San Diego Padres legend Randy Jones has died, the team announced on Wednesday.
Jones, who pitched for the Padres for the majority of his MLB career, died on Tuesday at the age of 75. The team issued a statement extending condolences to Jones’ wife Marie and the rest of his family.
“With deep sorrow and heavy hearts, the Padres mourn the passing of our beloved left-hander, Randy Jones,” the statement read. “Randy was a cornerstone of our franchise for over five decades, highlighted by becoming the first Padres pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 1999, his impact and popularity only grew in his post-playing career, becoming a tremendous ambassador for the team and a true fan favorite. Crossing paths with RJ and talking baseball or life was a joy for everyone fortunate enough to spend time with him. Randy was committed to San Diego, the Padres, and his family. He was a giant in our lives and our franchise history.”
The cause of death was not immediately given.
Jones had a career ERA of 3.42 across 10 MLB seasons. The left-hander pitched for the Padres for eight seasons before spending the final two years of his career with the New York Mets.
Jones’ best two seasons were in 1975 and 1976. He went 20-12 with a 2.42 ERA and six shutouts in 1975, finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award voting. Jones then won the NL Cy Young Award in 1976, when he went 22-14 with a 2.74 ERA and five shutouts. Jones had 43 complete games across the two seasons and was named an All-Star both years.
What made Jones’ career particularly unique is that his fastball regularly topped out in the 80-mph range. He was known for having excellent control and being able to induce ground-ball outs with his sinker.
Jones had his No. 35 jersey retired by the Padres in 1997. He was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in 1999, which was the year it was founded.
