Roy Lee Jackson (born May 1, 1954) is an American former professional baseball

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, ...

. He played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

, and

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

across 10 seasons.

Early years

Jackson was born in

Opelika, Alabama Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Alabama, Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States censu ...

. He was drafted by 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 ...

upon graduation from

Opelika High School Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Alabama, Opelika, Lee County, Alabama and was originally built in 1972. Opelika High School, of the Opelika City Schools, serves students in Educational stages, grades ninth grade, 9–twelfth grade, 12 ...

in the 12th round of the

1972 Major League Baseball draft The 1972 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1972 MLB season. The draft saw the San Diego Padres select Dave Roberts first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseba ...

, but did not sign. Instead, he attended

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

. After three years with the Tuskegee Golden Tigers

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

team, he signed as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

with the

New York Mets

Jackson went 28-21 with a 3.09

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

over three seasons in the Mets'

farm system In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful pl ...

when he received his first September call-up in . He received a no decision in his major league debut against 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 ...

, pitching 5.2

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other tea ...

s and allowing three

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any Run (baseball), run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the ...

. All told, he made four starts over the remainder of the season, losing twice to the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. September call-ups seemed to be a theme in Jackson's Mets career. He spent the following two seasons in the minors, getting a call up in September each time. In , he was used more in

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

, and earned his first win against the Cardinals. He spent roughly half the season in the majors. On July 19, he pitched his only career

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

victory against the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

, and notched his only career

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

off

Charlie Leibrandt Charles Louis Leibrandt Jr. (; born October 4, 1956) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1979 to 1993 for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, and Texas Rangers. Leibrandt was a member of the ...

. He would lose his next four starts, however, and be moved into the

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 ...

. On September 13, he earned his first career save against the

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 ...

, pitching three innings of one hit ball. During the off season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

Bob Bailor.

Toronto Blue Jays

In his first full season in the majors, Jackson was used exclusively in relief. On April 13, he entered in the eighth with the bases loaded and one

out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. He got a

double play In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs. In Major Le ...

, then pitched a scoreless ninth for his first save on the season. He was 1-2 with a 3.05 ERA and two saves when a

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

interrupted the season. When play resumed, he proved to be the most reliable arm in

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Bobby Mattick's bullpen. He allowed just three runs in 17.2

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

and earned five saves. He led Jays relievers with 62 innings pitched and a 2.61 ERA. His seven saves were second to

Joey McLaughlin Joey Richard McLaughlin (born July 11, 1956) is an American former professional baseball player who was a right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1977 to 1984. He played for the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Texas Ran ...

. Jackson proved equally dominant in . He pitched the ninth and tenth innings for the win when the second game of the season went into extra innings. On May 30, he and

Jim Gott James William Gott (born August 3, 1959) is an American professional baseball pitcher and coach. Gott pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 years for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers ...

combined on a one hit

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

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 ...

, which coincidentally, also happen to be the first game of

Cal Ripken Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed "the Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played his entire 21-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). ...

's 2,632 consecutive games played streak. On September 28, Jackson pitched five innings of no hit ball against the

for his eighth and final victory of the season. All told, he went 8-7 with six saves as a reliever. His 2.55 ERA in 88.1 innings out of the bullpen was far and away the best among Blue Jay relievers. His 97 total innings pitched and 71

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s were career highs. In , Jackson went a career best 8-3. In , he had a career best ten saves. Both seasons, he led Jays relievers in innings pitched (92 and 86, respectively). Despite these numbers, he was released in

Spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

San Diego Padres

Shortly after his release from the Jays, Jackson signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He was 1-1 with an even 3.00 ERA for the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

when he was traded to the

for

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

Alan Wiggins Alan Anthony Wiggins (February 17, 1958 – January 6, 1991) was an American professional baseball player. He was a second baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles between 1981 and 19 ...

. After three appearances with the Las Vegas Stars, Jackson was back in the majors. He went 2-3 with a 2.70 ERA, and won his first start in two years, pitching five innings of two hit ball against his former club, the Mets.

Minnesota Twins

The Padres released Jackson the following spring, and he signed with the Twins. He had one win and one save in his one season in Minnesota. He re-signed with the Brewers in , and made four appearances with the

Denver Zephyrs The Denver Zephyrs (formerly the Denver Bears) were a Minor League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They were a Triple-A team that played in the American Association from 1955 to 1962, the Pacific Coast League from 1963 to ...

before retiring.

Career stats

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , W , L , Pct ,

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 ...

, G , GS , GF , SHO , IP , H , ER , R , HR , BB , K , WP , HBP , BAA , Fld% , Avg. , - , 28 , 38 , , 3.77 , 280 , 18 , 111 , 0 , 559 , 531 , 234 , 260 , 50 , 203 , 351 , 20 , 17 , .254 , .964 , .194

Jackson is also an exceptional singer, and has performed "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" and "

O Canada "O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...

" before ballgames. His 1984

Fleer The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubble gum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until 1989. Fleer originally developed a bubble gum formulation called ''Blibber-Blubb ...

Baseball Card A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. In the 1950s, they came with a stick of gum and a limited number of cards. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, s ...

(#158) captures him performing one of the anthems before a game. He is now the pastor of the New Creation Service Center in Opelika.

References

External links

, o
The Ultimate Mets DatabaseVenezuelan Winter League
*
Roy Lee Jackson
at

SABR Sabr () (literally 'endurance' or more accurately 'perseverance' and 'persistence'"Ṣabr", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam'') is one of the two parts of Iman (concept), faith (the other being ''shukr'') in Islam. It teaches to remain Spirituality, sp ...

(Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Roy Lee 1954 births Living people African-American baseball players Águilas del Zulia players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Alabama Denver Zephyrs players Jackson Mets players Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Lynchburg Mets players Major League Baseball pitchers Marion Mets players Minnesota Twins players New York Mets players Sportspeople from Opelika, Alabama Rochester Red Wings players San Diego Padres players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tidewater Tides players Toronto Blue Jays players Tuskegee Golden Tigers baseball players Tuskegee University alumni Wausau Mets players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen National College Baseball Hall of Fame inductees