Jack Aker, baseball player, 1964-1974

Jack Aker

Born: 7/13/1940 in Tulare, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1964-05-03 | Final Game: 1974-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Jackie Delane Aker

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Biography

Jack Aker, born in 1940, was a prominent pitcher who made his mark in Major League Baseball from 1964 until 1974. Known for his strong fastball and effective breaking pitches, Aker became a reliable arm out of the bullpen during an era that increasingly valued specialized relief pitchers. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 47 wins and 45 losses, with an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.28. Aker was particularly known for his ability to close games, finishing with 123 saves, which positioned him among the more effective relief pitchers of his time. Aker's career spanned a transformative period in baseball, witnessing the transition from the deadball era to a more offense-driven approach in the game. His contributions were especially significant during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the role of the relief pitcher became increasingly crucial. With 404 strikeouts to his name, Aker demonstrated his ability to dominate hitters and contribute to his teams' successes. His legacy as a dependable pitcher in high-leverage situations remains a notable aspect of his career, reflecting the evolving landscape of baseball during his playing days.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
47 45 495 0 0 0 123 746.0 679 272 64 274 404 3.28 0

Career ERA 3.28 vs. league average 3.51 across their career seasons — 6.5% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1964 KC1 AL 0 1 9 0 0 0 0 16.3 17 16 10 7 8.82 3.58 (-146%) -2409.7
1965 KC1 AL 4 3 34 0 0 0 3 51.3 45 18 18 26 3.16 3.50 (+10%) 9.8
1966 KC1 AL 8 4 66 0 0 0 32 113.0 81 25 28 68 1.99 3.52 (+43%) 1564.5
1967 KC1 AL 3 8 57 0 0 0 12 88.0 87 42 32 65 4.30 3.30 (-30%) -629.5
1968 OAK AL 4 4 54 0 0 0 11 74.7 72 34 33 44 4.10 2.98 (-37%) -1584.7
1969 SE1 AL 0 2 15 0 0 0 3 16.7 25 14 13 7 7.56 3.61 (-109%) -1545.2
1969 NYY AL 8 4 38 0 0 0 11 65.7 51 15 22 40 2.06 3.61 (+43%) -
1970 NYY AL 4 2 41 0 0 0 16 70.0 57 16 20 36 2.06 3.89 (+47%) -
1971 NYY AL 4 4 41 0 0 0 4 55.7 48 16 26 24 2.59 3.47 (+25%) -
1972 NYY AL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6.0 5 2 3 1 3.00 — -
1972 CHC NL 6 6 48 0 0 0 17 67.0 65 22 23 36 2.96 3.26 (+9%) -
1973 CHC NL 4 5 47 0 0 0 12 63.7 76 29 23 25 4.10 3.75 (-9%) -
1974 ATL NL 0 1 17 0 0 0 0 16.7 17 7 9 7 3.78 3.63 (-4%) -865.8
1974 NYN NL 2 1 24 0 0 0 2 41.3 33 16 14 18 3.48 3.63 (+4%) -520.3

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
496 92 3 7 2 0 0 4 0 1 51 0.076 0.096 0.098 0.194 0.0

Career AVG .076 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 69.4% below league average.

Career OBP .096 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 69.6% below league average.

Career SLG .098 vs. league average .368 across their career seasons — 73.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.194 vs. league average 0.683 across their career seasons — 71.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1964 KC1 AL 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1965 KC1 AL 34 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 KC1 AL 66 21 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 0 12 0.095 — — — — 0.0
1967 KC1 AL 57 8 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1968 OAK AL 54 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.143 — — — — 0.0
1969 SE1 AL 15 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1969 NYY AL 38 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1970 NYY AL 41 16 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 0.062 — — — — 0.0
1971 NYY AL 41 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 NYY AL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1972 CHC NL 48 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 CHC NL 47 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1974 ATL NL 17 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1974 NYN NL 24 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 495 0 65 167 8 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1964 KC1 P 9 0 2 5 0 1
1965 KC1 P 34 0 4 11 0 2
1966 KC1 P 66 0 9 32 0 1
1967 KC1 P 57 0 7 19 0 3
1968 OAK P 54 0 2 14 1 1
1969 SE1 P 15 0 3 4 0 2
1969 NYA P 38 0 11 14 0 2
1970 NYA P 41 0 4 11 1 0
1971 NYA P 41 0 10 12 3 0
1972 NYA P 4 0 3 2 0 1
1972 CHN P 48 0 2 18 1 3
1973 CHN P 47 0 6 17 1 3
1974 ATL P 17 0 2 4 1 1
1974 NYN P 24 0 0 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 495

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1966 TSN Fireman of the Year

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
College of the Sequoias Visalia CA 1959

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 22.0 280 0