Jeff Ballard (baseball)

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Jeff Ballard
Jeff Ballard.jpg
Ballard with the Baltimore Orioles in 1988
Pitcher
Born: (1963-08-13) August 13, 1963 (age 62)
Billings, Montana, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
May 9, 1987, for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
July 8, 1994, for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Men's baseball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Baseball World Cup
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1984 Cuba Team
Pan American Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1983 Caracas Team

Jeffrey Scott Ballard (born August 13, 1963) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1994 for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Contents

Playing career

Ballard played college baseball for Stanford University, and in 1984 played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. [1] He earned a degree in geophysics from Stanford, [2] and in 1998 was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame as one of Stanford's top pitchers, holding the all-time record in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched for more than 20 years, as well as earning First Team All-Pac-10 twice. [3]

In 1989, he finished in a tie with Dennis Eckersley and Gregg Olson for sixth place in American League Cy Young Award voting. [4] In 1995, Ballard's car collided with a semi truck on a highway in Idaho, breaking his neck and several ribs. The accident ended his playing career. [5]

In 2004, Orioles fans voted Ballard one of their 50 best loved Orioles. [5]

Personal life

Following his career, Ballard returned to his hometown of Billings, Montana. In January 1996, he began working for his father and with his brother at Ballard Petroleum Holdings. [2] [6] [7]

Ballard married in 2008. Together, they had two children. [2] [6] [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). Cape Cod Baseball League . Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Bighaus, Bill (September 7, 2014). "Billings native has great memories of 'career year' pitching for '89 Orioles". The Billings Gazette . Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Stanford Sports News : New to the Hall of Fame 1998". Stanford Cardinal . Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  4. ↑ "1989 Awards Voting". Baseball-Reference.com . Sports Reference . Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Klingaman, Mike (July 21, 2011). "Catching up with Orioles pitcher Jeff Ballard". Baltimore Sun . Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Rowland, Russell (June 7, 2023). "Jeff Ballard On The Unpredictable Life Of Pro Baseball". Montana Senior News. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Seideman, David. "Big Leaguer Recovers 'Priceless' Baseball 25 Years Later". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
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