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
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 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | 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 | - |
| 1970 | KCR | AL | 10 | 15 | 38 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 203.7 | 190 | 80 | 102 | 117 | 3.54 | - |
| 1971 | KCR | AL | 2 | 7 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 54.0 | 59 | 32 | 24 | 31 | 5.33 | - |
| 1972 | KCR | AL | 5 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 72.0 | 78 | 35 | 24 | 44 | 4.38 | - |
| 1973 | PIT | NL | 10 | 6 | 41 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 170.3 | 143 | 54 | 52 | 122 | 2.85 | 3287.6 |
| 1974 | PIT | NL | 15 | 11 | 33 | 33 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 262.7 | 228 | 81 | 83 | 139 | 2.78 | 3941.2 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 13 | 11 | 28 | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 196.7 | 177 | 65 | 76 | 102 | 2.97 | -520.9 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 15 | 8 | 30 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 198.7 | 201 | 74 | 72 | 92 | 3.35 | -490.7 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 14 | 9 | 30 | 30 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 204.3 | 196 | 70 | 64 | 89 | 3.08 | -1783.0 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 9 | 11 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 163.3 | 160 | 77 | 81 | 76 | 4.24 | -2299.4 |
| 1979 | PIT | NL | 4 | 7 | 19 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 103.7 | 106 | 53 | 39 | 44 | 4.60 | -1030.5 |
| 1980 | PIT | NL | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 3.50 | -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 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | 180.5 |
| 1970 | KCR | AL | 41 | 70 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 0.200 | -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 | 64.5 |
| 1975 | PIT | NL | 28 | 63 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0.095 | -687.4 |
| 1976 | PIT | NL | 33 | 74 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 0.216 | -290.8 |
| 1977 | PIT | NL | 30 | 70 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 0.186 | -478.9 |
| 1978 | PIT | NL | 32 | 56 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0.161 | -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 | P | 38 | 29 | 6 | 32 | 2 | 4 |
| 1970 | KCA | OF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 |