On May 16th, 2012, Jamie Moyer became the oldest MLB pitcher to record a win. At 49 years old, Moyer went 6.1 innings on the day, allowing one earned run on six hits. The Souderton, PA native would make two more starts in 2012 – both with Colorado – before being released on June 4th. Moyer then signed minor league deals with both the Orioles and Blue Jays but never saw big league action again, thus marking 2012 as the final year of one of baseball’s most fascinating careers.
Over a career that spanned from 1986-2012, Jamie Moyer recorded 269 wins. That’s more than hall of famer Bob Gibson and a number most modern pitchers won’t even come close to. When Moyer debuted on June 16th, 1986, he secured a win against Steve Carlton and the Phillies. In Moyer’s final game, Aroldis Chapman secured a save for the Reds. Chapman hadn’t even been born when Moyer debuted.
Moyer’s grit and grind career is full of interesting facts and tidbits like these. Never a 90 MPH guy, Moyer took excellent care of his body and was able to become an ageless wonder of the sport. “A lot of people wait until their body starts to tell them what to do” said current Phillies pitching coach Bryan Price, who coached Jamie Moyer for multiple seasons. “He’s been aware enough to do the right thing for his body before it started to create problems,” Price said to the New York Times.
We could probably make a list of 50 if we wanted to, but here are seven of the most insane facts or stats about Jamie Moyer.
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The Rockies Weren’t Around When Jamie Moyer Debuted
When Moyer debuted in 1986, the team he would ultimately finish his career with wasn’t even in existence. The Rockies came into the league via expansion in 1993, as did the Marlins.
263 Active Players at the Start of the 2012 Season had yet to be Born When Jamie Moyer Debuted
At the start of Moyer’s final big league season in 2012, 263 active players had been born after the lefty’s 1986 debut. This included Clayton Kershaw, who had just won the Cy Young award and that season’s ROY winners, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. Moyer was also older than Dale Sveum, who managed the Cubs that season.
He Threw a Shutout in Four Different Decades
Complete game shutouts were once a staple of the game but have decreased dramatically as the prevalence of arm injuries has increased. Moyer ultimately threw 10 shutouts in his career while logging 33 complete games in total.
Jamie Moyer is also sure to be the last pitcher to log a shutout in four different decades, at least for a long time. Moyer has pitched at least one complete game shutout in the 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s and 2010’s. His last shutout came with the Phillies on May 7th, 2010. With that, Moyer became the oldest pitcher to record a complete game shutout. The record still stands.
He Allowed the Most Home-Runs in Major League History
On less than ideal record held by Moyer is most long balls allowed over a career. Over 25 seasons, Moyer allowed 522 home-runs. Moyer is one of only two players to allow more than 500 home-runs over their career, the other being Hall of Fame member Robin Roberts.
At the Time of his Retirement, Moyer had faced 9% of MLB hitters….. ever
I’d say this one speaks for itself.
He Pitched in 50 Different Ballparks
Jamie Moyer pitched in 50 different ballparks over the course of his career. This includes several now defunct ballparks such as Veteran’s Stadium, the Montreal Biosphere, Shea Stadium and many others. Only six current ballparks had been built prior to Moyer’s debut by the time he retired.
He Faced 36 Hitters in the Hall of Fame as of 2020
As of 2020, Jamie Moyer has faced more than 36 Hall of Fame position players. This includes Tony Gwynn, George Brett, Gary Carter, Frank Thomas and Derek Jeter. The oldest Hall of Fame hitter Moyer faced was Robin Yount, who was enshrined in 1999. The newest member of the hall Moyer faced is Derek Jeter, who is set to be inducted this summer. This list will only expand as time goes on.
Moyer also squared off against several Hall of Fame pitchers over his career. This includes Steve Carlton, Mike Mussina, Roy Halladay and Bert Blyleven.
I can only think of six parks in use during the 2012 season already built when Moyer made his major league debut (Fenway, Wrigley, Dodger, Angel Stadium, Oakland Coliseum, Kauffman). What was the seventh?
Nice catch, I mistakenly included Turner Field. Just fixed it.