Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones celebrated being named to the MLB All-Star Team by going 5 for 5 last night.
Jones, 40, who is in his final season as an active player in baseball , replaces the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp who is on the disabled list with a bad hammy.
Jones called his selection before the game “a complete surprise” and that he felt like a “kid in a candy store.”
Last night, Jones responded to the good news with a five-hit, four RBI performance against the Cubs in a 10-3 victory. This was his third career five-hitter but his first in 10 years. Jones had three singles and two doubles.
As ESPN reports , Jones commented that “Tonight was just one of those dream games, I would be hard-pressed to find a game in which I played better.”
Chipper Jones made his MLB debut with Atlanta in September 1993. As a switch hitter, Jones has a .304 batting average with 450 home runs, 1,594 RBI, and over 1,000 extra base hits, numbers good enough to send him to the MLB Hall of Fame. Unlike most contemporary players who bounce around from team to team, Jones has played his entire career with the Braves.
He is an eight-time MLB All Star, the 1999 National League MVP, and was a member of the Braves’ 1999 World Series championship team.
Although on the DL, Matt Kemp apparently plans to compete in the Home Run Derby before the All-Star Game, which will be held this year at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
The game will mark Chipper Jones’ first appearance at Kauffman Stadium, the only park where has not yet played.