Jones makes diving catch in softball game while on DL

ATLANTA, GA — Only one day after the Atlanta Braves placed him on the 15-day DL with a pulled left hamstring, Chipper Jones made a game-saving diving catch in left-center field for his co-ed softball team, the Fulton County Firesharks.

“Being on the DL really allows me to focus on softball,” Jones said. “As good as I’ve been hitting for the Braves, it’s been that tough of a year in softball. Basically, I’m looking at this next couple of weeks as a chance to really turn my season around, and hopefully get us into the playoffs. I’m hoping my catch today was the beginning of that process.”

The Firesharks have already begun to heat up after a tough start to the season, and currently sit at 7-9, putting them two games out of the last playoff spot with four games remaining in the regular season. Jones’ diving catch was the third out in the bottom of the seventh inning, preserving a 19-18 lead and saving the Firesharks from a heartbreaking walk-off loss.

“I couldn’t believe it when Chipper came up with that one,” said team captain Joanie Anderson, the receptionist at the firehouse from which the team draws most of its’ players. “I’m not going to lie, we didn’t put Chipper out in left because he’s a wizard with the glove, you know? But he made a hell of a play out there, and he probably even could have caught it without diving if he had read it correctly when it first came off the bat. Still, he came up with the big play when we needed it.”

Jones also went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double and three RBI, bringing his average on the year up to .297.

“Chipper really helped us out today, and we’re all excited about having him around for the rest of the season,” said Jack Ransome, the team’s star centerfielder, who is hitting .477 on the year. “Is he our best player? No, obviously not. But when his confidence is high, he can certainly be a solid bat at the bottom of the lineup and he’s not a total liability in left.

“Hell, I could have caught that ball without diving, but I didn’t want to call Chip off when he seemed so intent on making the play. I think that catch could give him the confidence to really crank it into gear down the stretch here.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!