Odell Jones

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Odell Jones (born January 13, 1953 in Tulare, California) was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1975, 1977-78 and 1981), Seattle Mariners (1979), Texas Rangers (1983-84), Baltimore Orioles (1986) and Milwaukee Brewers (1988) in Major League Baseball. He helped the Pirates win the 1975 National League Eastern Division.

In nine seasons, Jones had a 24-35 won-loss record, appeared in 201 Games, and had 45 Games Started, 4 Complete Games, 91 Games Finished, 13 Saves, 549 ⅓ Innings Pitched, 579 Hits Allowed, 304 Runs Allowed, 270 Earned Runs Allowed, 56 Home Runs Allowed, 213 Walks Allowed, 338 Strikeouts, 11 Hit Batsmen, 24 Wild Pitches, 2,392 Batters Faced, 32 Intentional Walks, 6 Balks and a 4.42 ERA.

On May 28, 1988, Jones, who had not started a major league game since 1981, came within two outs of a no-hitter before giving up a single to Ron Washington and being pulled for closer Dan Plesac. The game, which took place in Cleveland Municipal Stadium against the Indians, easily was the best of his career. "I kind of looked up at the board tonight and thought, `What am I doing? What in the world am I doing?' This is by far my best game ever," Jones told reporters after the game. "After about the fifth or sixth inning, I was really bearing down, trying to get it. After the hit, it really hit me hard, I was totally exhausted. I was overextending myself, using everything I had to get the ball up there. I was too tired to get nervous."