It Happened Today (April 26): Jon Jay's MLB debut

On this date in 2010, Springfield Cardinals alumni Jon Jay made his Major League debut with the St. Louis Cardinals, taking the first step towards a 2011 World Series ring and a lengthy and successful MLB career.

Not that anyone in Springfield is surprised.

Jay put up one of the best single seasons in Springfield's 15-year history in 2008. In 96 games, the outfielder slashed .306/.379/.457 with 17 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 10 steals, 57 runs and 47 RBIs. In 12 of those games he finished with at least three hits, including a pair of four-hit games highlighted by a 4-for-4 day against Tulsa on April 20, 2008 at Hammons Field where fans saw him triple, homer, and score three times.

Jay was named Texas League Player of the Month and St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player of the Month for June 2008 after just wrecking Texas League pitching over that 30-day stretch when he hit .385, got on base at a .473 clip, slugged .635, doubled and tripled twice, homered six times, scored 22 times and drove in 19 runs.

To this day, Jay sits among Cardinals all-time single-season leaders in average (.306 in 2008, 9th), best outfield fielding percentage with at least 200 total chances (1.000 in 2008, T1st), and fewest errors with at least 200 total chances (0 in 2008, T1st).

Jay hit .300 in 105 games as a rookie and followed that up with a .297 average with 36 extra-base hits in his first full season with the Cardinals in 2011--of course capping that year off with a World Series ring.

Twelve years since we last saw him in Springfield, Jay is still going strong. In 1,178 career MLB games with six different teams, he has a .285 career average and 1,074 hits. The only Springfield Cardinals alumni with more hits at the Major League level is Matt Carpenter with 1,092.