Charley Jones

Charles Wesley Jones (born Benjamin Wesley Rippay on April 30, 1852 – June 6, 1911) was an American left fielder in the National Association and Major League Baseball who hit 56 home runs and batted .298 during his twelve-year career. He was born in Alamance County, North Carolina.[1] Charley Wesley “Baby”, “Big Charlie”, “Knight of the Limitless Linen” Jones, who was traded by the Cincinnati Red Stockings to the New York Metropolitans for the 1887 season, following a contract dispute. He spent 12 years in the majors, and was perhaps the first "slugger."[2]

For the football player, see Charley Jones (American football).
For other people named Charles Jones, see Charles Jones (disambiguation).
Charley Jones
Outfielder
Born: (1852-04-30)April 30, 1852
Alamance County, North Carolina, U.S.
Died: June 6, 1911(1911-06-06) (aged 59)
New York, New York, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
May 4, 1875, for the Keokuk Westerns
Last MLB appearance
April 26, 1888, for the Kansas City Cowboys
MLB statistics
Batting average.298
Home runs56
Runs batted in553
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Career

Jones played for several teams; the Keokuk Westerns, Hartford Dark Blues, Cincinnati Reds (NL), Chicago White Stockings, Boston Red Caps, Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA), New York Metropolitans, and Kansas City Cowboys. A popular but controversial player, despite his hitting ability he never played for a league champion.

On June 10, 1880, Jones became the first big leaguer to hit two homers in the same inning. Both home runs came off Buffalo Bisons' pitcher Tom Poorman in the eighth inning of a 19–3 rout.

Jones best period was from 1883 to 1885, when he hit 22 home runs, had 186 RBI, and batted .310. Through the first nine seasons of the major leagues' existence, Jones held the career record for home runs, despite missing two of those seasons (1881–82) as a result of being blackballed from the sport. In 1887, he dropped to fourth place. By 1889, he was just tenth, and by 1890 he was no longer among the top ten.

After his playing career concluded, Jones spent two seasons as an umpire. He umpired 121 games in the Players' League in 1890, and 76 games in the American Association in 1891.

See also

References
  1. "Charley Jones". Retrosheet. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  2. David L. Porter, ed. (2000). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P (Hardcover). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 765. ISBN 978-0-313-31175-8.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.