The Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame’s class of 2023 will be inducted at the organization’s annual banquet on Sept. 27 at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. Here’s the next in a series of bios of the 2023 class highlighted by The Herald:
Jim Ollom
Inducted as: Athlete
High school: Snohomish class of 1963
Sport: Baseball
Ollom was a legendary high school pitcher who spent parts of two seasons in the major leagues.
Ollom, a left-hander, was renowned for his strikeout ability during his years at Snohomish. As a junior, he struck out 22 batters in a 12-inning game against Sedro-Woolley, then four days later struck out 21 in a seven-inning contest against Anacortes. As a senior, he had 179 strikeouts in 81.2 innings, and in the process he allowed just 17 hits and six earned runs. He tossed five no-hitters and five one-hitters during his time with the Panthers.
Ollom’s high school exploits caught the attention of Major League Baseball’s elite, as he was signed by the New York Yankees at the tender age of 17. In his first professional season, he led the rookie Appalachian League in strikeouts with 100 in 82.0 innings. After the season he was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the first-year minor-league draft, and he embarked on a successful minor-league career in the Twins’ system, highlighted by winning 20 games and being named the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player while playing with the Triple-A Denver Bears in 1966.
Ollom made his major-league debut with the Twins in September of 1966, retiring 18 straight in facing his original team, the New York Yankees, at Yankee Stadium. In his two seasons in the majors (1966-67), Ollom appeared in 24 games, compiling a 5.00 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 45.0 innings.
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