Grant Jackson (baseball)

Grant Dwight Jackson (September 28, 1942 – February 2, 2021)[1] was an American baseball pitcher who played eighteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos, and Kansas City Royals from 1965 to 1982. He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed and served primarily as a relief pitcher.

Grant Jackson
Jackson in 1972
Pitcher
Born: (1942-09-28)September 28, 1942
Fostoria, Ohio
Died: February 2, 2021(2021-02-02) (aged 78)
North Strabane Township, Pennsylvania
Batted: Switch Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 3, 1965, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 8, 1982, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Win–loss record86–75
Earned run average3.46
Strikeouts889
Saves79
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Following Jackson’s playing career, he served as a coach for the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.[2][3]

Early life

Jackson was born in Fostoria, Ohio, on September 28, 1942.[4][5] He was the fourth of nine children of Joseph and Luella Jackson. His father died in 1960, and Jackson's older brother, Carlos, became a father figure to him.[5] Jackson attended Fostoria High School,[6] graduating in 1961. However, he did not attain the grades necessary to secure a scholarship to Bowling Green State University.[5] There, he played briefly for the Bowling Green Falcons baseball team.[7] He was signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in November 1961.[4]

Professional career

Jackson made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1965.[4] Jackson was named to the 1969 National League All-Star team, but did not appear in the game.[8]

Made available by the Phillies because of several disagreements with manager Frank Lucchesi, Jackson was acquired along with Jim Hutto and Sam Parrilla by the Orioles for Roger Freed on December 15, 1970.[9] In 1973, Jackson went 8–0, with a 1.90 earned run average (ERA) in 80.1 innings of work in 45 appearances with 47 strikeouts for the Orioles.[4] From September 29 to October 1, 1974, Jackson won 3 consecutive games in relief.[10]

On June 15, 1976, the Orioles traded Jackson with Doyle Alexander, Jimmy Freeman, Elrod Hendricks, and Ken Holtzman to the New York Yankees for Rick Dempsey, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, Scott McGregor, and Dave Pagan. After the season, Jackson was drafted by the Seattle Mariners from the Yankees as the 11th pick in the 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft. A few weeks later, he was traded by the Mariners to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Craig Reynolds and Jimmy Sexton.[11]

On September 1, 1981, Jackson was purchased by the Montreal Expos from the Pirates for $50,000. After the season, the Expos traded him to the Kansas City Royals for Ken Phelps. During the 1982 season, the Royals released Jackson, and he re-signed with Pittsburgh, who subsequently released him following the season.[12]

In his career, Jackson pitched in the World Series three times; in 1971 for the Orioles, 1976 for the Yankees, and 1979 for the Pirates, and was the winning pitcher for the Pirates in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series.[12]

He also played for the Gold Coast Suns of the Senior Professional Baseball Association in 1989.[13]

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Jackson was the Pirates’ pitching/bullpen coach in 1983 through 1985 and a member of the Cincinnati Reds bullpen coaching staff in 1994 and 1995.[2][5][3]

Later life

Jackson retired from coaching in 2002. He was inducted into the Fostoria High School Hall of Fame two years later, as part of its inaugural class.[5]

Jackson died on February 2, 2021, at Canonsburg Hospital in Pennsylvania.[14] He was 78, and suffered from complications of COVID-19 in the time leading up to his death.[15]

References
  1. "Grant Jackson, Pirates' winning pitcher in Game 7 of 1979 World Series, dies at age 78 | TribLIVE.com". triblive.com.
  2. "Grant Jackson". retrosheet.org. Retrosheet. 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  3. "Grant Jackson Player Card – Jobs in Baseball". thebaseballcube.com. The Baseball Cube. 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  4. "Grant Jackson Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  5. Kates, Maxwell (August 1, 2017). "Grant Jackson". SABR.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  6. "Baseball very good to Jackson". The Blade. June 19, 2005. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  7. "BGSU baseball alums who made it to the major leagues". The Blade. May 15, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. "1969 All-Star Game Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 23, 1969. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. Durso, Joseph. "Orioles Obtain Jackson in Trade with Phillies," The New York Times, Thursday, Dec. 17, 1970. Retrieved June 12, 2020
  10. "Grant Jackson 1974 Pitching Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  11. Joyce, Dick (December 8, 1976). "Pirates Land Southpaw Relief Pitcher Grant Jackson from Seattle". Youngstown, Ohio: Youngstown Vindicator. Associated Press. p. 33. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  12. "Bucs' 'Fam-a-lee' hurler Grant Jackson dies". MLB.com.
  13. Wittenmyer, Gordon (October 19, 1989). "GRANT JACKSON GETS OFF ON WRONG FOOT WITH SUNS". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  14. [Grant Jackson, winning pitcher in ’79 WS Game 7, dies at 78 "Grant Jackson, winning pitcher in '79 WS Game 7, dies at 78"] Check |url= value (help). Associated Press. February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  15. Mackey, Jason (February 2, 2021). "Grant Jackson, the Pirates' Game 7 winner in 1979, dies at age 78". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
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