Charley Jones

Charley Jones
Charley Jones
	Outfielder
	Born: April 30, 1852; Alamance County, North Carolina, U.S.
	Died: June 6, 1911 (aged 59); New York, New York, U.S.
	Batted: Right Threw: Right
Major league debut
	May 4, 1875, for the Keokuk Westerns
Last major league appearance
	April 26, 1888, for the Kansas City Cowboys
Major league statistics
Batting average	.298
Home runs	56
Runs batted in	553
	Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
	Keokuk Westerns (1875); Hartford Dark Blues (1875); Cincinnati Reds (1876–1877); Chicago White Stockings (1877); Cincinnati Reds (1877–1878); Boston Red Caps (1879–1880); Cincinnati Red Stockings (1883–1887); New York Metropolitans (1887); Kansas City Cowboys (1888);
Career highlights and awards
	NL home run leader (1879); NL RBI leader (1879);

Charles Wesley Jones (born Benjamin Wesley Rippay on April 30, 1852 – June 6, 1911) was an American professional baseball left fielder who hit 56 home runs and batted .298 during his 12 year major-league career, and was perhaps the first "slugger."^[1] He was born in Alamance County, North Carolina.^[2] He was the 13th player to collect 1,000 hits, doing so in 1886.^[3]

Career

Jones played for several teams; the Keokuk Westerns, Hartford Dark Blues, Cincinnati Reds (NL), Chicago White Stockings, Boston Red Caps, Cincinnati Red Stockings (AA), New York Metropolitans, and Kansas City Cowboys. A popular but controversial player, despite his hitting ability he never played for a league champion.

On June 10, 1880, Jones became the first big leaguer to hit two homers in the same inning.^[4] Both home runs came off Buffalo Bisons' pitcher Tom Poorman in the eighth inning of a 19–3 rout.

Jones best period was from 1883 to 1885, when he hit 22 home runs, had 186 RBI, and batted .310. Through the first nine seasons of the major leagues' existence, Jones held the career record for home runs, despite missing two of those seasons (1881–82) as a result of being blackballed from the sport. In 1887, he dropped to fourth place. By 1889, he was just tenth, and by 1890 he was no longer among the top ten.

After his playing career concluded, Jones spent two seasons as an umpire. He umpired 121 games in the Players' League in 1890, and 76 games in the American Association in 1891.

References

↑ David L. Porter, ed. (2000). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P (Hardcover). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 765. ISBN 978-0-313-31175-8.
↑ "Charley Jones". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
↑ "Player Batting Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball".
↑ McConnell, Bob (April 16, 2001). "Whatever Happened to Charley Jones?". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 13, 2025.

External links

Career statistics from MLB · Baseball Reference · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame

Records

Preceded by

George Hall

Single season home run record holder
1879–1883

Succeeded by

Harry Stovey

Preceded by

Lip Pike

Career home run record holder
1880–1881

Succeeded by

Jim O'Rourke

Preceded by

Jim O'Rourke

Career home run record holder
1883–1884

Succeeded by

Harry Stovey

[1] David L. Porter, ed. (2000). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: G-P (Hardcover). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 765. ISBN 978-0-313-31175-8.

[2] "Charley Jones". Retrosheet. Retrieved June 1, 2008.

[3] "Player Batting Season & Career Stats Finder - Baseball".

[4] McConnell, Bob (April 16, 2001). "Whatever Happened to Charley Jones?". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved September 13, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Career

See also

References

External links