Books and articles about Ruppert Jones

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Seattle made Jones the first player selected in the 1976 expansion draft, which created the Mariners and Blue Jays. A lefthanded hitter with good speed early in his career, Jones hit 24 home runs in Seattle's inaugural season and 21 in 1979, then was traded away to become an extra outfielder and spare bat for several other teams. With the Angels in 1985, he slugged 21 home runs in only 389 at-bats. Jones holds the Mariner record for most runs scored in a season (109 in 1979) and is tied for club records for runs and walks in a single game. Against Detroit on May 16, 1978, Jones tied a major league record for most putouts by an outfielder in an extra-inning game. Jones was a favorite with Seattle fans, and after being traded he was still greeted with cries of "Rupe! Rupe!" when he visited the Kingdome. (TF)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » November 5, 1976: New American League franchises in Seattle and Toronto fill up their rosters by selecting 30 players apiece from unprotected players on other AL rosters. OF Ruppert Jones (Seattle) and IF-OF Bob Bailor (Toronto) are the first choices. » May 16, 1978: The Tigers top Seattle, 4–2, in 16 innings, winning on a home run by Lance Parrish. Steve Foucault, who pitches the last three innings, gets the win. Relief ace John Hiller tosses six 2/3 shut out innings. The M's Ruppert Jones ties a major-league record for CF by making 12 putouts. » August 4, 1979: At the Kingdome, the Mariner's Ruppert Jones hits a foul ball that sticks in the speaker above the 1B dugout. But the Athletics amass 11 hits fair to beat the Mariners, 5–3. Dwayne Murphy is 3-for-3 with a triple and a homer. » November 1, 1979: In separate deals, the Yankees acquire OF Ruppert Jones from the Mariners and C Rick Cerone and Tom Underwood from the Blue Jays, giving up seven players, including popular 1B Chris Chambliss, SS Damaso Garcia, OF Juan Beniquez, and Ps Jim Beattie and Paul Mirabella. Chambliss will be with the Blue Jays a month before they swap him to Atlanta. » June 24, 1984: After missing two starts, Jack Morris (12–3) stops the Brewers, 7–1. Ruppert Jones and Lance Parrish hit homers for the Tigers, who have now drawn 165,000 fans for the 4-game series with Milwaukee. Detroit now leads the AL East by eight 1/2 games. » August 5, 1984: The Royals sweep two from the first-place Tigers, winning 5–4 and 5–0, in the first of three straight doubleheaders for Detroit. KC takes the opener when Dane Iorg bloops a double over Ruppert Jones's head in left. Charlie Leibrandt wins the nitecap with relief help from Dan Quisenberry in the 9th. » June 28, 2002: Tampa Bay whips their cross state rival Marlins 4–0 behind Wilson Alvarez and two relievers. Jared Sandberg homers for TB. In the 7th, Kevin Millar of the Marlins hits a towering fly that lands on one of the catwalks that hang from the stadium's dome. It never comes down and it is ruled a double. It's the second time a ball has gotten stuck in a catwalk at Tropicana Field. In 1999, Jose Canseco hit a home run drive that lodged there. Millar joins Ruppert Jones, Rickey Nelson, Dave Kingman, Alvaro Espinoza and Canseco as the only players to hit a fair ball that got stuck in a stadium obstruction. Jones and Nelson both had hits get caught in the overhead speakers at the old Kingdome. The balls hit by Kingman and Espinoza were at the Minneapolis Metrodome with Kingman's getting stuck in a drainage valve and Espinoza's lodging in an overhead speaker.