A 5th-round pick by San Diego in 1972, Randy Jones went on to become one of the most beloved players in Padres history. He made his debut in ’73 and lost a league-leading 22 games in ’74 before hitting his stride.

Then in ’75 he had a breakout season.

Lacking a true major league fastball Jones relied on an assortment of junk, most often his sinker. His ’75 campaign featured 20 victories and a league-leading 2.24 ERA. An All Star for the first time, Jones pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, retiring Hal McRae, George Scott, and Rod Carew in order to earn the save.

Jones was named Comeback Player of the Year and finished second to Tom Seaver in Cy Young balloting. San Diego fell in love with their hometown hero.

Shown here is a pair of baseball cards signed by Jones. The Topps offerings show the National League leaders in wins and earned run average for the ’75 season.

For a 37-day period in 1976, Randy Jones put together a remarkable string of command and control. After walking Steve Ontiveros in the 8th inning on May 17, Jones reeled off 68 consecutive frames without walking a single batter.

When he struck out Darrell Evans in the 7th inning of a tie game on June 22nd, Jones tied Christy Mathewson’s 1913 NL mark of pinpoint control. In the bottom half of the inning, Jones singled and came around to score the winning run.

The next inning Jones’ 3-2 sinker to Giants catcher Marc Hill fell out of the strike zone and the streak ended. Matty and Jones now shared the record.

Shown here is a PSA slabbed ticket for the night Randy tied the great Christy Mathewson. Jones signed the ticket, adding his “#35 1976 NL Cy”.

After his breakout campaign in ’75, Randy Jones got out of the gate quickly the following season. By the All Star break in mid-July he had 15 copmlete games, three shutouts and a gaudy 15-3 record.

Each time the 6’0″, 180-pounder took the mound for a home game, attendance spiked.

Padres manager John McNamara told Sports Illustrated in 1976, “It happens every time. They cheer him even before he throws a ball…It’s the way he comes across. He’s a humble person, the underdog making good. People can relate to him. He’s not that big in stature and he is not overpowering on the mound. Randy’s the common man’s pitcher.”

Shown here is a 1977 Topps card autographed by Jones. It pictures Jones in ’76.

Randy Jones had a dream season in 1976. Many remember it as his Cy Young campaign. Few recall he also earned the win in the Mid Summer classic.

As the starter in the ’76 All Star Game, Jones went three innings, facing the first 12 American League batters. He yielded only two singles before exiting.

The National League offense put four runs on the board in support of Jones. Two came in the first with via a Steve Garvey triple and a George Foster RBI ground-out. In the third inning Foster doubled the NL tally with a two-run homer off of Catfish Hunter.

The Senior Circuit went on to win 7-1. Jones got the win with Foster taking home the hardware as the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Shown here us a ticket to the All Star Game in the USA’s bicentennial year. It is autographed by the game’s MVP Foster.

Randy Jones’ ’76 campaign was a dream. He won 22 games in 40 starts, threw 25 complete games, and pitched 315 1/3 innings – all still-standing Padre franchise marks. His performance made him the National League Cy Young Award winner.

In addition to his single-season Padres marks in wins, starts, complete games, and innings pitched, Jones holds the San Diego record for losses in a season (22 in ’74) and shares the top spot for shutouts in a year (6 in ’75). He is also the first Padres pitcher to steal a base.

Only three times in team history has a hurler topped the 20-win mark. Jones did it in back-to-back years in ’75 and ’76. Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry has the other 20-win season in his Cy Young campaign of 1978.

On May 9, 1997 the Padres retired Jones’ uniform number 35. Two years later he was selected in the inaugural year for the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame. Today Jones remains one of the most popular players in team history.

Shown here is a Topps baseball card signed by Jim Palmer and Randy Jones. The two led their respective leagues in victories with 22.

After tossing 43 complete games the previous two seasons, Randy Jones had only one in an injury-plagued 1977. He made the most of it.

The contest came against the Phillies on May 4  in San Diego. Jones squared off against Hall of Fame hurler Jim Kaat. The two established a quick pace. When Jones retired Mike Schmidt for the final out to end the game it was just one hour, 29 minutes after the start.

It remains the fastest game in franchise history.

Shown here is a Kaat’s signature on a ticket to Game 2 of the 1965 World Series. Pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Kaat twirled a complete game victory over Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers.

After a pair of dream seasons in ’75 and ’76, Randy Jones never again reached All Star status. Despite that, he remained  a serviceable starter for his final six big league seasons.

Although he posted a losing record in 1978, he kept a low 2.88 ERA. In ’79 he reached a double-digit win total for the final time. The following year was his last with San Diego.

Hampered by pain in his ribcage, Jones slipped to 5-13. In the offseason, the Padres shipped him to the New York Mets. His two seasons in the Big Apple featured an 8-18 record and a 4.69 ERA.

Jones retired after the ’82 season with 100 wins, 73 complete games, and 19 shutouts. With 123 losses, he remains the only starting pitcher to win the Cy Young and finish his career with a losing record.

In the collection is this government postcard signed by Randy Jones in 1980.

Government postcards are sought after by collectors because of the United States Postal Serive postmark. Notice the one shown here on the back of the postcard signed by Randy Jones.

Mailed near Jones’ home in San Diego, the postmark dates this to September 3, 1980. Twelve days earlier Jones made his final start in a Padres uniform in a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Expos.

Though Jones’ signature is by no means rare, verified vintage pieces from his career remain difficult to find.

Padres hurler Randy Jones stood side-by-side with Christy Mathewson until 2001. On August 7th that season Hall of Famer Greg Maddux surpassed their NL mark for consecutive innings without a walk.

Maddux came into the game with 64 1/3 consecutive innings without a walk, just 3 2/3 innings short of the National League record set by Mathewson in 1913 and equaled by Jones in 1976.

In the fourth inning, Maddux overtook the two men to claim the top spot. The first-ballot selection for Cooperstown extended mark to 72 1/3 innings before issuing an intentionally pass in his next start to Arizona’s Steve Finley to stop the streak.

Today Maddux still holds the Senior Circuit’s mark for consecutive innings without a walk.

In the collection is this lineup card that hung in the Braves dugout during Atlanta’s game vs. the Houston Astros on August 7, 2001. The contest was the night Maddux passed the two hurlers to make the National League record his own.

Notice Maddux’s autograph and inscription at the bottom, “Broke Mathewson’s NL walkless inn record”. Braves skipper Bobby Cox also penned his signature in the middle near the bottom of the card.

Maddux’s win was the 255th of his career. That pushed him past a pair of Cooperstown inductees,  White Sox great Red Faber and the winningest pitcher of the 80s Jack Morris.