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Jeff Innis
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 176 of 1252 players
Jeffrey David Innis
Born: July 5, 1962 at Decatur, Ill.
Died: January 30, 2022 at Dawsonville, Ga. Obituary
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.00 Weight: 170

Jeff Innis has been the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup 12 times, most recently on January 31, 2022.

First Mets game: May 16, 1987
Last Mets game: October 2, 1993

Share your memories of Jeff Innis HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY: Generic Mets Fan Jeff is my favorite Mets pitcher of all time. He played almost all of his career with the Mets and he always went all-out for the team. He was a mid-relief workhorse and was often ignored because of that fact. He deserved a lot more credit than he received. When I think of a "Met" I think of Jeff, the "I-Man". Generic Mets Fan Innis may have given up quite a few home runs, but you have to admit the guy was a team player. He was so frickin' loyal to the Mets and he was such a trooper. Innis...YOU ROCK. Big E Rock solid middle reliever/spot starter kind of guy. Not a ton of talent, but plenty of heart. I remember an Opening Day game (I think it was '92) when the Mets won 1-0 in 13 innings after Daryl Boston got grazed by a ball with the bases loaded. Innis pitched in that game, coming in with a bases-loaded, nobody out situation. Nobody scored. I wonder what happened to him. Jim Alderson April 7, 2001 It amazes me how Jeff disappeared so fast after the Mets let him go in this age where the relief talent is so thin. His worst ERA was better than many players' best. I loved that submarine pitch. He dropped his arm down so low, I thought his knuckles would scrape the ground. I spent years imitating it. James August 1, 2001 This guy was always solid for the Mets....I'm surprised he did not have a longer big league career. I also loved his submarine windup and tried to copy it. Joseph Schick September 7, 2001 Excellent pitcher. Today, with expansion and more of an appreciation for pitchers who can get outs without the 95 MPH heat, he'd be a top middle-inning relief pitcher. Peter September 10, 2001 Another one of the totally under appreciated pitchers for the Mets, and perhaps in all of baseball at the time. No, he wasn't over powering or dominating, like Clemens, but he was very effective. Few other pitchers can match his numbers. BW December 3, 2001 Clearly one of the most underrated pitchers of the 80's. His side-arm delivery paralyzed the best of hitters. The submarine motion of his pale right arm produced such a graceful yet intimidating result. He was the MAN! "The Pride of the Prairie" Joe Novellino December 17, 2001 I too tried to copy Innis' wind-up; in Ozone-Howard Little League. My coach yelled at me. Scott W. December 17, 2001 Jeff's 1991 season was statistically one of the most unusual in baseball history: 69 games pitched, no wins, no saves. Has any other pitcher ever done this? Rich Lorenzo January 2, 2002 I don't think Jeff was under appreciated by Mets fans of the time. I think it was his 30th birthday and they had a giant banner in honor of him at Shea. I also don't think he was under appreciated by baseball fans in general either. I mean, how many middle relief guys get a lot of respect even in today's game? Jeff Nelson and Zimmerman are the only two that come to mind. Mets R King February 6, 2002 Jeff had a unique delivery and as I kid I found it vey interesting. He was a good pitcher and I really liked him. DaveG March 19, 2002 Did you guys watch the same Jeff Innis that I painfully watched for all those years? I used to HATE that guy, and everytime he came in I'd be ticked off. He sucked! I can TOTALLY see why he fizzled after the Mets let go of him....he was freakin' terrible. Mr. Sparkle March 22, 2002 I can understand someone hating a guy like Jeff, a long man, but considering his place on the team I thought he was pretty good. He wasn't great, what 5th guy out of the pen is but he had a good ERA and pitched for 7-8 years. His won loss record is pretty bad but he came in a lot of games that he may have given up one run and lost. The early 90's teams didn't score a lot of runs. In my book Jeff was OK in the role we needed him in. Theresa H. from Virginia March 26, 2002 Not only was Jeff a great pitcher, he's a great guy and friend. He sure is missed by his old Tidewater Tides fans and friends! Jim July 7, 2002 One of Jeff Innis' best qualities was, aside from his windup, was his uncanny ability do impersonations. I remember one time on the Mets pregame show back in the days of WWOR, he was doing a impression of then-GM Frank Cashen. It was dynamite. All he needed was the bow tie! He also is one of only two Mets to have a last name begin with I. (The other, of course, being Jason Isringhausen.) Tim Smith October 8, 2002 Jeff can kiss my #$%. I faced him in one at-bat in the minors and he struck me out. I hate that skinny side-arming @$#%^&! I still hide my face in shame knowing that #@$%! got me out. I don't care if he is my best friend! We grew up together, played little league, high school, and Legion ball together. Somehow we ended up facing each other in a Carolina League game in Lynchburg in 1985. I had to step out a couple of times to keep from laughing. Of course I stopped laughing after I swung through that %$^#^&*%! fastball of his for strike three!I can still see that grapefruit going past the barrel of my bat. Banger7 October 25, 2002 I remember two things about Innis: 1. He specialized in cups of coffee, bouncing up and down between the majors and minors for years. 