Jim Rooker, baseball player, 1968-1980

Jim Rooker

Born: 9/23/1942 in Lakeview, OR, USA

MLB Debut: 1968-06-30 | Final Game: 1980-05-02

Bats: R | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: James Phillip Rooker

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Biography

Jim Rooker was a professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1968 until 1980. Born in 1942, Rooker made his mark during an era characterized by a transition in the game, as the sport began to move away from the deadball era toward a more offensive style. Over the course of his career, he appeared in 244 games, finishing with a record of 103 wins and 109 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was a respectable 3.46, reflecting his ability to effectively manage opposing hitters. Rooker's career was highlighted by his durability and versatility on the mound, as he accumulated a total of 976 strikeouts and recorded 7 saves. His playing style was defined by a combination of solid pitching mechanics and a fierce competitive spirit. Despite his modest win-loss record, Rooker's contributions to his teams were significant, as he consistently provided valuable innings and veteran leadership. After retiring from professional play on May 2, 1980, Rooker transitioned into a successful career as a broadcaster, allowing him to continue sharing his insights and passion for the game with baseball fans.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
103 109 319 255 66 15 7 1810.3 1694 696 128 703 976 3.46 0

Career ERA 3.46 vs. league average 3.66 across their career seasons — 5.4% 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
1968 DET AL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4.7 4 2 1 4 3.86 — 0.0
1969 KCR AL 4 16 28 22 8 1 0 158.3 136 66 73 108 3.75 3.61 (-4%) -
1970 KCR AL 10 15 38 29 6 3 1 203.7 190 80 102 117 3.54 3.89 (+9%) -
1971 KCR AL 2 7 20 7 1 1 0 54.0 59 32 24 31 5.33 3.47 (-54%) -
1972 KCR AL 5 6 18 10 4 2 0 72.0 78 35 24 44 4.38 3.26 (-34%) -
1973 PIT NL 10 6 41 18 6 3 5 170.3 143 54 52 122 2.85 3.75 (+24%) 3287.6
1974 PIT NL 15 11 33 33 15 1 0 262.7 228 81 83 139 2.78 3.63 (+23%) 3941.2
1975 PIT NL 13 11 28 28 7 1 0 196.7 177 65 76 102 2.97 3.71 (+20%) -520.9
1976 PIT NL 15 8 30 29 10 1 1 198.7 201 74 72 92 3.35 3.51 (+5%) -490.7
1977 PIT NL 14 9 30 30 7 2 0 204.3 196 70 64 89 3.08 4.00 (+23%) -1783.0
1978 PIT NL 9 11 28 28 1 0 0 163.3 160 77 81 76 4.24 3.69 (-15%) -2299.4
1979 PIT NL 4 7 19 17 1 0 0 103.7 106 53 39 44 4.60 4.00 (-15%) -1030.5
1980 PIT NL 2 2 4 4 0 0 0 18.0 16 7 12 8 3.50 3.84 (+9%) -9.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
337 606 54 122 17 4 7 56 3 21 229 0.201 0.230 0.277 0.507 -2165.2

Career AVG .201 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — 21.1% below league average.

Career OBP .230 vs. league average .322 across their career seasons — 28.6% below league average.

Career SLG .277 vs. league average .375 across their career seasons — 26.1% below league average.

Career OPS 0.507 vs. league average 0.697 across their career seasons — 27.2% 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
1968 DET AL 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1969 KCR AL 34 57 7 16 3 0 4 8 0 1 19 0.281 .248 (+13%) .320 (-5%) .369 (+47%) .689 (+23%) 180.5
1970 KCR AL 41 70 12 14 4 0 1 13 0 2 35 0.200 .253 (-21%) .325 (-29%) .385 (-22%) .711 (-26%) -328.2
1971 KCR AL 21 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 KCR AL 18 20 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 0.100 — — — — 0.0
1973 PIT NL 42 49 5 12 0 0 0 5 0 2 24 0.245 — — — — -186.7
1974 PIT NL 33 95 8 29 5 2 0 8 0 5 31 0.305 .256 (+19%) .324 (+4%) .369 (+8%) .693 (+6%) 64.5
1975 PIT NL 28 63 4 6 0 0 0 2 0 3 20 0.095 .257 (-63%) .327 (-58%) .374 (-75%) .701 (-67%) -687.4
1976 PIT NL 33 74 9 16 2 1 1 6 0 1 31 0.216 .255 (-15%) .320 (-30%) .360 (-14%) .681 (-22%) -290.8
1977 PIT NL 30 70 4 13 1 0 0 5 1 4 27 0.186 .264 (-30%) .329 (-30%) .401 (-50%) .730 (-41%) -478.9
1978 PIT NL 32 56 2 9 2 1 0 5 2 0 17 0.161 .257 (-38%) .323 (-51%) .378 (-39%) .702 (-44%) -438.1
1979 PIT NL 19 33 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 13 0.121 — — — — 0.0
1980 PIT NL 4 7 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0.143 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1979 WS PIT 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1975 NLCS PIT 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1974 NLCS PIT 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 4 3 0 19.7 18 7 8 12 3.20

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1979 WS PIT 0 0 2 1 0 8.7 5 1 3 4 1.04
1975 NLCS PIT 0 1 1 1 0 4.0 7 4 0 4 9.00
1974 NLCS PIT 0 0 1 1 0 7.0 6 2 5 4 2.57

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
P 319 255 80 282 20 22

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 DET P 2 0 0 2 0 0
1969 KCA P 28 22 3 24 4 0
1970 KCA OF 1 0 0 0 0 0
1970 KCA P 38 29 6 32 2 4
1971 KCA P 20 7 1 5 1 1
1972 KCA P 18 10 3 16 0 1
1973 PIT P 41 18 6 29 2 3
1974 PIT P 33 33 14 45 1 3
1975 PIT P 28 28 10 32 4 1
1976 PIT P 30 29 8 29 2 1
1977 PIT P 30 30 6 27 2 2
1978 PIT P 28 28 14 24 0 5
1979 PIT P 19 17 8 13 2 1
1980 PIT P 4 4 1 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 319
Left Field 1