Cleon Jones

Template:Mlbretired Cleon Joseph Jones (born August 4, 1942 in Plateau, Alabama) is a former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for the New York Mets from 1963 to 1975. He threw left handed and batted right handed. While with the Mets, he played with childhood friend Tommie Agee. He played for a few weeks with the Chicago White Sox in 1976. His hitting prowess emerged in 1968, when after being platooned early in the year, he hit .360 over the last half of the season once he began playing every day and raised his average from .223 to .297 at season's end. His best season was with the so-called "Miracle Mets" of 1969, when he batted .340 (third in the National League), and was selected as an All Star. He recorded the last putout of the '69 World Series, catching Davey Johnson's fly ball to end Game 5. Also instrumental in 1973 pennant race hitting .260 while the New York 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" en route to a seven game World Series loss to the Oakland A's. Jones had a then-club record 23-game hitting streak late in the 1970 season after suffering through the worst slump in his career earlier that year. He wound up hitting .277, then hit .319 in 1971.

Jones was released by the Mets in the middle of the 1975 season after an altercation with manager Yogi Berra.

Jones was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame 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.

Facts

• During the Mets' magical season of 1969, Jones and team's manager Gil Hodges had a few memorable moments together. First off, Hodges yanked Jones in the third inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the Houston Astros on July 30 for lack of hustle going after a fly ball (Hodges walked from the dugout all the way to the outfield to 'walk' Jones off the field). But most memorable was during Game 5 of the World Series, when Jones claimed he was hit on the foot by a pitched ball. Umpire Lou DiMuro disagreed, but after Hodges inspected the ball and found shoe polish on it, Jones was awarded first base. The Mets would go on to win the game and the World Series that day. Jones also caught the final out of the Series.

• 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 '69 Mets. He is a graduate from Alabama A&M University.

Quotes

"Come on down, baby. Come on down." [before catching Davey Johnson's fly ball for the last out of the 1969 World Series]

See also

• Chicago White Sox all-time roster

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference