COOPERSTOWN — Nearly 27 years later, Mets fans still shudder at the thought of Andruw Jones’ bases-loaded walk-off walk against Kenny Rogers in the 11th inning of the Braves’ series-clinching win in Game 6 of the 1999 NLCS.
What did the soon-to-be Hall of Famer think of the moment?
“I couldn’t believe he walked me. I try not to walk, ’cause I strike out a lot,” Jones said at his pre-induction news conference Saturday. “So when he walked me, I was shocked.”
The 1999 NLCS sent the Braves to face the Yankees in the World Series, and the Yankees promptly swept Atlanta to claim their second of three consecutive world championships.
The Braves led the Mets 3-0 heading into Game 4, but the Mets clawed back to make the series 3-2, losing by a hair in Game 6.
walk in the 11th inning against the New York Mets as Mets
catcher Todd Pratt walks back to the bench on Oct. 19,
1999 during Game 6 of the National League Championship
Series at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA. AFP via Getty Images
“I think if we would’ve lost that game … it could’ve gone the other way,” Jones said. “The Mets and Yankees fans would’ve seen an earlier Subway Series.”
The following season, that scenario came to fruition, as the Mets and Yankees met in the Fall Classic for the very first time in 2000.
The Yankees won the title in five games, marking a three-peat for their 26th ring.
“[The NLCS] was a tough series. It drained us, to be honest with you,” Jones said. “By the time we went to play the Yankees, we got swept. We had no juice left to go play them. … The Yankees had a great team that year.”
Jones joins several legendary Braves in the Hall of Fame on Sunday, finally gaining entrance on his ninth ballot.
The 1996 Braves have eight members in the Hall now that Jones joins Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones and Fred McGriff, as well as manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz.
“They always kept saying, ‘Hey, be patient, you’re gonna be there.’ … Being on a ballot for nine years, you kind of watch from afar, but you’re not thinking about it, because life keeps going, you know?” Jones said.
“If I made it, this is a great honor. One of the toughest Halls of Fame to go in … but if it didn’t happen, I would have been the same person. You would have seen me walk on the street and have this joy that I always had.”
Chipper Jones talked about his joy for his longtime teammate at a Hall of Fame signing event Friday.
The Joneses were teammates in Atlanta for 12 years, from 1996-2007.
“It’s been really fun to see him go through the week and the whole process. I think he had to wait a little too long to get here, but hey, you’re here now,” Chipper Jones said. “We took great pride in knowing that if people wanted to come into Atlanta and beat the Braves, they had to get the Jones boys out in the three and four hole. … Hope he’s not the last, but we’ve had a good contingent over the last 10, 15 years.”
