Padres' Randy Jones Dies at 75

Randy Jones, the San Diego Padres' first Cy Young Award winner and a cornerstone of the franchise's early history, died on Tuesday at the age of 75, the team announced Wednesday.

The left-handed pitcher, known for his sinkerball style and exceptional control, spent eight of his 10 major league seasons with the Padres from 1973 to 1980. Jones became a fan favorite in the mid-1970s, leading the team to some of its most memorable pitching performances during a period when the club struggled overall. He finished his career with exactly 100 wins and a 3.42 earned run average over 1,933 innings.

Jones, a native of Fullerton, California, was selected by the Padres in the fifth round of the 1972 draft out of Chapman University. He debuted the following year as a 23-year-old rookie, posting a 7-6 record with a 3.16 ERA in 20 games, including 19 starts. His sophomore season in 1974 proved challenging, as he led the National League with 22 losses amid a 102-loss campaign for San Diego. However, Jones rebounded dramatically in 1975, going 20-12 with an NL-best 2.24 ERA over 285 innings in 37 starts. That performance earned him his first All-Star selection and a second-place finish in Cy...