Jamie Moyer pitched in the big leagues for a quarter-century. Among MLB pitchers, only Nolan Ryan and Tommy John with their 26 seasons pitched longer. Moyer’s career spanned teammates born in 1945 (Davey Lopes) and 1991 (Rafael Ortega).
He made his debut – and captured his first win – on June 16, 1986 at age 23. When he recorded his final victory in 2012 at 49 years, 180 days of age, Moyer became the oldest pitcher to ever win a major league game.
The soft-tossing left-hander broke in with the Cubs in ’86 and won 7 of his 11 decisions. In addition to his time in Chicago, Moyer’s first decade in the bigs included stops in Texas, Baltimore, and Boston. Those ten years featured a lackluster 59-76 record and 4.51 ERA. During that time three teams thought so little of him that they released him.
Everything for Moyer changed with a trade from the Red Sox to the Mariners in July, ’96. The southpaw finished the campaign with a 13-3 record and a league-leading .813 winning percentage. He found a home.
His 11 seasons in Seattle included an All Star selection, and 145 wins. By the time he left the Mariners in 2006 he was the franchise’s all-time leader in starts, innings, and wins. The marks have since been eclipsed by Felix Hernandez.
The Mariners Opening Day starter four times, Moyer also threw the first pitch Seattle’s Safeco Field in 1999. He remains the only two-time 20-game winner in team history.
In August, 2006, Seattle traded the 43-year old Moyer to Philadelphia. In 2007 and 2008 he won a combined 30 games for the Phillies in his age-44 and -45 seasons. His five seasons in the City of Brotherly Love included 118 starts and 56 wins. Moyer’s final campaign came with the Rockies in 2012 when he won a pair of games before his release in June.
Moyer left the game with 269 wins, good for 35th all time. The 522 home runs he gave up is the most in baseball history. Moyer also ranks 16th in starts (638), 30th in hits given up (4,231), and 37th in losses (209). Only Cy Young and Phil Niekro gave up more earned runs.
During his quarter-century of service in the majors, Moyer received the Hutch, Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente, and Branch Rickey Awards. In 2015 the Mariners inducted Moyer into their team Hall of Fame.
In the collection is this Jamie Moyer autographed Strat-O-Matic card from 1996. Bucknell University math major Hal Richman originated the Strat-O-Matic game in 1961. Advertised in Sports Illustrated and sold out of Richman’s basement, Strat-O-Matic gave its players the ability to make managerial decisions based on MLB statistics.