LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A. Hall of Fame member Jay Gibbons has made a productive return to Major League Baseball.
Gibbons, a three-time All-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection from 1996-98 with Cal State L.A., made his first start in the Majors since 2007 on Tuesday and he made quite an impact. Gibbons went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI while helping the Dodgers beat the Phillies, 15-9, in Philadelphia.
Gibbons made his debut with the Dodgers on Sunday and delivered a pinch-hit, run-scoring single in an 8-3 win over Washington.
Gibbons had been released by the Baltimore Orioles at the start of the 2008 season. He was invited to the Florida Marlins’ training camp in 2009, but was released during spring training and considered himself retired.
Instead, he signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers this past spring. He hit .347 for the Dodgers’ Triple-A team in Albuquerque with 19 home runs and 83 RBI and had his contract purchased by the Dodgers on Sunday when the club designated Garret Anderson for assignment.
When Gibbons pinch-hit on Sunday, he picked up his first hit and first RBI since Aug. 9, 2007 against the Seattle Mariners. His home run on Tuesday was his first since July 17, 2007.
Gibbons now has 122 career home runs. He had a career-high 28 in 2002.
Gibbons was a 14th-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998 and was taken by the Orioles in the Rule V Draft on Dec. 11, 2000.
At Cal State L.A., Gibbons earned All-West Region honors all three seasons after helping the Golden Eagles to CCAA titles in 1997 and 1998. He led the Golden Eagles in hitting all three seasons, including a career-best .417 with 13 home runs and 57 RBI as a sophomore in 1997. For his career, he hit .380 with 33 home runs and 128 RBI. He also walked 96 times and had a career on-base percentage of .487.
He was drafted by the Blue Jays following his junior season in 1998.
Gibbons was inducted into the Cal State L.A. Hall of Fame in 2005.