Jones made his Big League debut in June of 1973 and went on to post a record of 7-6, with a nice 3.16 earned run average over 20 appearances, 19 of them starts.
Though he would have a forgettable sophomore season in 1974 which saw him lead the National League with 22 losses, along with an ERA of 4.45, we all know how that could have easily been different had he pitched for a better team.
Regardless, over the next two seasons he arguably could have taken home the Cy Young BOTH times, as he’d go on to post records of 20-12 and 22-14, leading the league in ERA with a 2.24 in ‘75 and posting another nice 2.74 mark in his Cy season.
His 1976 season was something, as he’d complete a league-leading 25 games (out of his 40 starts), while logging 315.1 innings, tossing five shutouts and facing 1251 batters. Incredible.
Sadly, all that work took a toll on his arm, and the following season he was reduced to just under 150 innings and only 27 appearances, seeing his ERA balloon to 4.58 before getting back to a 2.88 figure in 1978.
After a couple of more mediocre seasons in San Diego, he’d end up with the New York Mets, where he stumbles, posting a combined 8-18 record in 1981/1982, retiring at the young age of 32 after the ‘82 season.
All told, he finished his career with a record of 100-123, with a decent 3.42 earned run average over 305 appearances and 1933 innings pitched, with that 1976 Cy Young Award and a second place finish the year before.
