Former MLB pitcher Darrell Jackson, who pitched parts of five seasons with the Minnesota Twins between 1978 and 1982, passed away on July 5th at the age of 70 of complications of lung cancer.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Jackson played baseball at Locke High School where he was teammates with future Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Ozzie Smith. Jackson would play collegiate baseball at Arizona State pitching in three College World Series and was teammates with the recently departed Bob Horner.
The Twins long coveted Jackson originally selecting the southpaw right out of high school in the 6th round of the 1973 MLB Draft. Of course, Jackson opted for Arizona State. But the Twins bid their time and selected him again in the 9th round of the 1977 MLB Draft.
Jackson would make his MLB debut with the Twins the following season and, only his fourth big-league appearance, tossed a complete game 3-hit shutout against the Oakland A's. As it turned out, it would be his only big-league shutout.
For most of his career, Jackson shuttled back and forth between the Twins and the Triple-AAA Toledo Mudhens. Jackson's only full season at the big-league level was in 1980 when he went 9-9 with a 3.87 ERA in 32 appearances (25 starts). By 1981, Jackson developed shoulder troubles and would be out of the big leagues by June 1982. Aside from a brief stint in the Mexican League in 1983, Jackson would never play professional baseball again. In 102 big league appearances (60 starts), Jackson went 20-27 with a 4.38 ERA striking out 229 and walking 186 in 411 innings pitched.
Jackson would have issues with alcohol, drugs, women and money. In a 2022 interview, Jackson admitted he wasn't ready for the big leagues and lacked the discipline and focus of his high school teammates Eddie Murray and Ozzie Smith.
For Jackson success would come after baseball and after finding religion. He would spend the better part of 40 years helping at risk youth in L.A. running a small non-profit called the 10-20 Club. Jackson would become a pillar of the community.
From that 2022 interview, Jackson summed up success in this way:
My obituary will hopefully define that success, but today, as we talk right now, I'm a success. I have to live by principles in order to stay sober. We try to do the right thing when nobody is looking.
My success is based on one, not picking up a drink and not getting drunk....I'm more successful now than when I was a pitcher in Minnesota.
Darrell Jackson led a successful life after stepping off the mound and helping others. R.I.P.
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