San Diego Padres Hall of Famer and 1976 National League Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones has died at the age of 75. The team announced his passing on Wednesday, mourning the loss of a franchise cornerstone and beloved ambassador.
Randy Jones, a left-handed pitcher who became the first true superstar for the San Diego Padres, passed away on Tuesday, the team confirmed. Jones was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame in its inaugural 1999 class and had his No. 35 retired in 1997.
The Padres issued a statement expressing deep sorrow: "With deep sorrow and heavy hearts, the Padres mourn the passing of our beloved left-hander, Randy Jones. Randy was a cornerstone of our franchise for over five decades, highlighted by becoming the first Padres pitcher to win the Cy Young Award... RJ will be greatly missed." The team extended sympathies to his wife Marie and family.
Born January 12, 1950, in Fullerton, California, Jones was selected in the fifth round of the 1972 MLB Draft out of Chapman College. He debuted in 1973, throwing 139 2/3 innings with a 3.16 ERA as a rookie. Over his 10-year career from 1973-82, Jones compiled a 100-123 record and 3.42 ERA, including two seasons with the New York Mets after being traded following 1980.
His peak came in 1975-76, posting a 42-26 record with a 2.50 ERA, 11 shutouts, and 43 complete games for teams that finished below .500. In 1975, he led the NL with a 2.24 ERA and 285 innings, finishing second in Cy Young voting to Tom Seaver. He earned an All-Star save that year. In 1976, Jones went 22-3 with a 2.74 ERA, leading MLB in wins (22), starts (40), innings (315 1/3), and complete games (25). He won the Cy Young and started the All-Star Game, reaching 16-3 by the break and gracing Sports Illustrated's cover as a "Threat to win 30."
Jones' sinker, topping 80 mph, and low strikeout totals (93 in 1976) defined his style, with a 3.9% walk rate and a tie for Christy Mathewson's NL record of 68 consecutive scoreless innings without a walk. His starts drew huge crowds: 27,400 average attendance for his 21 home games in 1976, compared to 15,769 otherwise.
Teammate Merv Rettenmund said, "When he was on, I've never seen a better pitcher." Former broadcaster Bob Chandler called it "David against Goliath." An injury in 1976 led to surgery and declined performance. Post-career, Jones served as a Padres ambassador, mentored pitchers like Barry Zito, ran businesses, and battled throat cancer, declared cancer-free in 2018. In 2018, he reflected: "It was a magical relationship that we had when I was pitching... I still look forward to seeing a lot of those folks."
Jones leads the Padres in innings pitched (1,766), starts (253), complete games (71), and shutouts (18), with 92 wins second to Eric Show's 100.
