Cleon Jones
Encyclopedia
Cleon Joseph Jones is a former Major League Baseball
left fielder
who is best remembered as the man who caught the final out of the "Miracle Mets" improbable World Series
Championship over the Baltimore Orioles
.
at Mobile County Training School in Mobile, Alabama
, and Alabama A&M University. With the Bulldogs, Jones scored 26 touchdowns in nine games. Jones signed with the New York Mets
as an amateur free agent
in 1963. After batting over .300 for both the Carolina League
Raleigh Mets and New York-Penn League Auburn Mets
, Jones received a September call-up to the major league club without having played double or triple A ball. He got two hits
in 15 at-bats for a .133 batting average
during his stint with the New York Mets.
After spending all of 1964 with the triple A Buffalo Bisons
, Jones made the Mets out of Spring training
and was in the 1965 season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers
. Jones was demoted to Buffalo on May 2 with a .156 batting average
. He again received a call up to New York that September, and hit his first major league home run
on September 22 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
. He finished the season with a .149 batting average.
job in 1966, and batted .275 with eight home runs, 57 runs batted in and sixteen stolen bases to finish tied for fourth in National League
Rookie of the Year balloting. His batting average dipped to .246 in 1967, and he ended up sharing playing time in center field with Larry Stahl
. Following the season, the Mets acquired Jones' childhood friend Tommie Agee
from the Chicago White Sox
. Jones was moved to left field with the former Gold Glove
-winner Agee playing center field.
Jones began the 1968 season platooning
with Art Shamsky
in left. He was batting .205 on May 18, when he went three for four with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored to lift the Mets to a 5–2 victory over the Atlanta Braves
. From there, Jones began to hit; perhaps the finest game of his career occurred on July 16 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, when Jones went four for six with three RBIs and a run scored, and played all three outfield positions. He ended the season with a .297 batting average, which was sixth best in the National League.
. He went two for four with two runs scored in the NL's 9–3 victory. He hit a home run in the first game after the break, and emerged as the hitting star of the surprising Mets, with a team-leading batting average well above .330. The Amazin's found themselves in second place, five games back of the Chicago Cubs
in the newly aligned National League East
when the Houston Astros
came to Shea Stadium
for a July 30 double header
.
to Jones in left field to make the score 8–0. Mets manager Gil Hodges
emerged from the dugout, walked past Nolan Ryan
on the mound, and walked all the way out to left field. A few minutes later, Hodges walked back to the dugout, with Jones a few paces behind him, and replaced Jones in left with Ron Swoboda
. Newspapers at the time said Jones suffered a leg injury and he was not in the Mets lineup for several games after July 30. Later accounts say that Jones was removed for failure to hustle, and Hodges decided to do so publicly to show that he would not tolerate lack of effort on his team, even from its star player.
On August 22, 2009 following ceremonies honoring the 40th anniversary of the "Miracle Mets" Jones discussed the incident during SportsNet New York
's telecast of that night's game. Jones said Hodges asked him why he did not look good going after a fly ball on the previous play. According to Jones he pointed down to the water filled turf. Hodges then said that something must be wrong with Jones's ankle and pulled him for that reason. Jones explained that Hodges was his favorite manager, and that he would never publicly embarrass a player. According to Jones both parties never revealed the contents of the conversation. Jones believes that the fear instilled in other players by the incident was the turning point in the season.
and Roberto Clemente
, and was second on the team in home runs, RBIs and runs scored, behind Tommie Agee in all three categories.
Jones batted a stellar .429 in the Mets' three game sweep of the Atlanta Braves in the 1969 National League Championship Series
. In game two of the series, Jones went three for five with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs in the Mets' 11–6 victory.
The Mets were heavy underdogs
in the 1969 World Series
but took a 3–1 series lead. The Orioles were ahead 3–0 in Game five when Jones led off the sixth inning. Dave McNally
struck Jones in the foot with a pitch, however, home plate
umpire
Lou DiMuro
ruled that the ball missed Jones. Gil Hodges emerged from the dugout to argue, and showed DiMuro the shoe-polish smudged ball. DiMuro reversed his call, and awarded Jones first base. The following batter, Donn Clendenon
, hit a two-run home run to pull the Mets within a run of Baltimore.
