Chipper Jones Picks Dodgers, Braves Players Boycott NLDS 1st Pitch
Before Game 1 of the NLDS, former Braves third baseman Chipper Jones threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Turner Field. Jones retired after last season and was honored before the Braves took on the Dodgers.
Jones finished his 19-year career last season with the Braves and in his career, he hit .303 with 458 home runs and 1623 RBI while winning a World Series in 1995. However, it sounds like Braves players were upset with Jones and thus was the reason why he threw out the first pitch to a mascot, not a player according to Kevin Kernan of the NY Post:
Evidently, Braves players were not happy Jones had gone on the radio earlier in the day with the team’s flagship station, 680 The Fan, and predicted the Dodgers would win the NLDS in four games. So no player volunteered to catch the pitch.
If that’s true, it’s a pretty classless thing to do for an organization that prides itself on being the policemen of the baseball world. For Game 2, former Braves manager Bobby Cox threw out the first pitch, but pitcher Tim Hudson came out and caught it, instead of the mascot.
It was evident that Jones was upset that nobody caught his pitch as he tweeted this right after being honored:
Wanna thank the Braves organization for having me throw out the first pitch to the mascot tonite. Quite sure that’s never been done before!
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) October 4, 2013
Nor will it EVER happen again!
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) October 4, 2013
Regardless, Jones was right in picking the Dodgers to win in four games as Juan Uribe’s home run sent them to the NLCS for the first time since 2009. It’ll be interesting to see how his relationship with the Braves changes, but hopefully he’ll continue to pick the Dodgers in the playoffs.
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In case you missed it, here’s Juan Uribe’s game-winning home run to send the Dodgers to the NLCS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJgp8vkSa3k
The Braves don’t have to worry about catching any more baseballs…
Pretty smart guy, that Chipper…
if he was a tv guy and a little longer removed from the team and those players they may not have been quite so offended. i can understand. if …well there are no long time dodgers to recently retire lol…but it there were and he picked the opponent to win a playoff series, im pretty sure dodgers and their fans would not be happy either
You have a good point. Me being a Dodgers fan would not be mad if we had someone like chipper to say that the other team would win. He has the right to say what he wants. He is going to be in the Hall Fame one of these days but none of the Braves now will be. I am sure some Dodger fans would be upset. Most probably and still some of the players. But he has the right to say that.