Major League Baseball Player. He is best known for the shoe polish incident in the 1957 World Series. In the final appearance of his eight-year career, Jones batted in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 4 with the Milwaukee Braves trailing the New York Yankees 5-4. Yankees left-hander Tommy Byrne uncorked a wild pitch, and plate umpire Augie Donatelli at first ruled it a ball. But Jones protested, saying the ball hit his shoe. He showed the black polish smudge on the ball to Donatelli, and was awarded first base. Felix Mantilla then ran for Jones, and Johnny Logan greeted right-hander Bob Grim with a run-scoring double to tie the score. Eddie Mathews followed with a homer for a 7-5 victory. The Braves went on to take the Series in seven games. Jones broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946 as a second baseman. He was moved to first base because of his poor defense. He struck out as a pinch hitter in his only appearance in the 1946 World Series against Boston. On May 31, 1948, he spoiled Cincinnati's Ken Raffensberger's bid for a no-hitter with a single in the eighth inning. He stayed with the Cardinals through 1951 and played briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1952. He spent several years in the minors until his shot with the Braves in 1957. In a career plagued by back problems, he hit .267 lifetime with 25 homers.
Major League Baseball Player. He is best known for the shoe polish incident in the 1957 World Series. In the final appearance of his eight-year career, Jones batted in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 4 with the Milwaukee Braves trailing the New York Yankees 5-4. Yankees left-hander Tommy Byrne uncorked a wild pitch, and plate umpire Augie Donatelli at first ruled it a ball. But Jones protested, saying the ball hit his shoe. He showed the black polish smudge on the ball to Donatelli, and was awarded first base. Felix Mantilla then ran for Jones, and Johnny Logan greeted right-hander Bob Grim with a run-scoring double to tie the score. Eddie Mathews followed with a homer for a 7-5 victory. The Braves went on to take the Series in seven games. Jones broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946 as a second baseman. He was moved to first base because of his poor defense. He struck out as a pinch hitter in his only appearance in the 1946 World Series against Boston. On May 31, 1948, he spoiled Cincinnati's Ken Raffensberger's bid for a no-hitter with a single in the eighth inning. He stayed with the Cardinals through 1951 and played briefly with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1952. He spent several years in the minors until his shot with the Braves in 1957. In a career plagued by back problems, he hit .267 lifetime with 25 homers.
Bio by: Ron Coons
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