American baseball player
Baseball player
Jeffrey Scott Ballard (born August 13, 1963) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1994 for the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Playing career
Ballard played college baseball for Stanford University, and in 1984 played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1] He earned a degree in geophysics from Stanford,[2] and in 1998 was inducted into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame as one of Stanford's top pitchers, holding the all-time record in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched for more than 20 years, as well as earning First Team All-Pac-10 twice.[3]
In 1989, he finished in a tie with Dennis Eckersley and Gregg Olson for sixth place in American League Cy Young Award voting.[4] In 1995, Ballard's car collided with a semi truck on a highway in Idaho, breaking his neck and several ribs. The accident ended his career.[5]
In 2004, Baltimore Orioles fans voted Ballard one of their 50 best loved Orioles.[5]
Personal life
Following his career, Ballard returned to his hometown of Billings, Montana. In January 1996, he began working for his father and with his brother at Ballard Petroleum Holdings.[2]
Ballard married the former Kristen Callison in 2008. Together, they had a son, Kyren, and a daughter, Kennley, as of 2014.[2]
