They broke the mold when Randy Jones was created
Credit: San Diego Padres
Sad news. Really sad news.
Again, another San Diego Padres legend is gone.
Randy Jones left us at the age of 75, and he was an absolute treasure to the franchise and the city of San Diego.
In 1976 (the year I was born), Randy Jones won an N.L. Cy Young Award for the San Diego Padres. It was the first major award for the franchise, which had only played for seven years before the 1976 season. For the past 50-plus years, Jones called San Diego home. And Padres fans welcomed him.
America’s Finest City mourns its longtime resident. A gentle soul. A man whom I was lucky enough to call a friend. RJ always took the time for everyone. And I mean everyone. While credentialed by the Padres, he was gracious with his time and spent several minutes with me each time we met. I will always treasure those moments.
I am a baseball junky. Randy Jones recognized that fact. We talked about pitching and life. He voiced his frustration about the modern pitcher to me all the time. We would just laugh while talking about some of the stats pitchers put up nowadays. It was frustrating to him why pitchers could not go deep into games and why they couldn’t throw strikes.
You’ve got to remember, Jones started 40 games in 1976 and pitched over 315 innings. He did not strike batters out (93 in 1976). The lefty worked fast and rarely issued free passes (50 in 1976). He was a dying breed. His style of pitching will sadly never be utilized again. Everyone is obsessed with pitch velocity and spin ratio now. The strikeout rules.
Randy Jones’ memory will echo through the halls of Petco Park.
Not seeing him there will be difficult this coming season.
RJ served as the director of the Alumni Division of the Padres. He loved talking to the players. They respected him so much.
The baseball world lost a great player and an even better man.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Jones family at this time. Please know, Randy Jones was adored by many. We all loved him so much.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.