Darrin Jackson
Encyclopedia
Darrin "D. J." Jay Jackson (born August 22, 1963 in Los Angeles, California
) is a former center fielder
in Major League Baseball
who played 12 years for the Chicago Cubs
(1985–1988), San Diego Padres
(1988–1992), Toronto Blue Jays
(1993), New York Mets
(1993), Chicago White Sox
(1994, 1999), Minnesota Twins
(1997) and Milwaukee Brewers
(1997–1998). He also played for the Seibu Lions in Japan
(1995–1996).
Selected by the Chicago Cubs in second round of 1981 free agent draft
, but would never appear in a game for the team during this stint.
1985
Jackson was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues. Jackson made his major league debut on June 16, 1985. Darrin said of his first week with the Cubs "I remember facing Ron Darling of the Mets in my first big-league game. My second game was against Dwight Gooden, and my third was against Ed Lynch. I ended up getting my first big-league hit off the former general manager of the Cubs - a line drive over the second baseman. Every time I see Ed, he says 'Yeah, yeah, I know.' That was my claim to fame in 1985."
... Spent five games with the Cubs before returning to Pittsfield.
1986
Spent the season with the Chicago Cubs AA affiliate Pittsfield, Mass., and was named to the Eastern League's all-star team.
1987
Recalled from Iowa, the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, Sept. 4 but underwent surgery Sept. 21 to remove a small tumor from his groin area and missed the rest of the season ... Batted .800 (4-for-5) with one double for the Cubs.
1988
Played in 100 games for Chicago but had only 188 at-bats ... Became the third player in Cubs history (joining Dale Long
and Carmen Fanzone
) to homer in consecutive pinch-hit at-bats, going deep against St. Louis' Ken Dayley
Aug. 14 and Cincinnati's Tom Browning
Aug. 16 ... Had first two-homer game of his career Sept. 17 against St. Louis.
1989
Spent time at Iowa (AAA) and with the Cubs before being traded to the San Diego Padres Aug. 31 ... Made 23 starts for the Padres.
1990
Darrin split time between San Diego and Class AAA Las Vegas ... Hit the Padres' first pinch-hit homer of the season April 27 against Pittsburgh ... Had his first career four-hit game Oct. 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1991
Hit a career-high 21 homers in 122 games after entering the season with a career total of 13 ... Ranked fourth in the NL with one homer every 17 at-bats ... Seven of his 11 hits in 19 games June 9-July 12 were homers ... Hit first career grand slam Aug. 25 off Chicago Cub's Bob Scanlan
... Made his only career pitching appearance with two innings at Houston May 26.
In 1991, in a game that the San Diego Padres, Darrin's team at the time, were down 11-4, DJ was put into the game as a relief pitcher. This would mark his only pitching appearance in the MLB. Darrin pitched the last two innings of the game, allowing 3 hits, walking 2 batters, and allowing two earned runs.
Darrin had this to say about his pitching performance "We were losing like 11-4 in Houston (6) and my manager, Greg Riddoch
, knew I'd been messing around in the bullpen. The pitching part wasn't the most difficult thing. It was after. I could barely move and my butt was killing me from stretching out the glutes and hamstring. It took me five days not to feel sore. I was throwing 86-87 m.p.h. I didn't throw a curveball because I was scared to hit somebody."
1992
Set career highs in games (155), RBI (70), hits (146) and stolen bases (14) ... Tied his career high with four hits in two games, July 7 against St. Louis and July 19 at Montreal ... Had his fourth career two-homer game April 28 against Philadelphia, the second homer leading off the bottom of the ninth and giving the Padres a 7-6 victory ... Had three game-winning homers on the season ... Tied for second among National League outfielders with a .996 fielding percentage, a San Diego club record ... Led the majors with 18 outfield assists.
1993
Was with San Diego for spring training, and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he played until June 11, before once again being traded and played for the New York Mets for the rest of the season ... His solo homer in the eighth inning off Chicago's Alex Fernández April 25 was the difference in a 1-0 Toronto victory ... Had a tough year at the plate, batting .216 for the Blue Jays and .195 for New York ... Did not commit an error in 23 outfield starts with the Mets, handling 55 chances and making four assists ... Spent July 19-Sept. 1 on the disabled list with hyperthyroidism.
