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ATLANTA — Andruw Jones, who won 10 Gold Gloves in a career that began with 12 seasons in Atlanta, became the 11th Braves player or manager to have his number retired on Saturday night.

His former teammates hope the honor adds momentum to Jones’ case for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jones’ No. 25 was retired before Atlanta’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and some believe the distinction was overdue. The center fielder played his last season in 2012 with the New York Yankees.

Of the 11 Braves who have their number retired, Dale Murphy is the only one not in the Hall of Fame. Jones received the fourth-most votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in the 2023 election, getting picked on 58.1% of the ballots. It was a notable jump from 2022, when he was eighth with 41.4%.

A player must be selected on 75% of the ballots submitted to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Jones played in Atlanta from 1996-2007, and others from that era to already have their numbers retired include Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones and manager Bobby Cox. Murphy, Glavine and Chipper Jones attended the ceremony.

“I played 12 seasons in Atlanta and I only had one manager, Mr. Bobby Cox,” Andruw Jones said. “Bobby was a father figure who pushed me to become the best player I could be. Without him I would not be here tonight.”

The other Braves players to have their numbers retired are Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Warren Spahn and Phil Niekro.

“To have my number retired next to Mr. Hank Aaron, No. 44, blows my mind,” Andruw Jones said.

Chipper Jones predicted Andruw Jones soon will join him in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Practice your speech tonight because I have a feeling you’re going to be making another one really, really soon in a small town called Cooperstown,” Chipper Jones said.

Andruw Jones was only 19 when he made his major league debut late in the 1996 season. Still a teenager, the rookie became the youngest player to homer in the World Series when he connected twice in Game 1 that year at Yankee Stadium.

He was selected to five All-Star teams and hit 434 career home runs. His best power season came in 2005, when he hit a franchise-record 51 homers to go with 128 RBIs. He compiled a .254 career batting average and .823 OPS.

Andruw Jones, however, was best known for his defense in center.

“It was unbelievable,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Saturday. “You see the video of him moving before the ball is hit and things like that. Just such a talented guy, and durable. He was a guy who never came out of the blowouts. He played all the innings of all the games.”

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Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

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Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced.

Jenks, 44, who had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, this year, spent six seasons with the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 and also played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011. The reliever finished his major league career with a 16-20 record, 3.53 ERA and 173 saves.

“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”

After Jenks moved to Portugal last year, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. That eventually spread into blood clots in his lungs, prompting further testing. He was later diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and began undergoing radiation.

In February, as Jenks was being treated for the illness, the White Sox posted “We stand with you, Bobby” on Instagram, adding in the post that the club was “thinking of Bobby as he is being treated.”

In 2005, as the White Sox ended an 88-year drought en route to the World Series title, Jenks appeared in six postseason games. Chicago went 11-1 in the playoffs, and he earned saves in series-clinching wins in Game 3 of the ALDS at Boston, and Game 4 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.

In 2006, Jenks saved 41 games, and the following year, he posted 40 saves. He also retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.

“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” Jenks said in his last interview with SoxTV last year. “It’s what I love to do. I [was] playing to be a world champion, and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”

A native of Mission Hills, California, Jenks appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox and was originally drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the fifth round of the 2000 draft.

Jenks is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a prior marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

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In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees, digging for options to bolster their infield, have signed third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the affiliate announced Saturday.

Candelario, 31, was released by the Cincinnati Reds on June 23, halfway through a three-year, $45 million contract he signed before the start of last season. The decision was made after Candelario posted a .707 OPS in 2024 and batted .113 with a .410 OPS in 22 games for the Reds before going on the injured list in April with a back injury.

The performance was poor enough for Cincinnati to cut him in a move that Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall described as a sunk cost.

For the Yankees, signing Candelario is a low-cost flier on a player who recorded an .807 OPS just two seasons ago as they seek to find a third baseman to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, his natural position.

Candelario is the second veteran infielder the Yankees have signed to a minor league contract in the past three days; they agreed to terms with Nicky Lopez on Thursday.

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Dodgers’ Snell pitches to hitters, ‘looked good’

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Dodgers' Snell pitches to hitters, 'looked good'

LOS ANGELES — Pitchers Blake Snell and Blake Treinen are progressing toward a return for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Snell and Treinen each faced hitters Saturday, and Snell pitched two innings. Each could begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break.

The 32-year-old Snell has pitched in two games for the Dodgers following his five-year, $182 million free agent deal after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants and three before that with the San Diego Padres. He is a two-time Cy Young Award winner.

“(Snell) looked good. He looked really good,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know what the velo was but the ball was coming out really well. He used his entire pitch mix. I thought the delivery was clean, sharp, so really positive day.”

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been injury-prone this season but is starting to get a boost from Shohei Ohtani, the two-way superstar who is working as an opener in his return from elbow surgery.

Treinen is looking to get back to his role in the back end of the bullpen. He threw one inning Saturday.

“Blake Treinen I thought was really good as well,” Roberts said. “Both those guys should be ready at some point in time shortly after the All-Star break.”

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