Randy Jackson (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Ransom Joseph Jackson is a former American
Major League Baseball
(MLB) player for the Chicago Cubs
(1950–1955), Dodgers (1956–1958; two seasons in Brooklyn
, one in Los Angeles
), Cleveland Indians
(1958–1959), and ended his career back with the Cubs (1959).
, he transferred two times, and helped lead the football
teams of both Texas Christian University
(1945) and the University of Texas at Austin
(1946) to consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic appearances as a halfback
. Playing baseball in college
he hit .500, .438 and .400.
for the Cubs from 1951 to 1955.
Jackon followed up a slow rookie
season (in which he had 111 at-bats over 34 games) with a solid second season, in which he hit .276 with 76 RBI and 16 home run
s. He struggled again in his third major-league season, his average falling to .232, with 34 RBI and 9 home runs.
Jackson rebounded over the next three seasons, posting batting averages of .285 (1953), .273 (1954), and .265 (1955). His RBI (66, 67, and 70) and home run (19, 19, and 21) totals also rebounded. Nor did his defensive play lag behind: in 1955, Jackson led the National League
(NL) in double play
s.
His hitting and excellent play at third earned him consecutive trips to the All-Star Game
in his last two seasons in Chicago. In the 1954 game he came off the bench behind starter Ray Jablonski
of the St. Louis Cardinals
, in an 11-9 loss to the American League
(AL). The next season, 1955, he again came off the bench, in a 6-5 win for the National League, behind the Milwaukee Braves' Eddie Mathews
.
On the strength of Jackson's five continuous seasons in Chicago, the Dodgers, looking for a replacement for their aging All-Star third baseman Jackie Robinson
, traded Don Hoak
, Russ Meyer and Walt Moryn to the Cubs for Jackson and Don Elston
.
Jackson played off the bench behind Robinson in 1956. Despite having over 200 fewer plate appearances than in his previous year, he managed a .274 average with 8 home runs and 53 RBI. The Dodgers played in the famed "subway Series
" against their hated cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees
in the 1956 World Series
, but Jackson had only three pinch-hit at-bats, going 0-for-3, with two strike-outs.
The following season (1957), Jackson suffered a major knee injury, ending his chances to become a star for the Dodgers. He played off the bench, not appearing in more than 64 games in a season for the rest of his career. He totaled only 8 more home runs and 43 RBIs combined for the next three seasons.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
(MLB) player 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...
(1950–1955), Dodgers (1956–1958; two seasons in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, one in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
), Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
(1958–1959), and ended his career back with the Cubs (1959).
Before Major League Baseball
After a year at the University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, he transferred two times, and helped lead the football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
teams of both Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
(1945) and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
(1946) to consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic appearances as a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
. Playing baseball in college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
he hit .500, .438 and .400.
The Majors
The Chicago Cubs drafted Jackson and on 2 May 1950, the 24-year-old made his major-league début. "Handsome Ransom" had four solid seasons at third baseThird Base
is a 1978 Japanese film directed by Yōichi Higashi.-External links:...
for the Cubs from 1951 to 1955.
Jackon followed up a slow rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season (in which he had 111 at-bats over 34 games) with a solid second season, in which he hit .276 with 76 RBI and 16 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. He struggled again in his third major-league season, his average falling to .232, with 34 RBI and 9 home runs.
Jackson rebounded over the next three seasons, posting batting averages of .285 (1953), .273 (1954), and .265 (1955). His RBI (66, 67, and 70) and home run (19, 19, and 21) totals also rebounded. Nor did his defensive play lag behind: in 1955, Jackson led the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
(NL) in double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
s.
His hitting and excellent play at third earned him consecutive trips to the All-Star Game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
in his last two seasons in Chicago. In the 1954 game he came off the bench behind starter Ray Jablonski
Ray Jablonski
Raymond Leo Jablonski was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball with an 8-year career from 1953 to 1960. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he played for the St...
of the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, in an 11-9 loss to the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
(AL). The next season, 1955, he again came off the bench, in a 6-5 win for the National League, behind the Milwaukee Braves' Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews was an American Major League Baseball third baseman. He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game.-Early life:...
.
On the strength of Jackson's five continuous seasons in Chicago, the Dodgers, looking for a replacement for their aging All-Star third baseman Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...
, traded Don Hoak
Don Hoak
Donald Albert Hoak was a Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "Tiger," Hoak was a third baseman who played ten seasons in the Majors with the Brooklyn Dodgers , Chicago Cubs , Cincinnati Reds , Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies...
, Russ Meyer and Walt Moryn to the Cubs for Jackson and Don Elston
Don Elston
Donald Ray Elston was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers . Elston batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Campbellstown, Ohio....
.
Jackson played off the bench behind Robinson in 1956. Despite having over 200 fewer plate appearances than in his previous year, he managed a .274 average with 8 home runs and 53 RBI. The Dodgers played in the famed "subway Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
" against their hated cross-town rivals, the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the 1956 World Series
1956 World Series
The 1956 World Series of Major League Baseball was played between the New York Yankees and the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers during the month of October 1956. The Series was a rematch of the 1955 World Series...
, but Jackson had only three pinch-hit at-bats, going 0-for-3, with two strike-outs.
The following season (1957), Jackson suffered a major knee injury, ending his chances to become a star for the Dodgers. He played off the bench, not appearing in more than 64 games in a season for the rest of his career. He totaled only 8 more home runs and 43 RBIs combined for the next three seasons.
Notable games
- 28 June 1951: Hits a home run in the seventh inning to help the Cubs Frank Hiller to a "one-hitter", winning 8–0 over the St. Louis Cardinals, facing just 27 batters.
- 15 August 1953: Ties a NL record by grounding into three double-playsDouble playIn baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
against the Milwaukee Braves in a 2-0 loss (Joe TorreJoe TorreJoseph Paul Torre is a former American professional baseball player and manager who currently serves as Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A nine-time All-Star, he played in Major League Baseball as a catcher, first baseman and a third baseman for the...
would later break the record).
- 17 April 1954: With the wind at his back, he had four hits, including a home run that hit an apartment building on Waveland Avenue, across from Wrigley FieldWrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, in a NL record three-hour and 43-minute game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs won the game 23–13, the highest scoring game ever between these two rivals, and the two teams combine for 35 hits, including five homers and a 10-run Chicago 5th inning. Jim Brosnan is the winning pitcher over Gerry Staley.
Transactions
- 9 December 1955: Traded to the Dodgers for Don Hoak (3B) and Walt Moryn (OF).
At the same time the Dodgers traded Russ Meyer (P) to the Cubs for Don Elston (P-RH) and cash. - 4 August 1958: Purchased by the Cleveland Indians from the Los Angeles Dodgers
- 4 May 1959: Traded for Bob Smith (P-LH) from Cleveland to the Chicago Cubs
- 8 October 1959: Released by the Chicago Cubs