1994
Strung together two 8-game hit streaks (May 13–20 and June 18–24).
1995
Signed with Seibu Lions of Japanese Pacific League ... Ranked 7th in league with .289 average ... Collected 20 home runs and 68 RBI.
1996
Played with Seibu Lions of Japanese Pacific League ... Hit .266 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI in 126 games.
Jackson became the television color analyst for the White Sox in 2000, alongside play-by-play man Ken "Hawk" Harrelson
. On Friday, September 12, 2008, he was informed by the White Sox that he would be replaced on television broadcasts in 2009 by Steve Stone. On December 13, 2008, the Chicago Tribunes reported that Jackson had elected to stay with the White Sox and become the radio color analyst position alongside Ed Farmer. "This has been my home," Jackson told the Tribune Saturday. "Farmio (play-by-play announcer Ed Farmer) is a friend of mine, and we're going to have fun." Jackson had interviewed with numerous media outlets including ESPN and the new Major League Baseball channel.
where he played baseball in Culver City National Little League, Culver City Babe Ruth League, and was in the 1978 Babe Ruth World Series where his team took second place. Of this team, five went pro. He attended Culver City High School
and played for its baseball team as well. In the offseason, Darrin resides in Arizona with his wife Robin. They have four children: Alexandre, Arianna, Adian, and most recently Tatum.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
) is a former center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played 12 years for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1985–1988), San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
(1988–1992), Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
(1993), New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
(1993), Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
(1994, 1999), Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
(1997) and Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
(1997–1998). He also played for the Seibu Lions in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1995–1996).
Playing career
1981Selected by the Chicago Cubs in second round of 1981 free agent draft
1981 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*John Elway was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1981 amateur draft...
, but would never appear in a game for the team during this stint.
1985
Jackson was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues. Jackson made his major league debut on June 16, 1985. Darrin said of his first week with the Cubs "I remember facing Ron Darling of the Mets in my first big-league game. My second game was against Dwight Gooden, and my third was against Ed Lynch. I ended up getting my first big-league hit off the former general manager of the Cubs - a line drive over the second baseman. Every time I see Ed, he says 'Yeah, yeah, I know.' That was my claim to fame in 1985."
... Spent five games with the Cubs before returning to Pittsfield.
1986
Spent the season with the Chicago Cubs AA affiliate Pittsfield, Mass., and was named to the Eastern League's all-star team.
1987
Recalled from Iowa, the Chicago Cubs AAA affiliate, Sept. 4 but underwent surgery Sept. 21 to remove a small tumor from his groin area and missed the rest of the season ... Batted .800 (4-for-5) with one double for the Cubs.
1988
Played in 100 games for Chicago but had only 188 at-bats ... Became the third player in Cubs history (joining Dale Long
Dale Long
Richard Dale Long was a first baseman in professional baseball. Between 1951 and 1963, Long played in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates , St. Louis Browns , Chicago Cubs , San Francisco Giants , New York Yankees and Washington Senators...
and Carmen Fanzone
Carmen Fanzone
Carmen Ronald Fanzone is a former utility man who played between and in Major League Baseball. Listed at 6' 0", 200 lb., he batted and threw right-handed...
) to homer in consecutive pinch-hit at-bats, going deep against St. Louis' Ken Dayley
Ken Dayley
Kenneth Grant Dayley is a former professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Dayley played all or part of eleven seasons in Major League Baseball between 1982 and 1993.- Braves :...
Aug. 14 and Cincinnati's Tom Browning
Tom Browning
Thomas Leo Browning is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 12-year baseball career, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds and the Kansas City Royals...
Aug. 16 ... Had first two-homer game of his career Sept. 17 against St. Louis.
1989
Spent time at Iowa (AAA) and with the Cubs before being traded to the San Diego Padres Aug. 31 ... Made 23 starts for the Padres.
