Jake Thies

Vernon Arthur Thies

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 170 lb.
• School University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Debut April 24, 1954
• Final Game April 17, 1955
• Born April 1, 1926 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died February 10, 2013 in Florissant, MO USA

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Biographical Information

Jake Thies pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates for two seasons during their dark days in the 1950s.

Thies was born in St. Louis, MO, served in the military during World War II, and then attended the University of Illinois, where his teammates included future big leaguer Marv Rotblatt. He began his pro career for the Chanute Athletics in 1947, playing three years for the club. After leading the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League with 18 wins in 1949, he was acquired by the Pirates. He progressed through their chain and won 16 games for the Denver Bears in 1953 to lead the Western League.

Thies reached the majors with Pittsburgh in 1954, spending the entire season at the big league level. In his debut on April 24th against the Brooklyn Dodgers, he entered the game in the 5th inning with the bases loaded and nobody out and Jackie Robinson at the plate. He proceeded to strike Robinson out on three pitches and then get Gil Hodges to ground into an inning-ending double play. He pitched four innings in that game, giving up only one run, and had a no-decision as the Pirates lost, 3-0. Overall that summer, he appeared in 33 games (18 starts) and was 3-9 with a 3.87 ERA. However, his performance was one of the best on the staff that had no pitcher with a winning record and whose team ERA was 4.92

In 1955, Thies just made one appearance for Pittsburgh, giving up two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings and taking the loss against the Dodgers on April 17th. He spent the remainder of the year with the Columbus Jets of the International League and ended his career following the 1956 campaign.

After his baseball days, Thies worked in sales for more than 40 years. He died in 2013 at age 86.