Jahmai Jones Opens Up About Being Booed by Tigers Fans
· Yahoo Sports
Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park was a tough one for Jahmai Jones.
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The Detroit Tigers utility player found himself in the middle of a controversial moment when manager A.J. Hinch elected to pinch-hit for Kerry Carpenter in a key fourth-inning situation against the Chicago White Sox.
With the bases loaded and the White Sox bringing in a left-handed reliever to face Carpenter, Hinch turned to Jones, a right-handed hitter with a history of success against left-handed pitching. The move was met with immediate boos from the crowd, and those boos only intensified when Jones struck out to end the threat.
One day later, after the Tigers earned a dramatic 5-4 walk-off victory over the White Sox, Jones addressed the situation and admitted the experience was something he had never encountered before.
“I think that’s the first time in my career I’ve been booed by an entire stadium.”
Jones, who legged out an infield single in the bottom of the ninth, understood why fans were frustrated, but he also wanted people to remember that players are putting in the work every day to try to help the team win.
“I feel like fans forget that we’re trying just as hard (as we can), I promise. But obviously, it’s a bad feeling. You never want to get booed by your home fans.”
While the reaction stung, Jones said he couldn’t allow it to affect his approach at the plate.
“At the end of the day, I can’t get wrapped up in that. If I got wrapped up in it, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did my last at-bat. I would have been worrying about if the fans were going to boo me again. Hopefully I start turning it on so they can forgive me.”
The veteran also made it clear that he understands the expectations Tigers fans have for this team. Detroit entered the season with playoff aspirations, and a frustrating stretch of baseball has tested the patience of everyone involved.
“It’s just part of it. I know that the entire city wants us to win. They want us to be good. They know how good we can be as a team. We want to do that, too. So I feel for them. I really do. But nobody takes it harder than we do.”
Jones’ comments offered a glimpse into the human side of the game. Fans see the results on the field, but players often carry those struggles with them long after the final out.
After Sunday’s comeback win, Jones is hoping better days are ahead, both for himself and for a Tigers team trying to regain momentum as the season moves forward.