1990
Darrin split time between San Diego and Class AAA Las Vegas ... Hit the Padres' first pinch-hit homer of the season April 27 against Pittsburgh ... Had his first career four-hit game Oct. 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
1991
Hit a career-high 21 homers in 122 games after entering the season with a career total of 13 ... Ranked fourth in the NL with one homer every 17 at-bats ... Seven of his 11 hits in 19 games June 9-July 12 were homers ... Hit first career grand slam Aug. 25 off Chicago Cub's Bob Scanlan
Bob Scanlan
Robert Guy Scanlan Jr. , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1991-2001...
... Made his only career pitching appearance with two innings at Houston May 26.
In 1991, in a game that the San Diego Padres, Darrin's team at the time, were down 11-4, DJ was put into the game as a relief pitcher. This would mark his only pitching appearance in the MLB. Darrin pitched the last two innings of the game, allowing 3 hits, walking 2 batters, and allowing two earned runs.
Darrin had this to say about his pitching performance "We were losing like 11-4 in Houston (6) and my manager, Greg Riddoch
Greg Riddoch
Greg Riddoch is a former manager in Major League Baseball. He was the manager of the San Diego Padres from 1990 to 1992. His career record was 200-194. During his career, he also served as a bench coach for the Padres, as well as third base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and director of...
, knew I'd been messing around in the bullpen. The pitching part wasn't the most difficult thing. It was after. I could barely move and my butt was killing me from stretching out the glutes and hamstring. It took me five days not to feel sore. I was throwing 86-87 m.p.h. I didn't throw a curveball because I was scared to hit somebody."
1992
Set career highs in games (155), RBI (70), hits (146) and stolen bases (14) ... Tied his career high with four hits in two games, July 7 against St. Louis and July 19 at Montreal ... Had his fourth career two-homer game April 28 against Philadelphia, the second homer leading off the bottom of the ninth and giving the Padres a 7-6 victory ... Had three game-winning homers on the season ... Tied for second among National League outfielders with a .996 fielding percentage, a San Diego club record ... Led the majors with 18 outfield assists.
1993
Was with San Diego for spring training, and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he played until June 11, before once again being traded and played for the New York Mets for the rest of the season ... His solo homer in the eighth inning off Chicago's Alex Fernández April 25 was the difference in a 1-0 Toronto victory ... Had a tough year at the plate, batting .216 for the Blue Jays and .195 for New York ... Did not commit an error in 23 outfield starts with the Mets, handling 55 chances and making four assists ... Spent July 19-Sept. 1 on the disabled list with hyperthyroidism.
1994
Strung together two 8-game hit streaks (May 13–20 and June 18–24).
1995
Signed with Seibu Lions of Japanese Pacific League ... Ranked 7th in league with .289 average ... Collected 20 home runs and 68 RBI.
1996
Played with Seibu Lions of Japanese Pacific League ... Hit .266 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI in 126 games.
Jackson became the television color analyst for the White Sox in 2000, alongside play-by-play man Ken "Hawk" Harrelson
Ken Harrelson
Kenneth Smith Harrelson , nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former All-Star first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball...
. On Friday, September 12, 2008, he was informed by the White Sox that he would be replaced on television broadcasts in 2009 by Steve Stone. On December 13, 2008, the Chicago Tribunes reported that Jackson had elected to stay with the White Sox and become the radio color analyst position alongside Ed Farmer. "This has been my home," Jackson told the Tribune Saturday. "Farmio (play-by-play announcer Ed Farmer) is a friend of mine, and we're going to have fun." Jackson had interviewed with numerous media outlets including ESPN and the new Major League Baseball channel.
Personal life
He grew up in Culver City, CaliforniaCulver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
where he played baseball in Culver City National Little League, Culver City Babe Ruth League, and was in the 1978 Babe Ruth World Series where his team took second place. Of this team, five went pro. He attended Culver City High School
Culver City High School
Culver City High School is the main public high school of the Culver City Unified School District in Culver City, California. It was opened in 1951. The school's colors are primarily blue and silver, and the mascot is the centaur. As of 2008, the enrollment was 2,308...
and played for its baseball team as well. In the offseason, Darrin resides in Arizona with his wife Robin. They have four children: Alexandre, Arianna, Adian, and most recently Tatum.