6 Greatest Chipper Jones Moments in Honor of His 48th Birthday

Friday is a special day for Atlanta Braves fans. It's the 48th birthday of Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones! Given that there's no baseball taking place for the foreseeable future, we at least have the technology to go down the worm hole to look at the play of some of the game's all-time greats. Jones had himself a storied career with plenty of great moments, and these six stand out as the best of his long career with the Braves.

6. First Career Home Run

It's no secret that Chipper Jones has made a career at the expense of the New York Mets. Of course, Jones would hit his first career home run inside Shea Stadium. On May 9, 1995, Chipper hit a solo blast off Mets pitcher Josias Manzanilla in the top of the ninth inning to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. Queens became Jones' home away from home, as evidenced by his .313 batting average in 88 career games at Shea Stadium. Jones loved the ballpark so much that he named his son Shea! Chipper is coldblooded.

5. That 1999 September Series Against the Mets

Oh, you thought we were done with you Mets? Surprise, we're not! 1999 was a special year for Jones, who was having an MVP caliber campaign. In a September series against the Mets, Jones secured the award by hitting four home runs and seven RBI in Atlanta's sweep of the Mets. Oh, and one of those homers came off Mets ace Al Leiter, which turned out to be Jones' 45th of the season. Pain and suffering. Those are two words that are synonymous with the New York Mets.

4. Final Walk-Off

Of course, we have to add the penultimate moment of Jones' career. Prior to the start of the 2012 season, Jones announced that he would hang up his cleats and retire at season's end. On Sept. 2, the Braves were down 7-3 to the rival Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta pulled within two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Chipper stepped up to the plate with two runners on base. After a few pitches from Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon, Jones crushed a three-run bomb to right-center field to give the Braves the 8-7 win. This last walk-off also proved to be Jones' final homer of his illustrious career.

3. 1998 NLDS Walk-Off

Of course, a walk-off hit in the MLB playoffs will always make a player's highlight reel. The same goes for Chipper Jones, who had a great moment in 1998. In Game 2 of the NLDS, the Braves and Chicago Cubs went into the 10th inning tied 1-1. Jones stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the frame with runners on first and second base. Jones proceeded to lace a single off Cubs reliever Terry Mulholland to give the Braves the win and a commanding 2-0 series lead. Jones gave Atlanta all the momentum they needed, as they swept the Cubbies in the Windy City shortly after the clutch hit.

2. Home Run No. 400

Joes put himself in elite company on June 5, 2008. While facing the Florida Marlins, Jones hit a solo home run to the right field bleacher seats of Turner Field. That blast was the 400th of his illustrious career. Jones joined Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray as the only switch-hitters to accomplish such a feat. Oh, and Jones brought his batting average, at the time, well above .400. What an absolute legend.

1. Jones Explodes in First Career Postseason Game

Of course, we have to talk about Jones' postseason debut in 1995. After a strong rookie campaign, the Braves earned a spot in the NLDS against the Colorado Rockies. The moment wasn't too big for the rookie, as he hit two home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the ninth inning to help give Atlanta the Game 1 victory. Rookies usually falter in big moments like the postseason, but not Chipper, who followed up this performance with a tremendous World Series. This is when Braves fans realized that they'd gotten themselves a special player.