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NEWARK’S JONES NETS 1ST CYCLE IN TWO YEARS
35-YEAR-OLD HAVING WORST YEAR OF CAREER, BUT TURNED BACK THE CLOCK ON FRIDAY

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (July 31, 1868) – Port Jersey easily dispatched visiting Newark in a battle of the NBBO’s two New Jersey clubs, but it was a member of the visiting Newark squad who was the talk of the afternoon:

35-year-old Newark OF Alistair Jones, who is in the midst of a career-worst season with the bat, did not have much of an effect on the outcome of the game, but he did complete the first Cycle in the NBBO since June 9th of 1866, when Johnnie Sands pulled off the feat for Utica.

Jones’ day with the bat in Jersey City:

• T1: Ground Out to 1B off T. Rice
• T4: Leadoff Triple to LCF off T. Rice (R)
• T6: Single to LF off T. Rice (R)
• T7: 3-RUN HOME RUN to LF off T. Rice (R)
• T9: Double to LF off F. Boudet
• TOTAL: 4/5, CYCLE (12th in NBBO history), 3 R, 3 RBI, 10 TB

As has happened frequently over the twelve Cycles completed in NBBO history, Jones’ Cycle-completing hit came in the 9th inning as all eyes were on him in anticipation of a historical feat.

Jones has been a dependable player for much of his nine years in the NBBO. He has a career average of .317, an OPS of .837, 268 steals (29.8 SB/yr), and 1.9 WAR per 70 games played. However, this year his average & OPS have fallen to .267 & .773 respectively, with just a dozen stolen bases through 63 games. It has not been Jones’ season, but today he scored a blow against Father Time and put in a memorable performance for a struggling Newark outfit.