2. He listened to Social Distortion. Gotta appreciate a pitcher who likes punk rock :) A good reliever who never got enough calls from the bullpen. Bob P March 4, 2004 In response to Scott's post in December of 2001: in 1991, Jeff became the first pitcher in baseball history to appear in at least 60 games without a win or a save. Of course, Jeff wound up being the winning pitcher on Opening Day, 1992! One more bit of trivia--in March 1994, as a member of the Twins, Jeff gave up the first spring training hit to White Sox OF Michael Jordan. He didn't make the Twins' major league team that year and pitched in seven games in the minors before retiring. Jonathan Stern May 22, 2004 One time on Kiner's Korner, Ralph announced that he was about to interview Frank Cashen. Playing it completely straight, Kiner faced the camera alone to begin the interview. After he asked Cashen his first question, the camera moved back to reveal Jeff Innis wearing a bow tie over his full uniform. At several points during the interview, the name "Frank Cashen" flashed below Innis. "Frank Cashen" complained about Innis's "horsecrap" pitching, among other things. Baseball doesn't get any better than that. Jeff In Florida May 26, 2004 Jeff Innis was a quality middle relief pitcher. He would fit well on our team now. I was actually at his major league debut in May or June of 1987. Sadly he lost the game on a 10th inning home run against the Giants. I never figured out why, after leaving the Mets, no other team gave him a real shot. Bob P June 2, 2004 Jeff Innis made his major league debut on May 16, 1987. He pitched two innings in relief of Rick Aguilera and was the losing pitcher when he gave up a tenth inning homer to Jeffrey Leonard. jamey bumbalo November 23, 2005 His submarine delivery was the coolest, and he was a fine reliever. Look at his career ERA: 3.05, which is far better than pitchers today who make millions. I remember after one season, I think it was 1991, he had an 0-2 record and sought a raise. The Mets GM--I can't recall who it was--scoffed at his request by saying he didn't even win a game. True, but his ERA that year (if I'm correct that it was '91) was 2.66. How many pitchers today (or even then) have an ERA like that? DailySkew December 18, 2008 Yup, I tried to imitate his delivery during stickball at day camp! I recall Tim and Ralph always saying that his lefty/righty split was unusual, which probably was why he always sent up and down to the minors. I liked Jeff a lot. VIBaseball September 9, 2011 I too liked Innis for his motion, although I remember it more as low sidearm than true submarine (Terry Leach dropped down more). He was pretty typical of his breed. His sinker meant that he had a good home run ratio, despite what the poster above said: he gave up just 22 in 360 career innings pitched. He was also more effective against righties (.227) than lefties (.290). Kurt Lundgren February 13, 2012 Jeff was the funniest player I ever met. His minor league motto "team cohesion". Fantastic ballplayer, great teammate. NYB Buff October 9, 2017 Jeff became the first Met in history with a last name to start with the letter I when he joined the team in 1987. At the end of his major league career six years later, he was the all-time leader among I-named pitchers in strikeouts with 192. Four hurlers have passed him on that list since then (two of which were Jason Isringhausen and Kaz Ishii, who also pitched for the Mets), but Jeff can still claim he once had possession of a career strikeout record. I wonder if he’s ever been aware of this. Eric Tartaglione October 7, 2020 Always a reliable reliever. Underrated. I’d take a reliever with a 3.05 ERA today, I’ll tell you that. I’ve gotten to know him at Mets Fantasy Camp. A terrific individual. Paul February 3, 2021 Several posters have commented on Jeff Innis’ great talent for doing impressions. I remember when Jeff did an impression of WFAN’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, with Russo doing a radio commercial for Sy Sperling’s Hair Club for Men: “If you’re worried about losing your hair, and we know that you ARE, you should call Sy Sperling’s Hair Club for Men!” Wow, the I-Man really nailed the “Mad Dog” with that dead-on impression! PS Maybe WFAN should hire Jeff Innis to replace either Maggie Gray or the FAN’s “Quiet Man,” Craig Carton? Old Man River May 21, 2021 I seem to recall that Jeff's wife, Kelly, was an athlete herself. She once appeared on the cover of "Runner's World" magazine. Does anyone remember that? Hot Foot January 30, 2022 I just found out that Jeff Innis is no longer with us. I saw his MLB debut on TV in 1987; in that game Jeffrey Leonard hit a bomb off him and that is my only Mets memory of him. Still, upon learning this sad news today, I feel compelled to write a note as he heads up to the clubhouse in the sky. Rest in Peace, Jeff. Where you are, you will never have to worry about Jeffrey Leonard hitting a game-winning shot off you ever again. Kellyruns09 November 11, 2022 Jeff was a finesse pitcher, his sinker slider were beautiful to watch. He was the most mentally tough athlete in my opinion and he loved what he did. He always pitched whether he was hurt or tired from pitching consecutive games because he always appreciated the opportunity he was given to pitch in the MLB. He faced many challenges in h There’s a lot that fans don’t know… Jeff was offered a contract verbally by the Mets and then it was retracted because NY GM McIlvaine did not like Jeff’s agent Scott Boras. When they pulled the offer Jeff was left without a job and it was late and spring training was weeks away. I watched Jeff call every GM he could and ask for an opportunity to make a team’s roster. He scrambled and eventually Terry Ryan, a former Mets scout who drafted Jeff, let him come to Spring training for the Minnesota Twins. Jeff made a valiant effort and he pitched well but Tom Kelly favored hard throwing pitchers and the rest is history. He was sent to triple AAA. We spent time in Salt Lake City, and with the Phillies in Scranton and ended up with San Diego AAA in Las Vegas where our son was born. Jeff was always grateful and took the challenges in stride. He was one of a kind…humble and just happy to get the ball. RIP #40 always proud to be a Met. Dave VW November 23, 2022 I'm very sorry for your loss, Kelly. Your post was how I learned of Jeff's passing, and as I am in the midst of rewatching the early 1990s Mets, this news comes with some added sting. Jeff was a very big part of those teams -- perhaps overlooked because the Mets weren't particularly good back then. He was a great bullpen asset and someone who never created any controversy -- something the team could have used a lot more of during that era.

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