Jimmy Key

James Edward Key (born April 22, 1961) is an American former left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1984–1992), New York Yankees (1993–1996), and Baltimore Orioles (1997–1998). His best personal years were in 1987, when he posted a 17–8 record with a league-leading 2.76 ERA, and in 1993, when he went 18–6 with a 3.00 ERA and 173 strikeouts. With the Blue Jays, he won the 1992 World Series and with the Yankees, he won the 1996 World Series, both over the Atlanta Braves.

Career

Amateur career Key attended S. R. Butler High School in Huntsville, Alabama. For the school's baseball team, he compiled a 10–0 win–loss record with nine shutouts and a 0.30 earned run average (ERA) in his senior year. Key also batted .410 with 11 home runs and 35 runs batted in in his high school career.

Key attended Clemson University, where he played college baseball for the Clemson Tigers baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). At Clemson, Key posted a 9–3 record and 2.79 ERA on the mound, and batted .300 with 21 doubles. Key is the only Clemson player to be a member of the first-team All-ACC in two positions (pitcher and DH) in 1982. He pitched the opening game of the 1980 College World Series.

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays selected Key in the third round of the 1982 MLB draft. He worked his way up the Blue Jays' minor league system during 1982 and 1983, putting up respectable numbers with the Florence Blue Jays (South Atlantic League), the Medicine Hat Blue Jays (Pioneer League), the Knoxville Blue Jays (Southern League), and the Syracuse Chiefs (International League) before heading to Toronto.

Key made his Major League debut on April 6, 1984, and was utilized in relief situations through his inaugural year, notching 10 saves and a 4.65 ERA. He wore number 27 in his first season and 22 for the duration of his Blue Jays career.

Key moved into the starting rotation in 1985 and quickly became a cornerstone in the rotation, leading the Blue Jays to their first postseason appearance that year. In 1987, Key led the major leagues with a 2.76 earned run average and finished second behind Roger Clemens in voting for the American League Cy Young Award.

In Game 4 of the 1992 World Series, Key made his final start for the Blue Jays,

New York Yankees As a free agent, Key signed a four-year contract worth $17 million with the New York Yankees on December 10, 1992. He posted a 49–23 record in 94 games over four seasons with the Yankees. He had his career high of 173 strikeouts in the first year with the Yankees in 1993, and he led the majors with 17 wins in the strike-shortened season of 1994.

Post-career Following his retirement from baseball, Key became an amateur golfer. Now living in Palm Beach Gardens, he has become prominent in the local golfing community.