Following an Al Weis
solo home run in the seventh to tie the game, Jones led off the eighth inning with a double, and scored on Ron Swoboda's double two batters later. With the Mets leading 5–3 in the ninth inning, Orioles second baseman
Davey Johnson
lifted a lazy fly ball which Jones caught to win the World Series.
In 1972, Jones platooned with John Milner
in left field. He played twenty games at first base, but not very well, and endured one of his worst seasons. The following season, Milner was shifted to first with Jones once again in left field.
In the 1973 season opener, Jones had his first career two home run game against the Philadelphia Phillies
. He had his second on September 19, against the Pittsburgh Pirates
in the first game of a crucial three game series at Shea for first place. The following day, Jones started one of the most memorable plays in Mets history, what has become known as the "Ball on the Wall Play". In the top of the thirteenth inning, with Richie Zisk
on first, Dave Augustine
belted what appeared to be a home run over the left field wall. Jones turned to play the ball off the wall and the ball hit the top of the wall and went right into Jones' glove on the fly. He turned and threw to relay man Wayne Garrett
, who threw home to catcher
Ron Hodges
to nail Zisk at the plate. Following this miracle play, the Mets won the game in the bottom half of the inning to move within half a game of the first place Pirates.
The Mets won the Eastern Division title on the last day of the season with a paltry .508 winning percentage, and went on to upset the mighty "Big Red Machine"
in the 1973 National League Championship Series
. Jones went three for five with two RBIs and a run scored in the series clincher.
The Mets lost in seven games to the Oakland Athletics
in the 1973 World Series
. For his part, Jones batted .286 with a home run in game two, and scored one of the four runs the Mets scored in the twelfth inning of their game two victory.
in St. Petersburg, Florida
. Police officers found him asleep in a van with 21-year old Sharon Ann Sabol, who was charged with possession of marijuana. Jones said he did not know Miss Sabol, but was giving her a ride home in a friend's borrowed van, which ran out of gas, and that he had fallen asleep fully clothed, except for his shoes. Though the charges were later dropped, chairman of the New York Mets M. Donald Grant
fined Jones $2,000, four times as much as a Met had ever been assessed before, and forced him to publicly apologize during a press conference held in New York. Jones apologized with his wife Angela, his high school sweetheart, by his side. He and Angela have been married for nearly 50 years.
. He was picked up by the Chicago White Sox
in 1976. He was released thirteen games into the season with a .200 batting average, and retired afterwards.
Jones earned a reputation as an outfielder with one of the strongest arms in the National League. For his career, he had 64 outfield assists, including ten in 1966 and 1970.
in 1991. His .340 average in 1969 remained a team record until John Olerud
batted .354 in 1998. Jones remains among the team's all-time leaders in games played, at bats, and hits.
Jones is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and a member of the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
.
He appeared as himself in a 1999 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond
along with several other members of the 1969 Mets. The rap duo High And Mighty
mention Jones in their song entitled B-Boy Document '99. The group has shown a tendency to rap about New York sports figures, and are said to be particularly fond of the 1969 Mets.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
left fielder
Left fielder
In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
who is best remembered as the man who caught the final out of the "Miracle Mets" improbable World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
Championship over the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
.
Minor leagues
Jones played football and baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
at Mobile County Training School in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, and Alabama A&M University. With the Bulldogs, Jones scored 26 touchdowns in nine games. Jones signed with the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
as an amateur free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in 1963. After batting over .300 for both the Carolina League
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a minor league baseball affiliation which operates in the South Atlantic Coast of the United States. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
Raleigh Mets and New York-Penn League Auburn Mets
Auburn Mets
* Location: Auburn, NY* League: New York-Penn League 1962-1966* Affiliation: New York Mets 1962-1966* Ballpark: Falcon Park...
, Jones received a September call-up to the major league club without having played double or triple A ball. He got two hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 15 at-bats for a .133 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
during his stint with the New York Mets.
