Cardinals History: Jose Jimenez Sent to the Minors

Back on June 25, 1999, St. Louis Cardinals rookie Jose Jimenez fired a no hitter. On this day, he became the second pitcher to be banished to the minors in the same season he threw that no no.

The St. Louis Cardinals game on June 25, 1999, appeared to be a mismatch. The Cardinals had Jose Jimenez on the mound, a talented young pitcher who dealt with bouts of wildness. On the other side, the Arizona Diamondbacks had Randy Johnson on the mound, who was at the height of his powers.

Amazingly, the Cardinals ended up with a 1-0 victory. Jimenez not only outdueled Johnson, but fired a no hitter. He hit a batter, and issued just two walks while striking out eight batters to earn a spot in baseball history. Then, two starts later, Jimenez defeated Johnson and the Diamondbacks again, throwing a two hit shutout in another 1-0 victory.

Those two outings would be amongst the few highlights for Jimenez during the season. On this day, Jimenez became the second pitcher in baseball history to be sent back to the minors in the same season. He joined the memorable Bobo Holloman in that ignoble club, and may have been only slightly more likely to fire a no hitter than the legendary Browns pitcher.

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Jimenez returned to the majors nearly a month later, but did not fare much better in his four outings. Overall, he had a 5-14 record, posting a 5.85 ERA and a 1.497 WHiP. In his 163 innings, he allowed 173 hits and 71 walks, hitting 11 batters while striking out 113 batters.

Heading into the next season, Jimenez was traded to the Colorado Rockies. He was converted to the bullpen, where he became a solid closer. In his four years with the Rockies, he notched 102 saves, with a career best of 41 in 2002. He signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians prior to 2004, but was unable to replicate his success. Sent down to AAA for part of the year, he bombed in Cleveland, and was out of baseball after that year.

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Jose Jimenez had his moments of success, but he remained an inconsistent and enigmatic hurler. On this day in 1999, the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher became the second player to be sent to the minors in the same season he threw a no hitter.