Theodore Jared Garvin (born October 21, 1955) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

player who pitched a total of six seasons in

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(MLB) with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

from 1977 to 1982. He was named by Topps as their left-handed rookie pitcher of the year in 1977.

Early life and professional baseball

Theodore Jared Garvin was born on October 21, 1955 in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

. His family later moved to

Merced, California Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1 ...

where he played baseball for

Merced High School Merced High School is located in Merced, California, United States. It is a part of the Merced Union High School District. The current enrollment is over 1,800 students in grades 9 through 12. The school is currently under Principal Marcus Knott ...

. He was initially drafted by the

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of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) in the 17th round of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft that was held on June 5, but did not sign a contract with the team. He re-entered the draft in time for the January secondary draft held on January 9, when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, also of the AL. He signed with the Twins franchise and was assigned to the class-A Wisconsin Rapids Twins of the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

Major league career

Garvin began his pitching career with four wins by the end of April, the first rookie to do so in baseball history. He was battling influenza when he was defeated by the Yankees on June 30, his fourth consecutive loss. He finished the season with a record of 10-18, and became known for his ability to pick off runners at first. In fact, Garvin established an unofficial Major League record of 26 pickoffs in the 1977 season, although this was not recognized in the record books; official statistics had never distinguished between pickoffs and runners caught stealing by any other method. His 34

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is li ...

stands as the Blue Jays' rookie record, though tied by Gustavo Chacín in 2006. He surrendered 33

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s during the season, the most allowed by a Blue Jays pitcher until

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allowed 36 in 1998. Garvin fell to 4-12 in 1978, and by 1979 was primarily a reliever. In September 1979, Garvin spent some time on the disabled list, re-activated on September 1. Garvin re-signed with the Blue Jays on January 20, 1981, after appearing in a club record 61 games in 1980. On August 20, 1982, the Blue Jays re-activated

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Wayne Nordhagen from the disabled list. To clear a spot for him, they optioned Garvin to the franchises' class-AAA team, the

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

of the International League. At the time of the demotion, Garvin was the franchise's all-time leader in pitching appearances with 194. He was recalled to the majors for two more games in late September. On January 18, 1983, Garvin was sold by the Blue Jays to the

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of the

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for an undisclosed amount, and was assigned to their class-AAA team, the

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of the

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. However, he was cut from the roster during spring training, and ended his professional career without ever playing for the Redbirds. After his playing days, he has become involved in the

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business.

References

External links

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Retrosheet
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Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garvin, Jerry 1955 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Oakland, California Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball pitchers Merced Blue Devils baseball players Orlando Twins players Reno Silver Sox players Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Twins players Toronto Blue Jays players Wisconsin Rapids Twins players