Jason Scott Marquis ( mar-KEE; born August 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, and Cincinnati Reds. He also played for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, serving as the team's ace.
As a 12-year-old, Marquis pitched his team to third place in the Little League World Series with a no-hitter. He is one of only a few ballplayers to have played in both a Little League World Series and a Major League World Series. He also pitched his high school team to consecutive New York City baseball championships. Marquis was drafted in the first round out of high school by the world champion Atlanta Braves, and reached the majors as a 21-year-old in 2000.
As a major leaguer, Marquis won 11 or more games for six straight years through 2009, and also started 28 or more games in each of the years 2004–09. His 65 wins from 2004 to 2008 ranked 7th among N.L. pitchers. He pitched on a World Series champion in 2006, and was an All-Star in 2009. Through 2011, in his career in games that were late and close, Marquis held batters to a .228 batting average. He also excelled with the bat, winning the Silver Slugger Award in 2005. He pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Marquis was born in Manhasset, New York, and grew up in Staten Island's Arden Heights neighborhood, where he attended Paulo Intermediate School 75. His mother works for the New York City Board of Education, and has a teaching degree, while his father owns a check cashing business in Brooklyn. He was a New York Yankees fan growing up, and Don Mattingly was his favorite player.
Marquis, who is Jewish, grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, attended Hebrew school, and observes the major Jewish holidays. "My mother was a bit more stricter [sic] with our Jewish upbringing," said Marquis, "given that her parents were Holocaust survivors." Marquis was featured in the 2008 Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, published in affiliation with Fleer Trading Cards and the American Jewish Historical Society, commemorating the Jewish Major Leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus, Kevin Youkilis, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, Gabe Kapler, Scott Feldman, John Grabow, Craig Breslow, Jason Hirsh, and Scott Schoeneweis. Through 2014, he was third all-time in career wins and strikeouts (behind Ken Holtzman and Sandy Koufax in both categories) among Jewish major league baseball players.
Marquis starred in Little League Baseball on the South Shore Little League team that finished second in the US, and third in the world, in the Little League World Series in 1991. He led his team to a victory in the first round over the Ohio team on his 13th birthday.
His team lost to California in the US final on ESPN, as Marquis was relegated to shortstop because Little Leaguers weren't allowed to pitch two days in a row. Marquis then led his team to victory over Canada in the third-place game, throwing a no-hitter. "Playing in front of that many people at that time in my life made me realize this is what I wanted to do with my life," said Marquis, "and I was going to work my hardest to get it." As of September 2021, he was one of over 50 Little League World Series players to have reached the major leagues.
"When I was a freshman [in high school] I was 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m), and everyone thought I was too small to play," Marquis said. "But it was always my dream to play major league baseball, and I've always worked very hard at it." As a 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) junior and senior, however, Marquis threw a 93 miles per hour fastball, a curveball that was nearly unhittable at the high school level, and a changeup. He pitched the Tottenville High School Pirates to two consecutive New York City Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) titles. The first was a Pirates (22–1) championship in 1995 over the George Washington Trojans (32–3), 3–2 at Shea Stadium, capping a season in which he posted an 11–0 record while striking out 86 batters in 61 innings.
The second championship was in 1996 when the Pirates were 33–1; again over the George Washington Trojans (41–2). He pitched his team to a 5–1, 7-inning complete game victory in which he struck out 15 batters and did not allow any earned runs, while he himself hit a two-run triple, at Yankee Stadium. That capped a season in which he was 14–1 with a 0.40 ERA, and struck out 150 in 79 innings, while as a batter he tied a school season record with 11 home runs, drove in 45 runs, and batted .468.
He received the Iron Horse Award as the top baseball player in the PSAL and The New York Daily News Player of the Year Award. Marquis was named to the All-America Second Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings. Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News touted him as "perhaps the city's best high school player since ... Manny Ramirez," and Baseball America ranked him the 39th-highest prospect in the nation. He also played basketball at Tottenville, and on the academic side was a member of the National Honor Society. He was a teammate on the baseball team with Anaheim Angels catcher Tom Gregorio. One of his classmates at Tottenville was Chicago Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye.
The right-hander originally signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Miami, which offered him a scholarship. A message was relayed he had been drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the first round, the 35th selection overall. Marquis was excited, his team won the game and went on to win the city championship. He then opted out of his letter of intent and signed with the Braves on July 18, 1996, for a reported $600,000 ($1,200,000 today) signing bonus.
In 1996 Marquis began his pro career with the Danville Braves (Rookie Advanced) in the Appalachian League, going 1–1 with a 4.63 ERA in 7 games. He had 24 strikeouts and gave up seven walks in 23 innings.
The next year he tied for the South Atlantic League lead with a team-record 14 victories for the Macon Braves (which tied for the league lead), as he went 14–10 with a 4.38 ERA, tied for second in the league with 28 starts, and was named the Braves' fifth-rated prospect by Baseball America. "He's like a man on a mission to get to the big leagues," said Mark Ross, the Macon pitching coach. "He's doing great."
In 1998, he began the season as youngest pitcher in the Carolina League, but won only two of 22 starts for Class A Danville 97s, as he went 2–12 and struck out 135 (8th in the league) in 114.2 innings, while walking only 41.
Marquis began the 1999 season at Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League, where he opened the season by firing 20.0 consecutive scoreless innings. Marquis was named Baseball America Carolina League Player of the Week for the period April 15–21, as he pitched 10.0 innings, striking out 11. He allowed only one earned run in six starts (3–0, 0.28 ERA) before being promoted on May 10 to the Double-A Greenville Braves, and was named the Braves' sixth-rated prospect by Baseball America. With Greenville he went 3–4, 4.58 in 12 starts. He spent much of the summer on the disabled list (DL) with a sore elbow, a tender right shoulder, and a pulled oblique stomach muscle.
In 2000 Baseball America named him the Braves' fifth-rated prospect, and he split time between Double-A Greenville (going 4–2 with a 3.57 ERA), the Triple-A Richmond Braves, and Atlanta (15 games in relief; a 5.01 ERA). Marquis spent much of 2003 back in the minors with Richmond, and had a record of 8–4 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 starts.
Marquis was called up to the majors by the Braves in June 2000, at the age of 21 the 10th-youngest player in the NL, after the Braves demoted struggling closer John Rocker for threatening a reporter. He made his debut on June 6, 2000, in relief of Tom Glavine against the Toronto Blue Jays. "Getting that first call and running out to the mound," said Marquis, "I promise you I didn't feel my legs at all." He was later sent back down to AAA Richmond, but was recalled again in September. During the 2000 season he appeared strictly in relief, finishing seven games in his 15 appearances, and winning one.