Classic homers top list of Andruw's 10 best moments in HOF career

ATLANTA -- Andruw Jones introduced himself to the baseball world as a smiling teenager with a powerful swing, and he established himself as one of the greatest defensive players in baseball history. He was proudly elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame on Jan. 20, 2026.

Here is a look at the top 10 moments in Jones’ career:

1. Two at 19

Jones made his MLB debut on Aug. 15, 1996, and he legitimized his presence just two months later, when he homered in his first two plate appearances in Game 1 of the World Series. The teenager from Curaçao created history with his two-run homer off the Yankees' Andy Pettitte in the second inning. At 19 years and 180 days old, he became the youngest player to homer in a World Series. Nearly 30 years later, he still stands as the only teenager to hit a home run in the Fall Classic. His three-run homer off Brian Boehringer in the third linked him with A’s catcher Gene Tenace as the only players to homer in their first two career World Series plate appearances.

2. First to 50

Jones highlighted his career-best 51-homer season with an eighth-inning home run he hit in a loss to the Phillies on Sept. 14, 2005. The solo shot made him the first Braves player to hit 50-plus home runs in a season. He would hold this distinction until Matt Olson set a new franchise record with 54 homers in ‘23.

3. WOW!!!

This is exactly what Tom Glavine mouthed after Jones ended a 2-0 win over the Expos with an incredible diving catch on May 22, 2002. The great center fielder was barely in the picture before he swooped in like Superman and preserved one of Glavine’s 25 career shutouts. Glavine’s parents can be seen excitedly reacting to the catch at the end of this clip.

4. Spidey skills

Jones’ most recognized defensive gem is still widely recognized as the Spider-Man catch. He certainly surprised legendary broadcaster Skip Caray when he got to the center-field wall, leapt and secured both feet in the padding as he made an over-the shoulder catch of Bill Spiers’ fly ball on Aug. 9, 1999, against the Astros. A surprised Caray said, “Off the wall … he made the catch. What a play!”

5. A walk will do

Jones had seven career walk-off homers, but none of them was more memorable than the 11th-inning walk-off walk he drew against the Mets’ Kenny Rogers in Game 6 of the 1999 National League Championship Series. The Braves' outfielder worked the count full before seeing Rogers’ pitch sail high and wide of the zone. The walk sent Atlanta to its fifth World Series of the 1990s.

6. Avoiding an immediate 0-for-5

Jones had extra reason to feel good when he prevented an 0-for-5 MLB debut in the ninth inning of an Aug. 15, 1996, game in Philadelphia. He was held hitless through his first four plate appearances by Curt Schilling. But the young phenom tallied his first career hit with an RBI single he slapped to left field against Toby Borland.

7. No more buses

During Jones' second big league game, legendary Braves broadcaster Pete Van Wieren was telling a story to the TV audience about Jones being on a Minor League bus trip when he had to quickly stop his story because the young outfielder had just hit his first career homer. Upon seeing the homer against the Pirates’ Denny Neagle, another beloved Braves broadcaster Don Sutton said, “The only buses he’s going to be riding from now on are from the hotel to the ballpark.”

8. 400th HR

Jones tallied the last milestone homer of his career while playing for the White Sox on July 11, 2010. His third-inning three-run shot off the Royals’ Anthony Lerew was the 400th of his career.

9. All-Star Game homer

Jones homered in the 2003 All-Star Game and again in the ‘05 Midsummer Classic. The first of these memorable blasts was a seventh-inning shot against Mark Mulder. It looked like Jones might win the game’s MVP honor before the AL struck for three runs against Eric Gagne in the bottom half of the eighth.

10. Doubling up Raines

Everybody will forever remember Jones’ home runs to begin the 1996 World Series. But he also provided a glimpse of his great defensive skills during that Fall Classic. He certainly gained Tim Raines’ respect when he went back to the right-center-field wall to catch a Bernie Williams fly ball before making a strong throw that doubled Raines off at first base. Check out how many Hall of Famers are in this clip.