Chipper Jones shines as Atlanta Braves defeat Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 – MLB Update
Chipper Jones reached a record 2,500 hits on Friday, April 8 as the Atlanta Braves beat Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 at Turner Field, Atlanta.
Playing on their home ground, the Braves could not write any better headline than Jones’ three-run double. Standing in front of a packed crowd in the ground, that included his family members as well, Jones probably had one of the most opportune moments at
his disposal to do something extraordinary. The win was all the more important as Alex Gonzalez also had his home debut.
The game kicked off with Tim Hudson pitching for the Braves. The start itself was made resplendent by the Phillies’ Ryan Howard who took on Hudson very early, hitting a sacrifice fly to left where Shane Victorino scored. Ben Francisco followed, as he singled
to left where Jimmy Rollins scored. By the end of first inning for Philadelphia, the team had struck three hits and two runs which had no appropriate response from Atlanta as Cliff Lee, pitching for the Phillies, reduced them to no runs.
With the start of second inning where the Phillies had a 2-0 lead, Victorino took on Hudson, where he grounded into fielder’s choice to second, as Rui Scored, giving a 3-0 lead to the Phillies.
The game saw its first share of excitement when Alex Gonzalez hit Cliff Lee of Philadelphia, doubling to left where Heyward scored. The eventful inning then saw Nate McLouth grounding to second where Freeman and Prado scored, bringing back the Braves in
the match.
The fourth inning was the most electrifying of all. Cliff Lee marshaled all his resources to contain Atlanta on their home ground but it hardly bore any fruit as the Phillies seemed determined to put on display something outstanding. It was Chipper Jones
who had the perfect recipe available to him to add to game’s excitement. While completing his 2,500 hits, he doubled to deep centre where Freeman, Prado and McLouth scored the desperately needed three home-runs. That effectively secured an ultimate victory
for the Braves as all other subsequent efforts by the Phillies proved fruitless.
The win would not possibly come without the performance of Jones who remained par excellence. Such deep impressions he has left on his fans and foes alike that even Charles Fuqua Manuel, Jr., who is currently leading Philadelphia as manager, had to comment.
“Chipper Jones has just been a good, solid hitter his whole career. I saw him in the minor leagues. He's not a lifetime .300 hitter for nothing."
Words of praise from your rival team’s discerning manager, coupled with the family members and home crowd’s presence, could be the best tribute Jones, or for that matter any player would love to get on such a splendid performance.
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