by Paul Semendinger
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We’ll begin this article with a trivia question. What was Grant Jackson’s lifetime winning percentage as a Yankee pitcher?
Grant Jackson was a left-handed pitcher who toiled on the mound for the Yankees in 1976.
He came to the Yankees in June of 1976 in a crazy 10-player deal with the Orioles.
That season Jackson pitched in 21 games for the Yankees. He made two starts. In his first start, on September 14 (against the Indians in Cleveland), he went seven innings allowing just one run on four hits. He walked none. The Yankees won the game. Jackson earned the win.
Grant Jackson had only one other start as a Yankee. Jackson pitched on September 24 against the Tigers in Detroit. What did he do? He only threw a complete game shutout. He allowed just five hits and walked two.
Those were two of his wins for the Yankees that year.
So what was his overall record?
In 1976, Jackson was 6-0, 1.69 as a Yankee. He also had a save.
As a Yankee, Grant Jackson, a solid pitcher who pitched for 18 years in the big leagues, but just part of one season for New York, was never defeated.
In Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, Jackson came in to protect the Yankees' 6-3 lead. He came in with a runner on first base, gave up a single to Jim Wohlford and then allowed a huge three-run homer to George Brett to tie the game. Luckily for Jackson, Chris Chambliss' Game Winning Home Run in the bottom of the ninth inning became the bigger story.
After the 1976 season, the Seattle Mariners took Grant Jackson from the Yankees in the expansion draft. He was then traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1979, Jackson was a member of the World Champion Pirates team. He pitched four games in the World Series that year, all in relief, allowing no runs over 4.2 innings.
He was a Yankee but briefly. But it was a good short stay.
