Jay Scot Baller (born October 6, 1960) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 dr ...

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 (A ...

(MLB) who played 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 ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

, and

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

. Listed at 6' 6", 215 lbs., he batted and threw right-handed. Baller spent parts of six different seasons in the majors but never was able to stick with a big league time for an entire campaign. Primarily a reliever, he recorded 137 saves in 14

Minor League Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

seasons and six saves in 94 Major League contests.

Career

Baller was selected by the Phillies in the fourth round (98th overall) of the 1979 MLB draft out of Canby High School in

Canby, Oregon Canby is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. The population was 15,829 at the 2010 census. It is along Oregon Route 99E, northeast of Barlow. History Canby is named for Edward Richard Sprigg Canby, a Civil War general who was la ...

. He made his Major League debut with the Phillies as a reliever on September 19, 1982, throwing a scoreless, hitless inning against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

. He pitched in three other games that season, including one of his five major league starts, before returning to the minor leagues. Baller was a throw-in player in a major trade after the 1982 season, as 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) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...

sent

Von Hayes Von Francis Hayes (born August 31, 1958) is an American former professional baseball player whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned from 1981 to 1992 for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and California Angels. Hayes was acqui ...

to the Phillies in exchange for Julio Franco,

Manny Trillo Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo (born December 25, 1950), also nicknamed "Indio", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball second baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (–), Chicago Cubs (–, –), Phil ...

, George Vukovich,

Jerry Willard Gerald Duane Willard (born March 14, 1960) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1984 to 1994 for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Ex ...

, and Baller. He spent the next two seasons as a starter in Cleveland's minor leagues before being traded to the

for Dan Rohn in April 1985. Baller returned to MLB that season, appearing in 20 games (4 starts) and posting a respectable 3.46 ERA. Baller split the 1986 season between the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their h ...

and Chicago, sporting a 5.37 ERA, a 2–4 record and five saves in 36 games in the majors, the most extensive big-league action of his career. In 1987 Baller spent the majority of the year in Iowa. In 23 games with Chicago, he went 0–1 and saw his ERA rise yet again to 6.75. The Cubs released him in December. He signed as a free agent with 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 ...

and spent the 1988 season with their Triple-A team, the

Calgary Cannons The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta, for 18 seasons, from 1985 until 2002. They were a member of the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons displaced the Cal ...

. After the season Baller signed with the

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 ...

organization, and became a full-time closer for their Triple-A team, the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which opened ...

, posting a career-high 34 saves and a 2.02 ERA. Granted free agency again, Baller signed with the

and found his way back to the majors in 1990. However, he was ineffective, managing only an inflated 15.43 ERA in three games. After the 1990 season Baller signed with the

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 s ...

but was released before the season began. He then returned to the Phillies organization, where he started his career. After an entire season at Triple-A with the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...

, Baller re-signed with the Phillies for 1992. Now old for a minor leaguer at age 31, Baller was a very effective closer for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, saving 22 games while sporting a nifty 1.42 ERA. Promoted to Philadelphia, Baller appeared in the final eight games of his major league career, managing an 8.18 ERA as he allowed five home runs and 10 earned runs in 11 innings of work. Baller was granted free agency again after the season, but there were no takers for his services, and he retired from baseball. In between, Baller played winter ball with the

Águilas del Zulia The Águilas del Zulia ( en, Zulia Eagles) is a Venezuelan professional baseball team based in Maracaibo which plays in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. History The team was founded in 1969 and debuted in the 1969–70 season. The fran ...

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 ...

and

Tiburones de La Guaira The Tiburones de La Guaira ( en, La Guaira Sharks) are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League. Based in the city of La Guaira, they play their home games in Estadio Fórum La Guaira and have won seven national champions ...

clubs 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 five seasons spanning 1982–1993, posting a collective record of 13–11 and a 2.39 ERA in 136 appearances, garnering three Closer of the Year awards while setting an all-time league record with 56 saves that still remain intact. Additionally, he pitched in the

Caribbean Series The Caribbean Series (''Spanish'': ''Serie del Caribe''), also called Caribbean World Series, is the highest tournament for professional baseball teams in Latin America. The tournament location is rotated annually among the countries and is nor ...

in the

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

and

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 peacefu ...

editions for Caracas and Zulia, respectively.

Personal life

Baller was arrested in 2007 when he was found in his vehicle cocking a handgun and passing it between his hands. Police discovered one bag (roughly an eighth of an ounce) of cocaine in each coat pocket and also one bag behind the driver's seat. A bag containing $15,000 was also found in the car. He currently lives in Muhlenberg, Pennsylvania with his wife and four children.

Career

Personal life

References

External links