Jim Hardin
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James Warren Hardin (August 6, 1943 – March 9, 1991) was an American professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
player. He played in
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as a right-handed
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, ...
from through , most notably as a member of the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
dynasty that won three consecutive American League pennants from 1969 to 1971, and won the
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in 1970. He also played for the
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and the
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.


Baseball career

Hardin attended
Memphis State University The University of Memphis (Memphis) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 20,000 students. The university maintains the Herff Col ...
to play baseball from 1961 to 1962. While at Memphis State, he turned down offers to go pro, and after only 14 college games, Hardin signed a contract with the
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, which included a $10,000 bonus. Despite higher offers from other teams, Hardin picked the Mets, at the time a new expansion team with a lot of opportunities. Hardin spent three years in the Mets' minor league system before he drafted by the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...
in the 1965 minor league draft. In 1967, he was called up from the minor leagues to replace an injured
Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...
. On May 10, 1969, in a relief appearance, Hardin hit a game-winning walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. On July 27, 1969, Hardin starred in the Orioles' most dominant shut-out victory in their history, routing the
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, 17–0. Hardin took the win over Billy Wynne, allowing just two hits with five strikeouts and also hit a home run in the fourth inning off Gary Bell. He pitched a complete-game shutout on May 26, 1970, against the
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, allowing only five singles in the game. Three weeks later, Hardin pitched ten innings surrendering only six hits with zero walks versus the Washington Senators. The Orioles prevailed 3–2 in 13 innings with
Pete Richert Peter Gerard Richert (born October 29, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1962–64, 1972–73), Washington Senators (1965–67), B ...
earning the win with three relief innings. In Cleveland on August 6, 1970, Hardin threw a complete game five-hitter in the second game of a doubleheader against the Indians. Hardin helped himself with a two-run triple in the second inning and also picked up another RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning. As a member of the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
on June 28, 1972, he hit a 2-out solo home run in the 4th inning off the Padres' Fred Norman in
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. While Hardin was with the Orioles, Palmer reported that some of the players did not like him very much. "But
Brooks Robinson Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. (May 18, 1937 – September 26, 2023) was an American baseball player who played his entire 23-year career in Major League Baseball as a third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 to 1977. Nicknamed "Mr. Hoove ...
and Davey Leonhard and me, we think he's a decent guy if you get to know him, which most of the others didn't do." "Hardin really was an impressive pitcher before he hurt his shoulder," Palmer described him. "He had great control."


Death

Hardin, a pilot, died on March 9, 1991, when his Beech 35-C33A crashed in
Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...
,
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. Shortly after taking off from
Key West International Airport Key West International Airport is an airport located in the City of Key West in Monroe County, Florida, United States, east of the main commercial center of Key West. The relatively short runway limits the maximum size of aircraft that can ...
the propeller of his aircraft failed from fatigue. The aircraft stalled and the plane crashed while Hardin attempted to return to the airport to make an emergency landing. It was widely reported that, during the plane's descent, Hardin steered the plane away from a baseball field filled with young children. The plane crashed in a parking lot of a
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restaurant, which was under construction at the time. Hardin was survived by his wife and three children.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardin, Jim 1943 births 1991 deaths Accidental deaths in Florida Atlanta Braves players Auburn Mets players Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Tennessee Elmira Pioneers players Major League Baseball pitchers Memphis Tigers baseball players New York Yankees players People from Hardin County, Tennessee Quincy Jets players Richmond Braves players Rochester Red Wings players Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1991 Williamsport Mets players 20th-century American sportsmen