3 reasons Bobby Jones’ NY Mets one-hitter was especially sweet

On October 8, 2000, Bobby Jones took the mound for the New York Mets against the San Francisco Giants. After dropping Game 1 of the series, the Mets won the next two and were about to seal the victory. Jones was the unlikely hero to throw 116 pitches in the team’s 4-0 win.

Remembered fondly and appreciated by those who were around to watch, this one-hitter in the playoffs was even sweeter than if anyone else had done it.

Bobby Jones’ Mets one-hitter was more special than we remember

1) Generation K had already flamed out

By 2000, the reality of Generation K had been realized. Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen, and Paul Wilson were not going to lead the next generation of Mets. Jones, a first-round pick from 1991, never did but was around for multiple years as a middle of the rotation arm.

Some good years and some bad ones, Jones should be considered a successful first-rounder if only because he stuck around for as long as he did. An All-Star once in his career, he achieved much more than the overly hyped Mets pitching prospects of the decade ever came close to in a NYM uniform.

2) Bobby Jones wasn’t very good in the 2000 regular season

His 5.06 ERA in the regular season wasn’t good for any era. While not as bad in this age of sluggers, it was the second-worst of his Mets career. Only the 5.61 ERA from the previous year topped it.

This was sort of a redemption game for Jones. He didn’t appear in the 1999 playoffs and after years of being on a team that failed to make it to the postseason, he was involved in one of the most impressive individual performances.

3) Bobby Jones was kind of done after this start

Jones would make two more outings in a Mets uniform, allowing 6 earned runs in 4 innings in the NLCS and 3 in 5 innings during the World Series. He became a free agent after the season concluded and would lose a league-worst 19 games for the San Diego Padres in 2001.

His two years in San Diego resulted in a 15-27 record, 5.26 ERA, and a -1.8 bWAR. It didn’t take long for the Giants to get their revenge. His Padres debut lasted 5 innings and included 4 runs charged against Jones. The Giants won 8-2.

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