After spending all of 1964 with the triple A Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
, Jones made the Mets out of Spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
and was in the 1965 season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Jones was demoted to Buffalo on May 2 with a .156 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
. He again received a call up to New York that September, and hit his first major league home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
on September 22 against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. He finished the season with a .149 batting average.
New York Mets
Jones was awarded the starting center fielderCenter fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
job in 1966, and batted .275 with eight home runs, 57 runs batted in and sixteen stolen bases to finish tied for fourth in National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Rookie of the Year balloting. His batting average dipped to .246 in 1967, and he ended up sharing playing time in center field with Larry Stahl
Larry Stahl
Larry Floyd Stahl , is a retired professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -...
. Following the season, the Mets acquired Jones' childhood friend Tommie Agee
Tommie Agee
Tommie Lee Agee was a Major League Baseball center fielder most noted for making two of the greatest catches in World Series history, both of which occurred in game three of the 1969 World Series.-Cleveland Indians:...
from the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. Jones was moved to left field with the former Gold Glove
Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
-winner Agee playing center field.
Jones began the 1968 season platooning
Platoon system
The platoon system in baseball is a method of designating two players to a single defensive position—usually one right-handed and one left-handed. Typically the right-handed half of the platoon is played on days when the opposing pitcher is left-handed and the left-handed player is played otherwise...
with Art Shamsky
Art Shamsky
Arthur Louis Shamsky is a former Major League Baseball player. He played right field, left field, and first base from to for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. In he was the manager of the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League.-Early life:Shamsky...
in left. He was batting .205 on May 18, when he went three for four with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored to lift the Mets to a 5–2 victory over the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. From there, Jones began to hit; perhaps the finest game of his career occurred on July 16 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, when Jones went four for six with three RBIs and a run scored, and played all three outfield positions. He ended the season with a .297 batting average, which was sixth best in the National League.
Amazin' Mets
Jones was batting .341 with ten home runs and 56 RBIs in the first half of 1969 earning the starting left field job for the All-Star Game1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 40th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played on July 23, 1969 at RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, DC. The game resulted...
. He went two for four with two runs scored in the NL's 9–3 victory. He hit a home run in the first game after the break, and emerged as the hitting star of the surprising Mets, with a team-leading batting average well above .330. The Amazin's found themselves in second place, five games back of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in the newly aligned National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
when the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
came to Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
for a July 30 double header
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
.
July 30, 1969
After losing the first game 16–3, the Mets were down 7–0 in the third inning of the second game when Johnny Edwards hit a doubleDouble (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
to Jones in left field to make the score 8–0. Mets manager Gil Hodges
Gil Hodges
Gilbert Ray Hodges was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. During an 18-year baseball career, he played in 1943 and from 1947–63, spending most of his career with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers...
emerged from the dugout, walked past Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. , nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers....
on the mound, and walked all the way out to left field. A few minutes later, Hodges walked back to the dugout, with Jones a few paces behind him, and replaced Jones in left with Ron Swoboda
Ron Swoboda
Ronald Alan Swoboda is a former Major League Baseball outfielder best remembered as a member of the Amazin' Mets.-MLB debut:...
. Newspapers at the time said Jones suffered a leg injury and he was not in the Mets lineup for several games after July 30. Later accounts say that Jones was removed for failure to hustle, and Hodges decided to do so publicly to show that he would not tolerate lack of effort on his team, even from its star player.
On August 22, 2009 following ceremonies honoring the 40th anniversary of the "Miracle Mets" Jones discussed the incident during SportsNet New York
SportsNet New York
SportsNet New York is a New York City-based regional sports cable network which airs in the New York metro area and all of New York state, and nationwide via satellite. It is owned jointly by the New York Mets, Time Warner Cable, and NBCUniversal...
's telecast of that night's game. Jones said Hodges asked him why he did not look good going after a fly ball on the previous play. According to Jones he pointed down to the water filled turf. Hodges then said that something must be wrong with Jones's ankle and pulled him for that reason. Jones explained that Hodges was his favorite manager, and that he would never publicly embarrass a player. According to Jones both parties never revealed the contents of the conversation. Jones believes that the fear instilled in other players by the incident was the turning point in the season.
