Randy Jones (baseball)

Did You Know?

• Jones coached Barry Zito, who won the 2002 Cy Young Award with the Oakland Athletics.
• Another pupil, Joe Musgrove, pitched the first no-hitter in Padres history.

Early life and college

Jones was born in Fullerton, California, and attended Brea-Olinda High School in Brea, where he posted an 8–2 record with a 0.91 ERA and 110 strikeouts as a senior. At Chapman College in Orange, California, he was the top pitcher for three years and an All-American as a senior. Arm problems in high school and college reduced his fastball velocity, leading him to rely on a sinker and slider. He set school records with 155 strikeouts in a season (1972) and 311 career strikeouts.

Professional baseball career

The San Diego Padres selected Jones in the fifth round of the 1972 draft. After brief assignments in Single-A and Double-A, he began 1973 with a 8–1 record and 2.01 ERA at Double-A Alexandria. Pitching coach Warren Hacker helped him develop his sinker. Jones debuted in the majors on June 16, 1973, as a reliever, and finished his rookie season 7–6 with a 3.16 ERA. In 1974 he went 8–22 with a 4.45 ERA, tying for the NL lead in losses. The following year he rebounded to 20–12, leading the league with a 2.24 ERA and earning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award. He became the Padres' first 20-game winner and finished second in Cy Young voting to Tom Seaver. In 1976 he won the Cy Young Award. His final start that year damaged a nerve in his throwing arm, requiring surgery. He pitched six more seasons, the last two with the New York Mets, but never regained his peak form.

Legacy

Jones finished his career with a losing record, the only starting pitcher to win a Cy Young Award and do so. In 285 starts he threw 75 complete games and 19 shutouts. His sinker, described as dropping "like an anvil", induced many ground balls and double plays. Pete Rose, who batted .183 against him, said Jones threw "a 27 mph fastball".

The Padres retired his uniform number 35 on May 9, 1997. His home starts drew thousands more fans; in 1976 the team averaged 27,400 for his starts versus 15,769 for others. He is credited with putting the Padres "on the map". Jones was inducted into the Chapman Athletics Hall of Fame (1980), the Orange County Sports Hall of Fame (1985), the Breitbard Hall of Fame (1996), and the inaugural class of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame (1999).

Broadcaster Jerry Coleman once said of him, "On the mound is Randy Jones, the left-hander with the Karl Marx hairdo," intending to say Harpo Marx.

Personal life and death

After baseball he ran a restaurant and catering business in San Diego and operated a string of car washes. He opened Randy Jones BBQ at Qualcomm Stadium and later at Petco Park. He served as a Padres ambassador and worked on broadcasts. In 2016 he was diagnosed with throat cancer, likely from chewing tobacco, and was declared cancer-free the following year. He founded the Randy Jones Run/Walk for Home of Guiding Hands. He died on November 18, 2025, at age 75.