#241 Mack Jones

When I pulled this card to scan, my first thought was "Mack the Knife". Not surprisingly, that was actually Mack's nickname during his career! By the way, I love that he has his outfielder's glove stashed in his back pocket.

Fun facts about Mack Jones:

-Born in Atlanta, GA, Mack signed with the Braves at age 19 in 1958.

-He debuted with Milwaukee in 1961 and tied a modern National League record with four hits in his first game, including a single and a double in two at-bats against Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.

-Hit .298 with 6 home runs and 26 RBI over his first 47 games in 1962, but slumped to .206 with four homers and 10 RBI over the next 44 games and spent the rest of the year in AAA. He wouldn't spend a full season in the majors until 1965.

-That 1965 season was a good one, as Jones slammed a career-high 31 home runs and added 75 RBI with a .262 average.

-After the Braves moved to Atlanta, Mack spent two years playing in his hometown, hitting 23 homers in 1966 despite a shoulder injury that cost him a few dozen games.

-After a one-year stop in Cincinnati, he joined the new Expos franchise. On April 14, 1969, his three-run home run in the first inning was the first longball ever hit in an MLB game in Canada.

-He was a popular player in Montreal, hitting a career-best .270 with 22 round-trippers and a personal high of 79 RBI in 1969. The left field bleachers in Jarry Park were dubbed "Jonesville" during his time there.

-Mack played for two and a half years with the Expos, wrapping up a ten-year major league career in 1971 with a .252 average, .347 on-base percentage, 133 home runs and 415 RBI.

-He coached youth football and baseball later in his life, and was selected for the Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame in 2000. Back in 1964, he had narrowly missed winning the International League triple crown as a member of that city's AAA Chiefs franchise, as described on the card back below.

-Jones died at age 65 in 2004, a victim of stomach cancer.