Sam Jones was called "Toothpick" because he always had a toothpick in his mouth, even when he was pitching.

Jones was great and not-so-great for the Cubs during his two years. He was the first African-American to pitch a no-hitter in the Majors (which he did in front of a whopping 2918 fans on May 12, 1955), but he also lost twenty games that year, and it was the single wildest season in Cubs history. He walked 185 batters in 242 innings, nearly 7 walks per nine innings.

The next year he walked 115, and he was traded shortly after that year. He later became a twenty game winner for the San Francisco Giants.