Former big league closer Doug Jones, who was selected to five All-Star Teams, passed away yesterday of complications of COVID-19. The news was broken by Jones' former Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros teammate Greg Swindell.
A third round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1978, Jones briefly pitched with the Brew Crew in 1982 which would lone its lone AL pennant. But Jones would not return to the bigs until 1986 when the Cleveland Indians took a flier on him. Jones would have the best years of his career after he was 30 emerging as one of baseball's best closers in the late 1980's and well into the 1990's. While with the Tribe, Jones was named to three consecutive AL All-Star teams between 1988 and 1990 when he saved 37, 32 and a career high 43 games, respectively.
After struggling during the 1991 season in which he made the only four starts of his big league career, Jones would return to form with the Houston Astros in 1992 leading the NL with 70 appearances posting a 1.85 ERA and notching 36 saves earning him his first NL All-Star team selection. Jones would have one last All-Star selection with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1994. Following stints with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs, Jones would return to the Brewers. In 1997, at the age of 40, Jones led the AL with 73 appearances while saving 36 games. Jones would return to the Tribe in 1998 before finishing his pitching career with the Oakland A's at the age of 43 in 2000. In 846 big league appearances, Jones saved 303 games with a lifetime ERA of 3.30 ERA.
After baseball, Jones served as a baseball coach at both the high school and college level as well as a minor league pitching coach in the Colorado Rockies organization. I leave you with Jones converting a then MLB record 14th consecutive save during his breakthrough season in 1988. R.I.P.
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