Randy Jones

The Junkman: sinkerball left-hander who won the Padres' first Cy Young Award in 1976.

via Wikipedia: Randy Jones (baseball) · see source

Randy Jones was a left-handed starting pitcher, nicknamed "Junkman", who spent most of his career with the San Diego Padres. Relying on a sinker and pinpoint control rather than velocity, he won the National League Cy Young Award in 1976, the first Padre to do so, after finishing second in the voting in 1975. A two-time All-Star, he had his number 35 retired by the club and was inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame in 1999, its first year.

Quick Facts

Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right
Throws: Left
Born: 12 January 1950
Birthplace: Fullerton, California, U.S.
Died: 18 November 2025
Place of death: Escondido, California, U.S.
Debutleague: MLB

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

Jones was born on January 12, 1950, in Fullerton, California, and pitched for Chapman College before the Padres drafted him in the fifth round in 1972. A coach in Double-A, Warren Hacker, pushed him to develop the sinker that defined his career. He reached the majors on June 16, 1973. After a 22-loss season in 1974, he went 20–12 in 1975 with a league-best 2.24 ERA and became the franchise's first 20-game winner. In 1976 he went 22–14, started the All-Star Game, led the majors in wins, complete games and innings, and at one point went 68 straight innings without a walk. In his last start that year he damaged a nerve in his throwing arm and needed surgery, and he never regained that form. The Padres traded him to the New York Mets on December 15, 1980. He died on November 18, 2025.

Reader's Guide

Jones matters to Padres history beyond the numbers: he was one of the club's first homegrown stars, and his home starts drew crowds in the thousands above normal. In 1976 San Diego averaged 27,400 fans in his 21 home starts against 15,769 in other home games. The team retired his No. 35 on May 9, 1997. After his playing days he coached young pitchers, including Barry Zito and Joe Musgrove.