Reds Press Clippings December 27, 2015

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1957 - Powel Crosley, Jr. acknowledges the possibility the Reds may leave Cincinnati.

MLB.COM Reds Hall of Famer O'Toole dies at 78 By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon

CINCINNATI -- Former Reds pitching great Jim O'Toole, a member of the team's Hall of Fame who spent nine of his 10 Major League seasons in Cincinnati, died on Saturday following a lengthy battle with cancer. O'Toole was 78.

From 1958-66, the left-handed O'Toole anchored the Reds' pitching staff and won 16 games over four straight seasons from 1961- 64. A three-time Opening Day starter, he won a career-high 19 games for the 1961 champion Reds. O'Toole was also an All-Star in 1963 and posted a career-best ERA of 2.66 in '64.

After the '66 season, O'Toole was traded to the White Sox, where he pitched 15 games in his native city of Chicago before retiring.

In 270 career games, including 238 starts in the Majors, O'Toole was 98-84 with a 3.57 ERA. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1970.

In retirement, O'Toole was often a fixture at Reds events, including Redsfest.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Jim O'Toole, Reds Hall of Famer, passes away at 78 By Dave Clark / Cincinnati Enquirer

Jim O'Toole, a Reds Hall of Fame and fan favorite who helped the Reds to an appearance in the 1961 , passed away at 78, according to the team.

Fellow Reds Hall of Famer offered the following response: "I know people have admired a lot of former Reds. is at the top of the list, but Jim O'Toole was to me the epitome of class any player has ever had! He always wore a smile and was represented by his family in the highest of esteem. He loved his Reds and the time he spent in the organization. He came to all the functions and brightened the room. For those that knew him, no words are needed. For those that didn't, no words are adequate. RIP. MY LOVE TO THE FAMILY"

A Tweet from @Reds:

Cincinnati Reds @Reds Sad news today as we learn of the passing of Reds HOF pitcher Jim O’Toole. Jim will be greatly missed.

O'Toole spent eight of his nine big-league seasons with the Reds after debuting with the team at age 21 in 1958. He went 19-9 with a 3.10 ERA in 1961 - when the Reds advanced to the World Series and lost to the Yankees - and finished 10th in National League MVP voting.

He was 94-81 with a 3.59 ERA in 255 games for Cincinnati.

O'Toole was an All-Star in 1963. In fact, he started the 1963 All-Star Game for the National League, on a roster that featured , , and . He allowed one earned in two of work.

He finished 1964 with a career-best 2.66 ERA (with a 17-7 record) in 30 starts.

He was traded to the White Sox in 1967, and appeared in 15 games for Chicago before retiring.

He appeared often and signed autographs with Reds alumni at Redsfest and many other events for the team and Reds Hall of Fame.