Jack O'Connor (o'conja02)

Jack William O'Connor

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.
• High School Yucca Valley High School
• Debut April 9, 1981
• Final Game October 3, 1987
• Born June 2, 1958 in Twentynine Palms, CA USA

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Biographical Information

Jack O'Connor grew up in warm weather, but spent most of his major league days with teams in the North - the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos, along with one season in relatively balmy Baltimore.

Jack was born in June in Twentynine Palms, CA, where the average high June temperature is 98 degrees. He attended high school in Yucca Valley, CA, about 20 miles away. Although drafted by the Expos, he came to the majors first with another team.

He pitched in the Expos' minor league organization from 1976 through 1980, at which point the Twins drafted him away in the 1980 Rule V Draft. He was in the majors as a rookie in 1981 (a season shortened by a strike), as well as parts of 1982 and 1984, spending the rest of that three-year period with the Toledo Mud Hens. Minnesota used him solely as a reliever in 1981, but primarily as a starter in 1982. Starting in 1984, he pitched almost completely as a reliever in both the majors and minors.

Before the 1985, he was traded to the Expos in return for Mike Stenhouse. he started the year with the AAA Indianapolis Indians, then was called up to Montreal in mid-June. He pitched 20 times for the Expos, all in relief except for a disastrous spot start on June 26th when he allowed 9 runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. That awful outing obscured the fact that his ERA as a releiver was an excellent 2.05 in 22 innings.

Released by the Expos at the end of spring training in 1986, he signed with the Seattle Mariners but did not appear in the majors with them, pitching for their AAA club, the Calgary Cannons. A free agent again when the season ended, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles in 1987 and split time between the parent club and the minor league Rochester Red Wings, appearing in more games at the major league level than in the minors. He went 1-1, 4.30 in 29 games for the Orioles. He then closed out his career with two seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, pitching for the Syracuse Chiefs.

In all, in the minors, Jack had 320 appearances of which 92 were as a starter. He won 55 games and saved 38. In the majors, he appeared in 129 games, of which 28 were as a starter; he had two saves.

He is not to be confused with a much earlier "Rowdy" Jack O'Connor, who was a catcher and manager.

On April 4, 1983, it was 34 degrees in Minneapolis, MN when Jack started a game in the Metrodome against the Detroit Tigers. It was one of the coldest games in Twins' history, although of course the Metrodome was domed and climate controled. [1]