The Jays announced that Jim Clancy passed away. He was 69, far too young.
The Blue Jays picked him in the expansion draft of 1976 from the Rangers. Clancy was the first Jays pitcher to rack up 100 wins, beating Dave Stieb to the mark by a bit more than a month. They finished the 1996 season tied at 102
The Jays called Clancy up to the majors in late July 1977, our expansion season, and made 13 starts, staying in the rotation for the rest of the way. The following year, he was in the rotation all season, going a respectable 10-12 with a 4.09 ERA for a lousy team. Jim was our best starter, though he had some control problems, walking 91 in 193.2 innings. In 1979, Clancy started the year in the rotation but didn’t do well. He finished 2-7 with a 5.51 ERA and spent much of the season in the minors.
Clancy spent most of the ’80s battling with Stieb for the number one spot in the rotation.
1980 was his first excellent year, making 34 starts, finishing 15 of them (second-best total in team history, Stieb finished 19 in 1982), throwing a 250.2 innings, still walking too many too many (128), but having an ERA of 3.30, good for 10th in the league and 6th in strikeouts with 152.
After an off-year in the strike-shortened 1981 season, he had the best season of his career in 1982, making a team record 40 (!) starts, winning a career-high 16 games, losing 14, and throwing a career-high 266.2 innings. He had a 3.71 ERA and made the All-Star team. After one good season (1983-3.91 ERA) and one bad season (1984-5.12 ERA), the Jays made the playoffs for the first time.
Clancy had a good season in 1985 after missing the first month of the season with an injury. He finished 9-6 in 23 starts with a 3.78 ERA. He made one relief appearance in our seven-game loss to the Royals in the ALCS, and it wasn’t good, giving up the winning run in the 8th inning of game three.
1986 and 1987 were good seasons for Clancy, with ERAs of 3.94 and 3.54, respectively, and 29 wins and 460 innings. He was a heck of a pitcher, eating a ton of innings and having an ERA much better than league average. 1988 was his last season with the Jays, and it wasn’t a great one. He finished 11-13 with a 4.49 ERA.
After the 1988 season, Clancy signed with the Houston Astros as a free agent, but his arm was worn out by then. He pitched two subpar seasons with them and then transitioned to the bullpen, where he threw well as a reliever for half a season before being traded to Atlanta, where he got to pitch in the playoffs again, ultimately making it to the World Series.
Jim Clancy was a big guy, 6’4”, and threw a lot of innings for the Jays. For several years, Clancy and Stieb were our only decent starters.
He threw a fastball, slider, forkball, and change from a ¾ arm slot and was good at holding runners. He pitched for us for 12 years, pretty good for a player picked up in an expansion draft.
Clancy was a favourite of mine back in those days. On a poor team, he gave us a chance to win.
My condolences to his family.