Niles Chapman Jordan (December 1, 1925 – March 15, 2008) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player, a

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 appeared 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), ...

during the 1951 and 1952 seasons for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

and

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 ...

. Listed at and , he batted and threw

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. A native of

Lyman, Washington Lyman is a town in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 438 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon- Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Lyman's first postmaster, B.L. Lyman, named ...

, Jordan attended

Sedro-Woolley High School Sedro-Woolley High School is a public high school in the city of Sedro-Woolley, Washington. The school enrolls about 1394 in grades 9-12. Its colors are blue and white and the school mascot is the bear cub. It is the primary high school for the S ...

before enlisting the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

upon graduation in 1943. He served on the destroyer USS ''Bennett'', taking part at the battles of

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. On April 7, 1945, Jordan survived a hit from a Japanese kamikaze fighter on the ''Bennett''. Jordan later pitched for the Sedro-Woolley in the local city league and in 1948 was signed by the

. He was sent to the Klamath Falls Gems of the Far West League where, in 1949, he finished with a 19–7 mark and a 4.35

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. In 1950 he was promoted to the

Terre Haute Phillies The Terre Haute Phillies were a baseball team in Terre Haute, Indiana from 1946 to 1954. They were a Three-I League team affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies. They became the Terre Haute Tigers for the 1955–1956 seasons when the affiliatio ...

of the Three-I League where he was 17–6, and then enjoyed his best season with Wilmington of the

Interstate League The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. Early leagues Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active: *1896–1901: an unclassified ...

in 1951, going 21–3 with 20

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s (including two one-hitters) and earned a late-season call-up to Philadelphia. Before the 1952 season, he was obtained by the

along with

Eddie Pellagrini Edward Charles Pellagrini (March 13, 1918 – October 11, 2006) was an American infielder in Major League Baseball from – and from – for the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Browns, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He ...

Andy Seminick Andrew Wasal Seminick (September 12, 1920 – February 22, 2004) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies between 1943 and 1951, and the Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs ...

and

Dick Sisler Richard Alan Sisler (November 2, 1920 – November 20, 1998) was an American player, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball. The son of Hall of Fame first baseman and two-time .400 hitter George Sisler, Dick Sisler's younger brother Dave was ...

in the same transaction that brought

Connie Ryan Cornelius Joseph Ryan (February 27, 1920 – January 3, 1996) was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach (baseball), coach and manager (baseball), manager who served as interim manager of two Major League Baseball ...

Smoky Burgess Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess (February 6, 1927 – September 15, 1991) was an American professional baseball catcher, pinch hitter, coach, and scout, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to . A nine-time All-Star, Burgess became kno ...

and

Howie Fox Howard Francis Fox (March 1, 1921 – October 9, 1955) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, and Baltimore Orioles, in 9 seasons, between and . ...

to the Phillies. In a two-season career, Jordan posted a 2–4 record with a 4.19 ERA in eight appearances, including a

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

, giving up 22 runs (two unearned) on 49 hits and 11 walks 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 ...

13 in 43.0 innings of work. Following his baseball career, Jordan returned to

Sedro Woolley, Washington Sedro-Woolley is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Mount Vernon– Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area and had a population of 12,421 at the 2020 census. The city is home to North Cascade ...

, just miles from his birthplace, where he worked in the lumber industry for many years. He died in the Life Care Center of

Skagit Valley The Skagit Valley lies in the northwestern corner of the state of Washington, United States. Its defining feature is the Skagit River, which snakes through local communities which include the seat of Skagit County, Mount Vernon, as well as Sed ...

at the age of 82.

References

External links

RetrosheetSkagit Valley Herald
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Niles 1925 births 2008 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II Baltimore Orioles (International League) players Baseball players from Washington (state) Cincinnati Reds players Klamath Falls Gems players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Skagit County, Washington Philadelphia Phillies players Portland Beavers players Richmond Virginians (minor league) players Rochester Red Wings players Terre Haute Phillies players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players United States Navy sailors Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952) players