Chipper Jones spent much of his career tormenting Mets fans by drilling balls all over Shea Stadium, but a few games against the Yankees to give him a new appreciation of The Bronx.
“I love this ballpark,” Jones said of the homer-friendly stadium. “It’s my new favorite stadium. It only took me taking BP in it one time to realize that. If you can’t get up to play on that stage right there, man. I told the guys this morning, ‘If I could play on that stage every day, I’d never quit.’ ”
But the 40-year-old is retiring at the end of the season, which is why the Yankees had Derek Jeter and former teammate Andruw Jones present the Atlanta third baseman with third base from Tuesday’s game.
“That base was nice to get,” Jones said after the Braves’ 10-5 victory over the Yankees yesterday at the Stadium. “I’m going to have some great stuff in my Man Cave. The teams have been great to me. It’s been awfully touching. I’d be hard-pressed to find another time when a New York crowd was so good to me.”
That’s probably because Jones was part of two Braves teams that lost to the Yankees in the World Series, though he did hit .340 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 103 regular season at-bats against the Bombers.
* After the Yankees failed to land Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, who signed with the Cubs last week, they were able to agree to terms with left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez yesterday, according to a source.
The deal for the 19-year-old is expected to be worth $4-5 million as the team tries to build up the pitching in its farm system. Like Soler, it was important to sign Rodriguez before July 2, when restrictions included in the new collective bargaining agreement limit how much teams can pay international players.
* Clay Rapada struck out all four batters he faced and has now held batters hitless in each of their last 20 at-bats against him, matching a career high, according to Elias. … Robinson Cano homered for the third time in four games with his sixth-inning shot. He has hit six home runs in his last 11 home games.
Bernie Williams will manage the World Team at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on July 8 at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City. George Brett is set to manage the US team. … The Yankees will begin HOPE Week Monday. The team has players participating in initiatives for various individuals and organizations.