September 15, 2023, 7:37 p.m. ET
BALTIMORE – Former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was honored before Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, hours after he signed a formal contract and retired from the franchise where he spent most of his career.
Jones jogged in from midfield with his two sons at his side to loud applause. After a video montage featuring tributes from several former teammates, Jones threw an honorable first pitch to former Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis.
“When I got here, the mission was to play as many games as possible, as hard as possible and for as long as possible,” Jones said. “I was able to fulfill that. The easiest thing was to play. The hardest part was doing the other things. The easiest thing was to show up here every day and put on the uniform.” .”
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Jones played 11 of his 14 seasons in the majors for Baltimore, winning five All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award.
He was a key part of playoff teams in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954, Jones ranks fourth among the Orioles in hits (1,781); fifth in home runs (263), RBIs (866) and runs scored (875); eighth in games played (1,613); and 10th in stolen bases (90).
Jones was drafted by Seattle in 2003 and played parts of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Mariners. He was traded to Baltimore in early 2008 as part of the return of pitcher Erik Bedard. With the Orioles opting to rebuild, he signed with Arizona in 2019 before playing two seasons with the Orix Buffaloes in Japan.
Jones, who now holds a position in MLB’s baseball operations department, said it was important to officially end his playing career in Baltimore.
“It’s my second home,” Jones said. “I wanted to show that to my kids too, because that’s the last thing they really see in me.” [as a player is] a ramen-eating Japanese gamer. And now they can see that and see how their lives have been shaped by rocking black and orange.”