World Series Champions
The Mets won 39 of their last 50 games, and finished the 1969 season with 100 wins against 62 losses, eight games over the second place Cubs. Jones ended the season with a .340 batting average, which was third in the league behind Pete RosePete Rose
Peter Edward Rose , nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989....
and Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
, and was second on the team in home runs, RBIs and runs scored, behind Tommie Agee in all three categories.
Jones batted a stellar .429 in the Mets' three game sweep of the Atlanta Braves in the 1969 National League Championship Series
1969 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 4, 1969 at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Mets struck first in the second off Phil Niekro when Jerry Grote singled in a run and Ken Boswell scored on a passed ball by Braves catcher Bob Didier...
. In game two of the series, Jones went three for five with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs in the Mets' 11–6 victory.
The Mets were heavy underdogs
Underdogs
Underdogs is the second full-length album released by the Matthew Good Band in 1997, as a follow-up to the 1995 album Last of the Ghetto Astronauts...
in the 1969 World Series
1969 World Series
The 1969 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles, with the Mets prevailing in five games to accomplish one of the greatest upsets in Series history, as that particular Orioles squad was considered to be one of the finest ever...
but took a 3–1 series lead. The Orioles were ahead 3–0 in Game five when Jones led off the sixth inning. Dave McNally
Dave McNally
David Arthur "Dave" McNally was a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher from until . He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles and played with them every season except for his final season with the Montreal Expos.McNally has the unique distinction as the only pitcher in Major League...
struck Jones in the foot with a pitch, however, home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
Lou DiMuro
Lou DiMuro
Louis John DiMuro was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1963 until his death.-Career:...
ruled that the ball missed Jones. Gil Hodges emerged from the dugout to argue, and showed DiMuro the shoe-polish smudged ball. DiMuro reversed his call, and awarded Jones first base. The following batter, Donn Clendenon
Donn Clendenon
Donn Alvin Clendenon was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He is best remembered as the World Series MVP for the Amazin' Mets.-Early life:...
, hit a two-run home run to pull the Mets within a run of Baltimore.
Following an Al Weis
Al Weis
Albert John Weis is a former Major League Baseball infielder.Weis grew up in Bethpage, New York, and graduated from Farmingdale, New York, High School in 1955...
solo home run in the seventh to tie the game, Jones led off the eighth inning with a double, and scored on Ron Swoboda's double two batters later. With the Mets leading 5–3 in the ninth inning, Orioles second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Davey Johnson
Davey Johnson
David Allen "Davey" Johnson is an American Major League Baseball player and current manager of the Washington Nationals. He was the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles when they won four American League pennants and two World Series championships between 1965 and 1972...
lifted a lazy fly ball which Jones caught to win the World Series.
1973 World Series
Early in the 1970 season, Jones suffered through the worst slump in his career that saw his batting average reach .167 on May 26. His average improved to .251 by the time he began a then-club record 23-game hitting streak on August 25. For the season, he wound up hitting .277. In 1971, Jones was again a .300 hitter, as he was seventh in the league with a .319 batting average.In 1972, Jones platooned with John Milner
John Milner
John David Milner was an American first baseman and left fielder in Major League Baseball. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he grew up a huge Hank Aaron fan, even appropriating his idol's nickname, "The Hammer." He was a member of the "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates team that won the World Series...
in left field. He played twenty games at first base, but not very well, and endured one of his worst seasons. The following season, Milner was shifted to first with Jones once again in left field.
In the 1973 season opener, Jones had his first career two home run game against the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He had his second on September 19, against the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in the first game of a crucial three game series at Shea for first place. The following day, Jones started one of the most memorable plays in Mets history, what has become known as the "Ball on the Wall Play". In the top of the thirteenth inning, with Richie Zisk
Richie Zisk
Richard Walter Zisk is a retired Major League Baseball player currently in charge of pro scouting in Florida for the Chicago Cubs.-Pittsburgh Pirates:...
on first, Dave Augustine
Dave Augustine
David Ralph Augustine was an American baseball player. He played outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1973 and 1974 baseball seasons.-External links:...
belted what appeared to be a home run over the left field wall. Jones turned to play the ball off the wall and the ball hit the top of the wall and went right into Jones' glove on the fly. He turned and threw to relay man Wayne Garrett
Wayne Garrett
Ronald Wayne Garrett was the New York Mets starting third baseman from 1972 through 1975. Garrett also saw occasional duty as a second baseman and as a shortstop....
