Jeff Ballard (baseball)

Jeffrey Scott Ballard (born August 13, 1963) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1994 for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Jeff Ballard
Ballard with the Baltimore Orioles in 1988
Pitcher
Born: (1963-08-13) August 13, 1963
Billings, Montana, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 9, 1987, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
July 8, 1994, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB statistics
Win–loss record41–53
Earned run average4.71
Strikeouts244
Teams
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  United States
Baseball World Cup
Bronze medal – third place 1984 Cuba Team
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 1983 Caracas Team

Playing career

Ballard played college baseball for Stanford University, and in 1984 played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1] He earned a degree in geophysics from Stanford,[2] and in 1998 was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame as one of Stanford's top pitchers, holding the all-time record in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched for more than 20 years, as well as earning First Team All-Pac-10 twice.[3]

In 1989, he finished in a tie with Dennis Eckersley and Gregg Olson for sixth place in American League Cy Young Award voting.[4] In 1995, Ballard's car collided with a semi truck on a highway in Idaho, breaking his neck and several ribs. The accident ended his career.[5]

In 2004, Baltimore Orioles fans voted Ballard one of their 50 best loved Orioles.[5]

Personal life

Following his career, Ballard returned to his hometown of Billings, Montana. In January 1996, he began working for his father and with his brother at Ballard Petroleum Holdings.[2]

Ballard married the former Kristen Callison in 2008. Together, they had a son, Kyren, and a daughter, Kennley, as of 2014.[2]

Filmography

Television
1991 Seinfeld Baseball Player on TV 1 episode
2008 The Office Baseball Player on TV 1 episode
2010 Breaking Bad Baseball Player on TV 1 episode

References
  1. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. Bighaus, Bill (September 7, 2014). "Billings native has great memories of 'career year' pitching for '89 Orioles". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. "Stanford Sports News : New to the Hall of Fame 1998". Stanford University. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  4. "1989 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. Klingaman, Mike (July 21, 2011). "Catching up with Orioles pitcher Jeff Ballard". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
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