Larry Jaster

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Larry Edward Jaster
(The Creeper)

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Biographical Information[edit]

Larry Jaster pitched in Organized Baseball for 13 years, including 7 years in the major leagues. He set a record for most consecutive shutouts thrown against one team in a year in 1966. As of 2006, he was a minor league pitching coach.

Jaster's brother Daniel Jaster was a pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals' system in the late 1960s. His son, Scott Jaster, played professionally from 1985 to 1993.

1962-1965: In the minors[edit]

Larry was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1962. Assigned to the Winnipeg Goldeyes, he went 4-4 with a 4.32 ERA. He was 2-2 with a 2.25 ERA for 1963 Winnipeg and moved up to the Tulsa Oilers, going 3-3, 4.03 there. He finally posted a non-.500 record in 1964, going 3-4 with a 3.39 ERA for Tulsa and 3-6, 4.21 for the AAA Jacksonville Suns.

Larry spent most of 1965 back in Tulsa (11-13, 3.09) but did well in a September call-up to St. Louis, tossing three complete games in a row and going 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA.

1966-1968: With the World champion Cardinals and a record[edit]

He had a 2-4, 4.98 line for Tulsa in 1966 but spent most of the year in St. Louis. There, he had a fine 11-5, 3.26 year for the Cardinals with a 110 ERA+. He completed six games and was credited with a shutout in five of them, leading the National League. He collected all of his shutouts against the Los Angeles Dodgers that season, though they were the NL pennant winners. He shut out the Dodgers every time he faced them and holds the major league record for most consecutive shutouts thrown and won against one team in a season. He came in fourth place in the voting for the 1966 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

In 1967, Jaster went 9-7 with three saves and a 3.01 ERA (109 ERA+) as a solid contributor to the Cardinals, who won the 1967 World Series. His 9-13 record in 1968 is not deceptive, though some claim it is when it is not examined in context. He only completed 3 of the 21 games he started, and he only gave up 47 earned runs that year - poor defense around him led to 13 unearned runs. He finished the season with a 3.50 ERA, well worse than average in the "Year of the pitcher."

In two World Series games for the Cardinals in 1967 and 1968, he posted an ERA of 81.00. Some of the damage came on a grand slam he gave up to Jim Northrup of the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the 1968 World Series.

1969: Another claim to historical fame[edit]

As a result of his poor performance, he was not protected during the 1969 expansion draft and was chosen by the Montréal Expos. He threw the first major league pitch in Canada as the Expos' starting pitcher in their home opener at Jarry Park. He only was 1-6 with a 5.49 ERA for the club, limited to 24 games. That winter, Montréal dealt him to the Atlanta Braves for Jim Britton and Don Johnson.

1970-1974: Richmond and Atlanta[edit]

After one record feat and one historically important one, Jaster spent his last five years as a player primarily at AAA. He only went 1-1 with a 6.85 ERA in 14 outings for the Braves in 1970 and was sent down to Richmond, where he was 5-8 with one save and a 4.08 ERA. It was an offense-friendly year in the International League and Jaster was clearly above league average. In 1971, he was 10-6 with four saves and a 3.84 ERA for Richmond. Despite being used primarily as a relief pitcher, he led the club in victories. In 1972, Larry went 7-2 with 9 saves and a 2.92 ERA for Richmond. He was fifth in the IL with 55 appearances and would have ranked fifth in the league in ERA had he pitched enough to qualify. He was 1-1 with a 5.11 ERA in five games as a September call-up to the Braves in 1972, the last look he would have at the major leagues.

In 1973, Larry was 3-7 with four saves and a 3.14 ERA for Richmond, relieving 34 times and making five starts. He wrapped it up the next year with a 1-1, 2.75 record in 14 outings for the Richmond Braves.

Overall, Jaster went 50-57 in the minor leagues and 35-33, 3.64 in the majors.

Coaching career[edit]

The coaching information for Jaster's first 10 years of coaching was derived from his 1987 Sumter Braves[1] and 1990 Durham Bulls[2] baseball cards supplemented with other sources. Jaster started his coaching career as a player/coach for the Richmond Braves in 1974. He returned to Richmond in just a coaching capacity in 1975. The following year Jaster took over as pitching coach for the Savannah Braves in early June.

For the next several years Jaster coached at the high school and college levels. He was the head coach for the Coronado High School Cougars from 1977-1980. In August 1981 the University of New Mexico hired him as their first full-time assistant coach. It appears he stayed with the Lobos through the 1985 season as the Albuquerque Journal reported his resignation on May 19, 1985.[3]

However, multiple sources indicate Jaster returned to the Atlanta Braves organization in 1984 as a pitching coach for the GCL Braves. Given the timing of the college and Gulf Coast League seasons, it is certainly possible he worked both jobs in 1984. Jaster returned to the GCL Braves in 1985. He also served as the pitching coach with the Durham Bulls in 1986, Sumter Braves in 1987-1988, Durham in 1989-1991, and Macon Braves in 1992-1995. The Braves did not retain his services after the 1995 season.

Following a year away from baseball, Jaster joined the Baltimore Orioles organization in 1997. He was the pitching coach of the Delmarva Shorebirds in 1997, Frederick Keys in 1998-2002, GCL Orioles in 2003, Bluefield Orioles in 2004-2006 and the GCL Orioles again in 2007. Jaster spent 2008-2010 as the Orioles' Pitching Coordinator for Florida Operations. He returned to the GCL Orioles as pitching coach in 2011-2012. Jaster retired from coaching after the 2012 season.

He currently resides in Jacksonville, FL.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Related Sites[edit]

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