Baltimore's Adam Jones exits his baseball career surrounded by 47,000 O's fans
BALTIMORE -- Orioles players honored Adam Jones by wearing number 10 T-shirts in pre-game warm-ups prior to Friday night's game with Tampa Bay.
Former players joined 47,000 fans who gathered to pay tribute to Jones. Back at the ballpark where he enjoyed the best years of his career, Jones made his retirement official alongside General Manager Mike Elias.
"I am just glad it all worked out," Jones said. "The final time putting on a jersey will be here."
Jones' decade of playing in Baltimore rates as one of the most outstanding careers in Orioles history. He has been an all-star five times and a Gold Glove Award winner four times.
Jones swung a big bat and is in the top 10 of most of the O's all-time hitting categories, and he furthered his standing with his commitment to the community, especially in Baltimore City where he was an avid supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Jones' post-game pie celebrations were the hallmark of an O's era of success. With three playoff appearances between 2012 and 2016, Jones is an all-time Orioles great.
Jones said the easiest thing to do was to play, and the hardest part was managing all the other stuff.
"When I first got here, the mission was to play as many games as I could as hard as I could and as long as I could," Jones said. "I was able to fulfill that [goal]."