Former Toronto Blue Jays All-Star pitcher dead at 69
The Toronto Blue Jays are saying goodbye to one of the organization’s earliest great players.
Former Jays pitcher Jim Clancy passed away at age 69, as per the team.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Blue Jays great, Jim Clancy.
Clancy spent 12 of his 15 Major League seasons with Toronto – including an All-Star appearance in 1982 – and ranks second in franchise history in starts, innings pitched, and complete games.
His impact on… pic.twitter.com/9nASV1IIbb
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 14, 2025
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of Blue Jays great, Jim Clancy,” the organization wrote on social media. “His impact on our organization will be remembered forever. Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
No specifics on the cause of death are currently available.
What was Clancy’s time with the Blue Jays like?
While he was originally property of the Texas Rangers, he was left unprotected in the 1976 MLB Expansion Draft and was selected by the Jays with the sixth pick.
Clancy was a member of the Blue Jays’ inaugural season in 1977, making his major league debut in July. Clancy had an All-Star appearance in 1982, in an incredible season where he made a league-leading 40 starts, which remains a Toronto franchise record to this day.
He ranks second in Blue Jays franchise history in starts, innings pitched, and complete games, and was twice the team’s starting pitcher on Opening Day in both 1981 and 1984. His only postseason appearance in Toronto came in 1985, when he had just one inning pitched in relief.
His time with the franchise preceded their biggest success, as he was granted free agency in 1988 after 12 seasons with the Jays and signed with the Houston Astros.
In 1991, he was a member of the Atlanta Braves on their World Series run, though they fell in seven games to the Minnesota Twins.
Clancy signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs in 1992, but ultimately opted to retire, the same year the Blue Jays won their first World Series in franchise history.