Jay Hook, baseball player, 1957-1964

Jay Hook

Born: 11/18/1936 in Waukegan, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1957-09-03 | Final Game: 1964-05-03

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 182 lbs

Full name: James Wesley Hook

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Biography

Jay Hook was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1957 to 1964. Born in 1936, Hook made his debut during an era characterized by the transition from the deadball era to a time of increasing offensive prowess. Over the course of his career, he played for several teams, primarily known for his tenure with the New York Mets, where he became one of the first pitchers in the franchise's history. Hook finished his career with a record of 29 wins and 62 losses, alongside an earned run average (ERA) of 5.23. He recorded a total of 394 strikeouts and achieved one save throughout his time in the majors. Although his win-loss record may not reflect dominance, Hook's contributions on the mound were significant during the formative years of the Mets, a team that would later rise to prominence in the late 1960s. His career serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by pitchers in a league increasingly defined by offensive talent.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
29 62 160 112 30 2 1 752.7 808 437 112 275 394 5.23 0

Career ERA 5.23 vs. league average 3.79 across their career seasons — 37.7% worse 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
1957 CIN NL 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 10.0 6 5 8 6 4.50 3.83 (-17%) 44.2
1958 CIN NL 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 3.0 3 4 2 5 12.00 — 0.0
1959 CIN NL 5 5 17 15 4 0 0 79.0 79 45 39 37 5.13 3.90 (-31%) -2224.5
1960 CIN NL 11 18 36 33 10 2 0 222.0 222 111 73 103 4.50 3.82 (-18%) -3788.3
1961 CIN NL 1 3 22 5 0 0 0 62.7 83 54 22 36 7.76 4.03 (-93%) -2531.8
1962 NYN NL 8 19 37 34 13 0 0 213.7 230 115 71 113 4.84 3.96 (-22%) -3343.2
1963 NYN NL 4 14 41 20 3 0 1 152.7 168 93 53 89 5.48 3.46 (-59%) -3388.2
1964 NYN NL 0 1 3 2 0 0 0 9.7 17 10 7 5 9.31 3.58 (-160%) 0.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
166 225 16 34 1 0 0 10 0 18 77 0.151 0.213 0.156 0.369 -1127.8

Career AVG .151 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 40.7% below league average.

Career OBP .213 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 33.6% below league average.

Career SLG .156 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 59.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.369 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — 48.0% 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
1957 CIN NL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1958 CIN NL 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1959 CIN NL 19 24 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 0.125 — — — — 0.0
1960 CIN NL 36 72 3 6 0 0 0 3 0 7 24 0.083 .255 (-67%) .323 (-49%) .387 (-79%) .711 (-65%) -779.8
1961 CIN NL 22 15 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.133 — — — — 0.0
1962 NYN NL 41 69 6 14 0 0 0 5 0 8 24 0.203 .257 (-21%) .326 (-12%) .393 (-48%) .719 (-32%) -348.0
1963 NYN NL 41 38 4 9 1 0 0 1 0 2 13 0.237 — — — — 0.0
1964 NYN NL 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 160 112 72 97 8 10

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1957 CIN P 3 2 2 1 0 0
1958 CIN P 1 1 0 0 0 0
1959 CIN P 17 15 7 8 1 2
1960 CIN P 36 33 19 30 1 5
1961 CIN P 22 5 10 4 0 0
1962 NYN P 37 34 22 31 3 2
1963 NYN P 41 20 11 20 3 1
1964 NYN P 3 2 1 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 160

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Northwestern University Evanston IL 1956, 1957