, who threw home to catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Ron Hodges
Ron Hodges
Ronald Wray Hodges was a Major League Baseball catcher who played his entire career for the New York Mets....
to nail Zisk at the plate. Following this miracle play, the Mets won the game in the bottom half of the inning to move within half a game of the first place Pirates.
The Mets won the Eastern Division title on the last day of the season with a paltry .508 winning percentage, and went on to upset the mighty "Big Red Machine"
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the 1973 National League Championship Series
1973 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 6, 1973 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OhioThe starting pitchers, New York's Tom Seaver and Cincinnati's Jack Billingham, produced a classic pitcher's duel in Game 1. The Mets threatened in the first, loading the bases with one out, but Cleon Jones grounded into a...
. Jones went three for five with two RBIs and a run scored in the series clincher.
The Mets lost in seven games to the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in the 1973 World Series
1973 World Series
The 1973 World Series matched the defending champion Oakland Athletics against the New York Mets, with the A's winning in seven games to repeat as World Champions....
. For his part, Jones batted .286 with a home run in game two, and scored one of the four runs the Mets scored in the twelfth inning of their game two victory.
Arrest and apology
Jones suffered a knee injury, and was out on extended spring training when the 1975 season started. At 5:00 a.m. on May 4, Jones was arrested for indecent exposureIndecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
in St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
. Police officers found him asleep in a van with 21-year old Sharon Ann Sabol, who was charged with possession of marijuana. Jones said he did not know Miss Sabol, but was giving her a ride home in a friend's borrowed van, which ran out of gas, and that he had fallen asleep fully clothed, except for his shoes. Though the charges were later dropped, chairman of the New York Mets M. Donald Grant
M. Donald Grant
Michael Donald Grant was the chairman and a minority owner of the New York Mets baseball club from its beginnings in 1962 to 1978.Grant was born in Montreal in 1904, the son of Hockey Hall of Fame goalie Mike Grant...
fined Jones $2,000, four times as much as a Met had ever been assessed before, and forced him to publicly apologize during a press conference held in New York. Jones apologized with his wife Angela, his high school sweetheart, by his side. He and Angela have been married for nearly 50 years.
Retirement
Jones rejoined the Mets on May 27. He was batting .240, mostly as a pinch hitter, when he was released by the Mets on July 18 after an altercation with manager Yogi BerraYogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
. He was picked up by the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
in 1976. He was released thirteen games into the season with a .200 batting average, and retired afterwards.
Jones earned a reputation as an outfielder with one of the strongest arms in the National League. For his career, he had 64 outfield assists, including ten in 1966 and 1970.
New York Mets Hall of Fame
Jones was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of FameNew York Mets Hall of Fame
The New York Mets Hall of Fame was created in 1981 to recognize the careers of former New York Mets players, managers, broadcasters and executives. There are presently 25 members...
in 1991. His .340 average in 1969 remained a team record until John Olerud
John Olerud
John Garrett Olerud , is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays , New York Mets , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox ....
batted .354 in 1998. Jones remains among the team's all-time leaders in games played, at bats, and hits.
Jones is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and a member of the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
Mobile Sports Hall of Fame
The Mobile Sports Hall of Fame honors sports figures who have made a significant impact in the Mobile Area. The organization is a section 501 non-profit and is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors...
.
He appeared as himself in a 1999 episode of Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond
Everybody Loves Raymond is an American television sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. Many of the situations from the show are based on the real-life experiences of lead actor Ray Romano, creator/producer Phil Rosenthal and the show's writing staff...
along with several other members of the 1969 Mets. The rap duo High And Mighty
High and Mighty (band)
The High & Mighty are an underground hip hop duo from Philadelphia consisting of rapper Mr. Eon and DJ Mighty Mi...
mention Jones in their song entitled B-Boy Document '99. The group has shown a tendency to rap about New York sports figures, and are said to be particularly fond of the 1969 Mets.