Joey Jay was the first Little League player to make the Major Leagues, winning 99 games over a 13-year MLB career.
- Died: September 27, 2024 (Who else died on September 27?)
- Details of death: Died in Lutz, Florida at the age of 89.
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Joey Jay’s legacy
Little League baseball was founded in 1939, but it took until 1953 for its first participant to become a Major League Baseball player. Jay was that person, a starting pitcher who had a 13-year career in the big leagues.
Jay signed with the Milwaukee Braves two months before he turned 18 and made his debut almost immediately. For two seasons, he pitched irregularly before being sent down to the minor leagues for a spell to gain more experience. He returned to the team in 1958, securing seven wins and a 2.14 ERA.
Jay came into his own when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1961. In his first year with the Reds, he tied for the league lead in wins with 21, pitched a one-hitter, made the All-Star team, and went to the World Series, where he won Game Two in an otherwise losing effort against the New York Yankees. He also made the cover of Sports Illustrated that year.
He returned to the Braves in 1966, the team’s first season based in Atlanta, and retired after one season.
All told, Jay racked up 99 wins in his career, with a 3.77 ERA. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2008. After leaving baseball, Jay went into business, running an array of companies before retiring for good. He wasn’t at all sentimental about his days in pro sports, largely preferring not to dwell on them.
Tributes to Joey Jay
Full obituary: The New York Times
