Chipper Jones arrived home to Turner Field on Friday for the start of a nine-game homestand only two hits shy of 2,500 for his career. He needed only four at-bats to get there, and he did it in dramatic fashion.
Jones used a bases-clearing, three-run double off Cliff Lee for the go-ahead runs to reach 2,499. He sent Shane Victorino running to deep left center field to put the Braves up 6-3.
One at-bat later, turning around to bat right-handed, Jones singled to left off reliever Antonio Bastardo to reach 2,500 and receive a rousing ovation from Turner Field fans.
“It was really cool to do it opening night here in front of a packed house instead of 25,000 or 30,000 in mid-summer when it doesn’t mean all that much,” Jones said. “And to have come through in a big spot to help us win a ballgame was very gratifying.”
Jones took off his helmet to acknowledge the fans, celebrating what could be the last big-hit milestone he reaches. The soon-to-be 39-year-old said he never figured he would reach the magical 3,000 hits for his career, and still probably won’t.
“I think I walk too much,” said Jones, who is signed through 2012 and has a vesting option for 2013. “If I played four or five more years, yeah, but I don’t see that being all that realistic either.”
Jones said 2,500 is special for being “a nice round number,” but in the grand scheme of things “it not a huge deal.”
Jones said he takes more pride in his .400 career on-base percentage than in how close he’ll come to 3,000. (His career OBP was .405 entering play Friday night.)
“There’s no doubt that if I’d have been a little more aggressive throughout the years, 3,000 might have been a possibility,” Jones said. “But I’m more proud of the fact that I got a .400 on-base percentage throughout 18 years in the big leagues.”
What sets Jones apart and gives him Hall of Fame credentials are his accomplishments as a switch-hitter. He’s approaching a big milestone there as well.
With three RBIs Friday, he needs only three more to reach 1,500 for his career. He will become only the second switch-hitter in history to reach 2,500 hits and 1,500 RBIs, joining Hall of Famer Eddie Murray.
Murray and legendary Yankee Mickey Mantle are two switch-hitters Jones has always looked up to; he met Mantle at a card show in 1992 when Jones was still in Double-A. He played against Murray in the 1995 World Series when Murray was with the Indians.
“Switch-hitters are a different breed because we think differently than everybody else,” Jones said. “Every switch-hitter you run across that’s worth his salt walks around like he’s got an ace up his sleeve, like they know something that everybody else doesn’t. That’s what I really took away from getting to meet those guys.”
Catcher Boscan called up
The Braves called up catcher J.C. Boscan from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday and optioned left-hander Mike Minor back to Gwinnett, giving manager Fredi Gonzalez a third catcher to use until pitcher Jair Jurrjens returns to action.
With the off day Monday, Minor was needed for only one spot start, Wednesday in Milwaukee. Jurrjens is scheduled to return from his strained oblique April 16 against the Mets, if all goes well in a Monday rehab outing in Gwinnett.
Bringing up Boscan as a third catcher gives Gonzalez flexibility with Brian McCann and David Ross. He can give Ross more at-bats and feel more comfortable using McCann as a pinch hitter, knowing he still has Boscan available to catch.
“We can use Rossy as a right-handed bopper, or catch him,” Gonzalez said. “At least until the 16th.”
Jurrjens disappointed
Had this weekend gone as Jurrjens hoped, he would be gearing up to make his 2011 debut Saturday against the Phillies. As it is, he had to settle for being happy about being pain-free following his simulated game Wednesday in Triple-A Gwinnett.
“Not waking up sore, not waking up stiff, just waking up normal,” said Jurrjens, who threw 75 pitches that day.
Jurrjens opened the season on the disabled list with a strained right oblique, which he injured in a March 24 spring-training start against Toronto. Rather than risk further damage or a short outing, the Braves elected to stretch him back out in Gwinnett. He’s scheduled to throw Monday for Gwinnett, and if all goes well he’ll return April 16 vs. the Mets.
“You face one of the teams that everybody wants to beat in the National League and you were scheduled to face them and you’re not allowed to, or you cannot go, it’s disappointing,” Jurrjens said. “We play this game to face the best ones, and when you have a chance to do it and you’re not physically able to do it, or they don’t want to risk it, it stinks.”
Jurrjens said he understood the Braves' reasoning. He’s just frustrated, especially after missing three months last season with hamstring and knee injuries.
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