The trade and an eye-popping start
After eight seasons with the Braves, Jay was about to be the pitcher they thought they were signing in 1953, but not for Milwaukee. The Braves needed a shortstop, wanted veteran Red Roya McMillan, and traded Jay along with Juan Pizzaro to get him,
Jay made 34 starts in 1961, threw 14 complete games, including four shutouts, and pitched to a 3.53 ERA over 247 1/2 innings. Jay owned the Braves, pitching to a 2.32 ERA and going 4-0 in five starts.
Jay’s 20th victory was a 1-0, four-hit shutout of the Braves…He retired Mathews, Aaron, and Joe Adcock in order in the ninth inning…Jay tied Spahn in wins and shutouts (and) was named the starting pitcher on The Sporting News NL All-Star Team.
The Reds met the Mantle and Maris Yankees in the World Series and won only one game; Jay threw a complete game, allowing the Bomber only two runs.
He backed up his 1961 season with a 21-14 season in 1962 and going 3-1 with a 1.35 ERA against his old team. He’d have won more, but his lineup provided less than three runs in eight losses.
Arm issues returned in 1963, and though he bounced back in 1964, his years as a dominant starter were over. He returned to the Braves in a mid-season deal in 1966, but it wasn’t a happy homecoming, and his Major League career ended with the season; Jay was only 30.
A career of firsts
Jay was the first player from Little League ball to reach the majors and one of the first Bonus Babies under Branch Rickey’s revised bonus rule.
He was the first Reds pitcher to win 20 games since Ewell Blackwell won 22 in 1947 and the first to have back-to-back 20-win seasons for the Reds Since Bucky Walters in 1939.
In 1963, Jay developed a new delivery that resulted in complaints to NL President Warren Giles; he pitched without a windup with no one on base. Yep, shocking, I know,
"Giles allowed Jay’s new pitching style, but said it would be subject to review by the league presidents. During the offseason, a rule was enacted prohibiting Jay from using his new method of pitching. In effect, the ruling ended Jay’s no-windup delivery, as well as his no-windup move to first base."Joseph Wancho - Jay's Bio Linked Above
He finished his career with a 99-91 record, seven saves, and a career 3.77 ERA, striking out 999 over 1546 1/3 IP in 310 games, including 203 starts and 16 shutouts.
That’s a Wrap
Joey Jay was one of dozens of players whose careers were negatively affected by the bonus rule, but he overcame the rule to become a superb starter for the Reds.
Modern medicine would have given Jay a longer career, but he had planned his retirement from the beginning and transitioned to a life away from the game easily.
Joey Jay treated the game better than it treated him. He passed away on September 27, 2024. Our thoughts are with his family as they celebrate his life.