On Tuesday, there were six new inductees into the Greenville Baseball Hall of Fame
- Jan 21
- 4 min read
The inductees were Josè Alvarez, Cornell Blakely, Jay Jackson, Michael Roth, Al Phillips, and the 1960 Sterling High School baseball team.
JAY JACKSON
A Furman University standout, Jay Jackson’s baseball career spanned 17 years. He played for the Padres, Brewers, Giants, Braves, Blue Jays, and the Twins. By the time he retired in March of 2025, he was often regarded as one of the most reliable pitchers.
Jackson said that he had prepared some words, but at the last moment, he decided to speak from the heart. He thanked his entourage of 70 hearty souls who came to celebrate this honor with him at Fluor Field. The Greenville native said that hometown fans have supported him throughout his career. His voice quivered as he thanked everyone for coming out this evening to share a joyful time with him and his family.
JOSÈ ALVAREZ
Sometimes, stats don’t tell the story.
Just the thought of his lifetime supportive wife, Michelle, made him cry on the platform. But he shrugged it off, promising to laugh about it later, but not now. A colleague told him that if you ever saw a turtle on a fence post, realize that it didn’t reach that peak alone. We all have many helpers. For the last 38 years, Greenville has been my home. Relationships matter. We are all imperfect humans, all live in a broken world, and for all of us, eternity is closer than we think.
CORNELL BLAKELY
Daughter Deborah Herbert of Simpsonville accepted the honor on behalf of the late Cornell Blakely. Blakely loved baseball from early childhood. He was so good that at age 15, he played with seasoned adults and held his own. He had amazing speed, wit, and grit.
Blakely attended Dodgers spring training in Vero Beach, Florida, but did not make the team. He met Jackie Robinson, a personal inspiration.
Other talents landed him voice lessons at Furman University. So, he pursued singing and songwriting. A stint in Detroit led him to meet many Motown talents before they became famous.
Later, he turned to broadcasting and became a radio icon.
AL PHILLIPS
A catcher from Wade Hampton High School, Al Phillips went on to play for the Cincinnati Reds and later became a coach. Many call him one of Greenville’s finest baseball teachers. Since he had loved baseball all his life, he was puzzled that at age 12, one of his playmates alerted them that two things can bring players down: liquor and wild women. To this day, he is still puzzled as to why a kid could have such notions.
MICHAEL ROTH
Michael Roth is fondly remembered as the left-handed pitcher who baffled even Clemson’s best hitters and won two back-to-back championships. He could also swing that bat with the best of them.
Local fans know that he won championships in Greenville. A product of Riverside High School and the South Carolina Gamecocks, he started in several College World Series, a record. He also pitched in three consecutive championships and helped the Gamecocks win back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011.
When baseball brass found out that his mother is British, he was invited to play for the European League.
STERLING HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1960.
This team is regarded as the best Sterling baseball team of them all. With a 16/2 record, they were poised to win it all, but two of their star players got injured before and during the championship game.
And they had never faced a left-handed pitcher before. That kept them reeling.
Team captain JC STARKES accepted the honor for the squad.
JC Starks said he never had an adult baseball coach. He learned how to hit by throwing a rock up and hitting it with a stick with his left hand. That’s how he developed hand-eye coordination.
Players of Sterling lived in all parts of Greenville. So, he would talk to girls from all over the city without interference from rival games because his baseball teammates defended him. And all the girls recognized him from his stellar play on the diamond.
Before one game, the word spread that a scout would be watching the team. Starkes had a good game, hitting 3/5 at bats. His mother yelled, “That’s my boy!”
One of the guys hit a home run over the fence and broke a window on the second floor of a building. He whispered that the ball might have been nearly as far as the one hit by Ted Williams.
Starkes lamented that everyone remembers Jackie Robinson starting with the Dodgers in 1947. But they don’t know that Larry Doby, born in Camden, S.C., was the Hall of Fame Cleveland Indians player who broke the color barrier for the American League a few months later.
One of the speakers concluded by saying that we spent our lives gripping the baseball. Then we find out later that it was the other way around all the time. Baseball had a grip on us.
