The New Jersey Jackals baseball club retired the uniform number seven of left-handed starting pitcher Isaac Pavlik. The ceremony will took place last Thursday at Yogi Berra Stadium before the Jackals-Miners game. Pavlik became the fifth Jackal to have his number retired, joining elite company including Yogi Berra (#8), Joel Bennett (# 28), Zach Smithlin (#4) and Ed Ott (#14).
“The New Jersey Jackals’ organization is thrilled to welcome Isaac into our Hall of Fame and add his number to such a prestigious group,” said Greg Lockard, President of Baseball Operations.
From a single-season perspective, Pavlik’s best campaign was in 2011, when he went 13-3 and a 2.73 ERA along with five complete games, one shutout, 25 walks and 112 strikeouts. Two of the greatest moments in his career ironically happened in his final season with the Jackals. Pavlik recorded his 1,000th strikeout on June 6, 2017 against the Sussex County Miners. Just over a month later on July 21, he powered the Jackals to its 1,000th win, as he hurled a dominant start against the Trois Rivieres Aigles. He pitched seven innings that night while allowing only one earned run on seven hits, while fanning a season-high 12 batters.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to be a part of such a rich history of the New Jersey Jackals,” Pavlik said. “This has been an incredible experience with an amazing organization and I am truly humbled by the honor.”
Pavlik was drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of Seton Hall in the 10th round of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft, where he still owns the University’s career record for saves (22). Spending almost three seasons in the Rockies’ system (2002-2004) as a reliever, he earned Northwest League All-Star honors as a rookie in 2002 when he logged a 1.13 ERA in 27 appearances for the Tri-City Dust Devils. In 2004, Pavlik signed with the Bangor Lumberjacks of the Independent Northeast League, before joining the Jackals in 2005. During the 2006 season, Pavlik’s contract was purchased by the Chicago Cubs organization. He finished the 2006 campaign at Double-A Tennessee, appearing in nine games (six starts) and went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA before returning the Jackals in 2007. Following his final year with the Jackals in 2017, he briefly pitched for the Quebec Capitales this season.
