Jim Deshaies

James Joseph "Jim" Deshaies (born June 23, 1960, in Massena, New York), also known as "JD", is a former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball and currently a TV commentator with the Chicago Cubs.

Major-league career

Deshaies made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees on August 7, 1984. He set a milestone in his debut by being the 1,000th person to play an official game for the New York Yankees. He was the losing pitcher that day, after giving up four earned runs in four innings pitched in a 6–3 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Six days later, he lasted three innings in a no decision start against the Cleveland Indians. Those would be the only two appearances for the New York Yankees, who traded him to the Houston Astros on September 15, 1985, for Joe Niekro.

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

On September 23, 1986, in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Deshaies set a major-league 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, when he pitched a 15–10 record, with a 2.91 ERA and 153 strikeouts.

He holds the major league record for most at-bats without an extra base hit, with 373.

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

Broadcasting career

Jim Deshaies formerly did commentary for the Astros' TV broadcasts, along with Bill Brown. Deshaies gained respect as an analyst and enjoyed very high popularity with Astros fans during his tenure. He is the co-host of the popular "J.D. and Dave's Excellent Offseason Adventure" in the offseason and occasionally serves as an analyst for Major League Baseball on Fox. He agreed to move to the Chicago Cubs' TV broadcast for the 2013–16 seasons.^[1]

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.

ESPN's Chris Berman nicknamed him Jim "Two Silhouettes on" Deshaies.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

References