diego Padres players
Thomas Jefferson High School (Dallas) alumni
Walla Walla Padres players
Yomiuri Giants players