Hall of Famer Andruw Jones said he was in "utter shock" when he received the bases-loaded walk that clinched the 1999 National League Championship Series for the Atlanta Braves against the New York Mets. The moment, which occurred in the 11th inning of Game 6, sent the Braves to the World Series.
Jones, speaking at his Hall of Fame induction news conference, admitted he tries to avoid walks because he strikes out frequently. "So when he walked me, I was shocked," he said.
The Braves went on to face the New York Yankees in the World Series, where they were swept. Jones acknowledged that the grueling NLCS series against the Mets had drained the Braves. "By the time we went to play the Yankees, we got swept. We had no juice left to go play them," Jones stated, adding that the Yankees "had a great team that year."
The following season, in 2000, the Mets and Yankees met in the World Series, with the Yankees winning in five games to secure their 26th championship.
Jones is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, his ninth ballot. He joins a decorated group of 1996 Braves teammates already enshrined, including Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, manager Bobby Cox, and general manager John Schuerholz.
Reflecting on the Hall of Fame process, Jones said, "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?" He added, "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."
Former teammate Chipper Jones expressed his happiness for Andruw Jones, noting their 12 years together with the Braves. "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. He also fondly recalled their time batting consecutively in the lineup: "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."