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, p ...

former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) who played for the

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

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. 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 In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

, 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 Nort ...

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 18,171 at the 2020 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 l ...

. He made his Major League debut with the

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

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

. He pitched in three other games that season, including one of his five major league starts, before returning to the minor leagues. He was one of five Phillies along with

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

George Vukovich George Stephen Vukovich (born June 24, 1956) is an American former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians in all or part of six seasons from 1980–1985. Listed at 6' 0" , 198 lb. , V ...

Julio Franco Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominic ...

and

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 E ...

who were traded to 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 , the team ...

for

Von Hayes Von Francis Hayes (born August 31, 1958) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an Outfielder from 1981 to 1992, most prominently as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies where ...

at the

Winter Meetings Representatives of all 30 Major League Baseball teams and their 120 Minor League Baseball affiliates convene for four days each December in the Winter Meetings to discuss league business and conduct off-season trades and transactions. Attendees in ...

on December 9, 1982. He spent the next two seasons as a starter in Cleveland's minor leagues before being traded to the

for

Dan Rohn Daniel Jay Rohn (born January 10, 1956) is a former infielder in Major League Baseball. Rohn was drafted as a second baseman by the Chicago Cubs in the 4th round of the 1977 amateur draft, and made his major league debut on September 2, 1983. ...

in April 1985. Baller returned to MLB that season, appearing in 20 games (4 starts) and posting a respectable 3.46

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. 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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

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. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

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 Triple-A (baseball), AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons ...

. After the season Baller signed with the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory ...

, 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. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

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 S ...

, 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 () 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 franchise began in 19 ...

Leones del Caracas The Caracas Base Ball Club C.A., better known by its commercial name as the Leones del Caracas, is a professional baseball team of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVPB). The owner and sole shareholder of the sports club is Ricardo C ...

and

Tiburones de La Guaira The Tiburones de La Guaira () are a baseball team in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP). Though they nominally represent La Guaira (playing at the Estadio Jorge Luis García Carneiro), they also play home games at the Estadio Un ...

clubs of the Venezuelan League 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'') is an annual club tournament contested by professional baseball teams in Latin America. It is organized by the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation. The series is normally played in ...

in the

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

and

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

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 ) 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 lives in Muhlenberg, Pennsylvania, with his wife and four children.

References

External links

Jay Baller
at SABR (Baseball BioProject)
Jay Baller
at Baseball Almanac {{DEFAULTSORT:Baller, Jay 1960 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Calgary Cannons players Charleston Charlies players Chicago Cubs players Diablos Rojos del México players Helena Phillies players Indianapolis Indians players Iowa Cubs players Kansas City Royals players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Maine Guides players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Omaha Royals players Orix BlueWave players Peninsula Pilots players Baseball players from Berks County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Phillies players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Spartanburg Phillies players Sportspeople from Canby, Oregon Baseball players from Clackamas County, Oregon People from Stayton, Oregon Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos players Tiburones de La Guaira players 20th-century American sportsmen