James William Colborn (born May 22, 1946) is a former

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 (AL) ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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, who attempts to e ...

. The right-handed Colborn pitched for the

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 ...

(-),

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. The Brewers are named for the city's association wi ...

(-),

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 expa ...

(-) and

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 team ...

(1978).

Biography

After graduating from

Whittier College Whittier College (Whittier Academy (1887–1901)) is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of fall 2022, had approximately 1,300 (undergraduate and graduate) students. It w ...

with a degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

, Colborn studied for his master's degree at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, where he also starred in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

as well as

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 ...

, being named all-Scotland. In 1967, the Chicago Cubs signed Colborn as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He found himself in Leo Durocher's doghouse after struggling as a young

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weather d ...

for three years. Colborn was traded along with Brock Davis and

Earl Stephenson Chester Earl Stephenson (born July 31, 1947) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. The left-hander was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 3rd round of the 1967 amateur draft and played for the Cubs (1971), Milwaukee Brewers (1972), and B ...

to the Brewers for

José Cardenal José Rosario Domec Cardenal (born October 7, 1943) is a Cuban American former professional baseball outfielder, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (1963–64), Los Angeles/California Angels (1965–67), Cl ...

on December 3, 1971. Colborn was the Brewers' first-ever 20-game winner in 1973, posting a 20-12 record with a 3.18 ERA. He also was named to 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 ...

All-Star team, but did not pitch in the game. Over the next three seasons, however, Colborn posted

losing Losing may refer to: Music * "Losing" (Tenth Avenue North song), a 2012 song by Tenth Avenue North * "Losing" (Takida song), a 2006 song by Takida * ''Losing'' (album) People with the surname * Sabine Lösing (born 1955), German politician Se ...

records (10-13 in 1974, 11-13 in and 9-15 in 1976) before being traded, along with Darrell Porter, to the Kansas City Royals. In 1977, Colborn won 18 games for a Royal team that won the second of three consecutive

American League West The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...

titles (all three times, however, the Royals lost to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

in the

American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the America ...

; Colborn did not pitch in the 1977 ALCS). On May 14 of that year, Colborn

no-hit In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitche ...

the Texas Rangers 6-0, the first no-hitter by a Royal at Royals Stadium and second overall in that park, after the first of

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

's seven career no-hitters (1973). He was dealt from the

Royals Royals may refer to: Entertainment * The Royals (band), a Jamaican reggae vocal group * The Royals, original name of The Midnighters * "Royals" (song), a 2013 single by Lorde * ''The Royals'' (TV series), a 2015 E! network drama series * ''The ...

to the Mariners for Steve Braun on May 31, 1978."Mariners, Royals in Trade," ''United Press International'' (UPI), Wednesday, May 31, 1978.
Retrieved November 21, 2022. For eight seasons, Colborn was on Jim Tracy's staff as a pitching coach: from to , when Tracy managed the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

, and in and , when Tracy managed 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) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

. In , Colborn became the Texas Rangers

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

coach. In his career, Colborn

won Won may refer to: *The Korean won from 1902–1910 *South Korean won, the currency of the Republic of Korea *North Korean won, the currency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea * Won (Korean surname) * Won (Korean given name) * Won Buddhis ...

83 games against 88 losses, with a 3.80 ERA and 688 strikeouts in 1597

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

References

External links

Baseball GaugeVenezuelan Professional Baseball League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colborn, Jim American League All-Stars Baseball players from California Major League Baseball pitchers 1946 births Living people People from Santa Paula, California Sportspeople from Ventura County, California Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Arizona Instructional League Cubs players Chicago Cubs players Kansas City Royals players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Lodi Crushers players Los Angeles Dodgers coaches Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitching coaches Milwaukee Brewers players Minor league baseball managers Pittsburgh Pirates coaches San Antonio Missions players Seattle Mariners players Seattle Mariners scouts Tacoma Cubs players Texas Rangers coaches Texas Rangers scouts Whittier Poets baseball players Washington Huskies baseball players

Biography

See also

References

External links