Jesse (Sandoval) Flores (November 2, 1914 - December 17, 1991) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. The 5'10", 175 lb. right-hander was a native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent before the 1938 season, and he played for the Cubs (1942), Philadelphia Athletics (1943-1947), and Cleveland Indians (1950). Flores was a starting pitcher in almost two-thirds of his major league appearances. In 1943 he won a career-high 12 games for Philadelphia with a 3.11 earned run average and finished in a tie for 27th place in the American League MVP voting. In 1946 he was 9-7, his only winning record, and had the fifth-best ERA in the league (2.32). He was a better pitcher than his record indicates. Flores did most of his pitching for Philadelphia, one of the worst teams in the league at the time. In five seasons there (1943-1947) he won 41 and lost 55, yet had a fine ERA of 3.15. His winning percentage during that span was .427. Meanwhile, the A's won 300 games and lost 466 for a winning percentage of .392. Career totals include a record of 44-59 in 176 games pitched, 113 games started, 46 complete games, 11 shutouts, 39 games finished, 6 saves, and an ERA of 3.18 in 973 innings pitched. Flores passed away at the age of 77 in Orange, California.
Trivia
- Flores shares the exact same birthday (November 2, 1914) with former MLB pitcher Johnny Vander Meer and former MLB outfielder Tom McBride.
