# Dave Jolly

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**David Jolly** (October 14, 1924 – May 27, 1963) was an American [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) [relief pitcher](/source/Relief_pitcher). The 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m), 165 lb (75 kg) right-hander was a native of [Stony Point, North Carolina](/source/Stony_Point,_North_Carolina). He was signed by the [St. Louis Browns](/source/St._Louis_Browns) as an amateur free agent before the 1946 season. After pitching in the Browns, [Cincinnati Reds](/source/Cincinnati_Reds), and [New York Yankees](/source/New_York_Yankees) organizations, he was drafted by the [Boston Braves](/source/Boston_Braves_(baseball)) from the Yankees in the 1952 rule V draft (December 1). He played for the [Milwaukee Braves](/source/Milwaukee_Braves) from 1953 to 1957 and was a member of the [1957 World Series](/source/1957_World_Series) championship team.

## High school

Jolly attended Stony Point High School in Stony Point, North Carolina. As a member of the school's baseball team, he helped in leading them to the 1942 [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina_High_School_Athletic_Association) Class C state title.[1]

## Professional career

Jolly made his [major league debut](/source/Major_league_debut) in relief on May 9, 1953, against the [Chicago Cubs](/source/Chicago_Cubs) at [Milwaukee County Stadium](/source/Milwaukee_County_Stadium). From 1953 to 1957, the first five years that the Braves were in Milwaukee, he was second on the pitching staff with 158 relief appearances, an average of almost 32 per season. During those seasons the [closer's](/source/Closer_(baseball)) job was held at different times by [Lew Burdette](/source/Lew_Burdette), [Ernie Johnson](/source/Ernie_Johnson_(pitcher)), Jolly, and [Don McMahon](/source/Don_McMahon).

Jolly's best season was 1954, when he was 11–6 with 10 [saves](/source/Save_(baseball)) and a 2.43 [earned run average](/source/Earned_run_average) in 47 games. He finished in the [National League](/source/National_League_(baseball)) Top Ten for [winning percentage](/source/Winning_percentage), [games pitched](/source/Games_pitched), [games finished](/source/Games_finished), and saves.

Career totals for 160 games (159 as a pitcher) include a record of 16–14, 1 [game started](/source/Games_started), 0 [complete games](/source/Complete_game), 82 [games finished](/source/Games_finished), 19 saves, and an [ERA](/source/Earned_run_average) of 3.77. He wielded a strong bat for a pitcher, going 14-for-48 (.292) with 1 [home run](/source/Home_run), 7 [runs batted in](/source/Runs_batted_in), and 8 [runs scored](/source/Run_(baseball)).

Jolly was a member of the Milwaukee Braves [1957 World Series](/source/1957_World_Series) championship team. Following that season, on October 15, 1957, he was purchased from the Braves by the [San Francisco Giants](/source/San_Francisco_Giants), but never again pitched in a big league game.

## Death

Jolly died in 1963 at the age of 38 in [Durham, North Carolina](/source/Durham,_North_Carolina), one year after he underwent surgery for a [brain tumor](/source/Brain_tumor).[2] He was buried at Stony Point Cemetery in Stony Point, North Carolina.

## References

1. (November 21, 2017). [Alex Sports Hall of Fame enshires Class of 2017](https://www.taylorsvilletimes.com/2017/11/21/alex-sports-hall-of-fame-enshires-class-of-2017/). *The Taylorsville Times*. Retrieved October 30, 2025.

1. ["Pitcher Jolly Ill; Brain Surgery; Help Is Offered"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160425051218/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aS8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BycEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5373,1729797). *Milwaukee Journal*. August 5, 1962. p. 1 (Sports). Archived from [the original](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aS8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BycEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5373%2C1729797) on April 25, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2015.

- 1955 Baseball Register published by [The Sporting News](/source/The_Sporting_News)

## External links

- [Retrosheet](http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/Pjolld101.htm)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dave Jolly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Jolly) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Jolly?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.