Jay Ritchie

Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=darkblue
bgcolor2=maroon
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Jay Ritchie
position=Relief pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1936|11|20
debutdate=August 4
debutyear=by|1964
debutteam=Boston Red Sox
finaldate=September 6
finalyear=by|1968
finalteam=Cincinnati Reds
stat1label='ERA'
stat1value=3.49
stat2label='Record'
stat2value=8-13
stat3label='Strikeouts'
stat3value=212
teams=
*Boston Red Sox (1964-1965)
*Atlanta Braves (1966-1967)
*Cincinnati Reds (1968)
highlights=
*none

Jay Seay Ritchie (born: November 20, 1936 in Salisbury, North Carolina) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1964 to 1968 for the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. He was 6'4" tall and he weighed 190 pounds.

He was originally signed by the Red Sox as a free-agent in 1955. He spent a few years in the minors before making his big league debut with the Red Sox on August 4, 1968 against the Minnesota Twins with the first batter he faced being Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew. In four innings pitched that game, he allowed two hits and three walks, but did not allow a single earned run.

His rookie season overall was perhaps the best season of his career - in 21 games, he posted a solid 2.74 ERA in 46 innings of work. 1965 was also a successful season for Ritchie, as he posted a 3.17 ERA in 44 relief appearances.

On January 11, 1966, Ritchie was sent to the Braves as the player to be named later in a deal that was made on December 15, 1965. The deal went as such: The Red Sox sent Lee Thomas, Arnold Earley and a player to be named later (Ritchie) to the Braves for Bob Sadowski and Dan Osinski.

He spent two seasons with the Braves, appearing in 22 games and posting a 4.08 ERA in 1966 and appearing in 52 games in 1967, posting a 3.17 ERA. In 1967, he tied for 10th in the league with Bob Miller in pitching appearances. While with the Braves in 1967, he pitched the equivalent of a perfect and then some, retiring 28 batters in a row over a span of four consecutive outings.

Following the 1967 season, Ritchie was traded to the Reds with Jim Beauchamp and Mack Jones for Deron Johnson.

He played his final season in 1968, appearing in 28 games for the Reds, starting two of them. Overall, he posted a 4.61 ERA that year, which was nearly a point and a half higher than the league average.

Overall in his career, Ritchie posted a 8-13 record in 167 games. In 291 1/3 innings of work, he struck out 212 batters, walked 94 and had a 3.49 ERA. As a batter, he hit .200 in 35 at-bats, with the highlight of his hitting career being a triple he hit off a Don Cardwell of the New York Mets on May 16, 1967. It was the only extra base hit of his career. He had a .940 career fielding percentage.

Statistically, according to Baseball-Reference, Ritchie is most similar to pitcher Heath Bell.

At last check, he lived in Salisbury, North Carolina.

References

* [http://thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Jay-Ritchie.shtml The Baseball Cube]
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ritchja01.shtml Baseball Reference]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Jay_Ritchie_1936 Baseball Library]