Houston Astros History: Remembering Jay Dahl
Jay Dahl was expected to be a key piece of the Houston Astros future. Instead, his career, and life, were cut tragically short.
The Houston Astros thought they had a key part of their future with Jay Dahl. Born on December 6, 1945, Dahl was signed out of high school in 1963, and sent to the minors. Even though he was only 17 years old, he dominated, posting a 5-1 record with a 1.33 ERA and a 0.918 WHiP in his 61 minor league innings. With the Astros, or Colt .45s as they were called then, looking towards the future, called up the young prospect.
As a nod to the future, the Colt .45s had their all rookie lineup on September 27. Facing off against the Mets, Houston wanted to give the fans a sense of what the future could be like. The 17 year old Dahl was given the start, as players like Joe Morgan and Rusty Staub in the lineup. After a scoreless first inning, Dahl was roughed up by the Mets hitters, allowing seven runs, five earned, on seven hits in his 2.2 innings.
That would be his only major league appearance that season. He suffered a back injury the following year, and appeared in only 11 games, all of which were in the outfield. He was 4-16 with two doubles and three walks, but did not show enough promise with the bat to remain in the field. Once his back was healthy in 1965, Dahl returned to the mound.
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He showed that early promise again, moving up through the system. Dahl posted a 61-1 record with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.444 WHiP. Although his strikeouts had decreased, and his walks had increased, Dahl still had plenty of potential.
Unfortunately, he would never get to fulfill that promise. Just hours after pitching the Salisbury Astros of the Western League into first place, he was involved in a car accident along with teammate Gary Marshall and their friend Patricia Troutman. The car spun out after hitting a patch of sand at a high speed, slamming into a tree. Troutman was killed instantly, with Dahl succumbing to his wounds three hours later.
Although his major league career lasted just one game, Dahl made an impact upon the history of the game. He is the most recent player to make his major league debut prior to his 18th birthday, as Larry Dierker debuted on his 18th birthday in 1964. Dahl is also the youngest player to pass away after appearing in the majors, as he lost his life at just 19 years old.
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Jay Dahl was expected to be a key part of the Houston Astros future. Unfortunately, he never had a chance to fulfill his promise.