Jim Deshaies

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James Joseph Deshaies (born June 23, 1960 in Massena, New York) is a former left-handed starting pitcher. Deshaies made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Yankees in 1984. In 1985, he was traded to the Houston Astros (along with other players) for Joe Niekro.

His first full season was with the 1986 Houston Astros. Still considered a rookie that year, he posted 12 wins, good for the Astros rookie record. That record was later broken by Roy Oswalt in 2001.

On September 23, 1986, in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Deshaies set a record by striking out the first eight batters of the game.

Deshaies was a mainstay on the Astros' rotation from 1986 to 1991, pitching in 26 or more starts in those years. His best season was 1989. That year, Deshaies was 15-10 with a 2.91 ERA and 153 strikeouts.

In 1992, Deshaies and the Astros parted ways as the pitcher signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played for brief stints with the San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Philadelphia Phillies. He retired in 1995.

Jim Deshaies currently does TV commentary for the Astros along with Bill Brown. Deshaies has gained respect as an analyst and enjoys very high popularity with Astros fans. He is also occasionally an analyst for Major League Baseball on FOX

Deshaies wore #43 with the Astros, and had a strong penchant for keeping first base runners close to the bag, making several throws to the first baseman when a runner was on.

In 2001, Deshaies ran a tongue-in-cheek campaign urging Baseball Writers Association of America voters to elect him to the Baseball Hall of Fame, even though he knew that he was not qualified for the honor. His goal was to get one vote in the Hall of Fame election, which succeeded when Houston Chronicle writer John Lopez voted for him.

[edit] External links

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis