View source for Danny Jackson

{{short description|American baseball player (born 1962)}}
{{about|the baseball player|the soccer player|Danny Jackson (footballer)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Danny Jackson
|image=Pitching DannyJackson1990 (1).jpg
|width=250
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Left
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1962|1|5}}
|birth_place=[[San Antonio, Texas]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=September 11
|debutyear=1983
|debutteam=Kansas City Royals
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=August 7
|finalyear=1997
|finalteam=San Diego Padres
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=112–131
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=4.01
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,225
|teams=
* [[Kansas City Royals]] ({{mlby|1983}}–{{mlby|1987}})
* [[Cincinnati Reds]] ({{mlby|1988}}–{{mlby|1990}})
* [[Chicago Cubs]] ({{mlby|1991}}–{{mlby|1992}})
* [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] ({{mlby|1992}})
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{mlby|1993}}–{{mlby|1994}})
* [[St. Louis Cardinals]] ({{mlby|1995}}–{{mlby|1997}})
* [[San Diego Padres]] ({{mlby|1997}})
|highlights=
*2× [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] ([[1988 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1988]], [[1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1994]])
*2× [[World Series champion]] ({{wsy|1985}}, {{wsy|1990}})
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders|NL wins leader]] (1988)
}}
'''Danny Lynn Jackson''' (born January 5, 1962) is an American former professional [[baseball]] [[pitcher]] who played 15 seasons in [[Major League Baseball]] from 1983 to 1997. He played for the [[Kansas City Royals]], [[Cincinnati Reds]], [[Chicago Cubs]], [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], [[Philadelphia Phillies]], [[St. Louis Cardinals]], and [[San Diego Padres]].

Jackson is best known for pitching an [[List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have thrown an immaculate inning|immaculate inning]] during Game 5 of the [[1985 World Series]], which remains the only immaculate inning pitched in postseason play. He would go on to win the World Series that year with the Royals, as well as the [[1990 World Series]] with the Reds.

== Early life ==
Danny Lynn Jackson was born on January 5, 1962, in [[San Antonio, Texas]]. His family moved to the greater [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]] area, where Jackson starred in three sports at [[Aurora Central High School]]. The [[Oakland Athletics]] drafted him in the 24th round as a high school senior in 1980, but Jackson opted to go to the [[University of Oklahoma]]. He played for the [[Oklahoma Sooners baseball|Sooners]] in 1981 before opting to transfer to [[Trinidad State Junior College]] in [[Trinidad, Colorado]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1985/10/25/jackson-went-6-2-as-sooner/62747762007/|title=Jackson went 6–2 as a Sooner|publisher=The Oklahoman|date=October 25, 1985|access-date=July 3, 2023}}</ref> In 1982, the Royals, with the first pick in the January secondary phase draft, chose Jackson.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Watson |first1=Darin |title=The Year Of The Card–Danny Jackson, 1985 |url=https://ulstoothpick.com/2020/01/06/the-year-of-the-card-danny-jackson-1985/ |website=U.L.'s toothpick |date=6 January 2020 |access-date=4 March 2021 |archive-date=January 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127134842/https://ulstoothpick.com/2020/01/06/the-year-of-the-card-danny-jackson-1985/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Career ==

===Kansas City Royals (1983–1987)===

A key member of the World Series winning Royals in 1985, Jackson made one of the most important starts in Royals history in the [[American League Championship Series|ALCS]]. Trailing the Blue Jays three games to one and facing elimination, Jackson tossed a complete-game shutout and kept the Royals alive. Two weeks later, in the [[1985 World Series|World Series]], Jackson again took the ball with the Royals trailing three games to one in a Game Five, and again Jackson led the Royals to a crucial victory over the [[St. Louis Cardinals]]. In the seventh inning of that game, he pitched, as of 2023, the only [[List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have thrown an immaculate inning|immaculate inning]] in World Series play; his victims were [[Terry Pendleton]], [[Tom Nieto]] and [[Brian Harper]]. Jackson's 1.04 post-season ERA with the Royals is the lowest in team history (min 10 IP). The Royals went on to win the World Series in seven games. After disappointing seasons in 1986 and 1987, Jackson was traded along with [[Ángel Salazar (baseball)|Ángel Salazar]] to the [[Cincinnati Reds]] in exchange for [[Ted Power]] and [[Kurt Stillwell]].<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1964/06/03/archives/cards-trade-burdette-for-hobbie.html Reds get Danny Jackson]</ref>

===Cincinnati Reds (1988–1990)===

Jackson was selected to the National League [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|NL All-Star]] team in 1988 and 1994. He tied for the National League lead in wins in 1988 with 23 and, Jackson combined with 18-game winner [[Tom Browning]] for the best pitching tandem in baseball that season. Jackson's great 1988 season went largely unnoticed because of the outstanding season turned in by the Dodgers' [[Orel Hershiser]], who threw [[Orel Hershiser's scoreless innings streak|59 straight scoreless innings]]. Jackson regressed in the following two seasons, when he went 12–17 with a 4.60 ERA, but won his second World Series ring in {{wsy|1990}}.

===Later career (1991–1997)===

After the World Series, Jackson became a free agent and signed with the [[Chicago Cubs]]. After one and a half seasons where he was unable to pitch effectively, he was traded to the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]. He was then taken in the [[1992 Major League Baseball expansion draft|1992 expansion draft]] by the [[Miami Marlins|Florida Marlins]], who traded him to the [[Philadelphia Phillies]]. He improved in Philadelphia, putting together two winning seasons and earning his second All-Star nod in 1994. He signed with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] after the 1994 season, but was never able to pitch effectively again. His final season was in 1997, during which he was traded to the [[San Diego Padres]].

In total, Jackson played in three World Series for three different franchises: the [[1985 World Series|1985]] Kansas City Royals, the [[1990 World Series|1990]] Cincinnati Reds, and the [[1993 World Series|1993]] Philadelphia Phillies. Jackson only made 29 career relief appearances (324 starts) but did pick up one career save. It came on July 12, 1986, against the Detroit Tigers. Jackson recorded the final out of the game to nail down a 7-4 Royals victory. He saved the game for starter [[Charlie Leibrandt]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/KCA/KCA198607120.shtml|title=Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals Box Score, July 12, 1986}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Baseballstats | br=j/jacksda02 | fangraphs=1006295|brm=jackso004dan}}

{{1985 Kansas City Royals}}
{{1990 Cincinnati Reds}}
{{NL wins champions}}
{{Kansas City Royals Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Chicago Cubs Opening Day starting pitchers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Danny}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Baseball players from San Antonio]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:National League All-Stars]]
[[Category:National League (baseball) wins champions]]
[[Category:Kansas City Royals players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Reds players]]
[[Category:St. Louis Cardinals players]]
[[Category:San Diego Padres players]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs players]]
[[Category:Pittsburgh Pirates players]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies players]]
[[Category:Nashville Sounds players]]
[[Category:Jacksonville Suns players]]
[[Category:Omaha Royals players]]
[[Category:Charleston Wheelers players]]
[[Category:Iowa Cubs players]]
[[Category:Louisville Redbirds players]]
[[Category:Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010) managers]]
[[Category:Oklahoma Sooners baseball players]]
[[Category:Trinidad State Trojans baseball players]]