Watch: Pirates' Jared Jones Upset Over Early Exit vs. Yankees
It doesn't take an expert in reading people's body language to know how Jared Jones felt about his early exit vs. the New York Yankees on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.
In the Pirates' 4-2 win over New York, Jones pitched 4.1 innings, allowed five hits, walked two batters, struck out seven batters and gave up two earned runs before getting a no-decision. Jones exited with one out and the bases loaded in a scoreless ballgame after throwing just 85 pitches.
The rookie right-hander's response to being taken out by Shelton was about what you'd expect from someone who wants to work out of a jam against a playoff team.
Jared Jones did NOT want to come out in the 5th 😅
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) September 28, 2024
Gotta love his competitiveness 💪 pic.twitter.com/H0Frr14iYH
The decision by manager Derek Shelton to pull Jones in that situation is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the Pirates (75-85) are out of the race and are only playing to spoil the Yankees' shot at earning the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in the American League. Because of that, pushing a rookie who missed nearly two months could be viewed as not the smartest decision.
On the other hand, the only way for someone to grow and improve in high-pressure situations is by working out of them. Few situations are more high-pressure than having to navigate through the Yankees' lineup without out and the bases loaded in a tied ballgame. Jones was largely in control of the game until the fifth inning.
Jared Jones tonight in his final start of the year:
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) September 28, 2024
4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR
85 pitches, 51 strikes, 11 whiffs
Tough he didn't finish the 5th himself, but he ends his rookie season healthy and ready to shove in 2025 pic.twitter.com/S6lkdwvuQO
Joey Wentz entered the game in relief of Jones and immediately gave up a two-run single to Jazz Chisholm.
With Friday's outing in the books, the sun has set on Jones' rookie season. He finished the year 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 22 starts and struck out 132 batters over 121.2 innings pitched.
Jones had his fair share of ups and downs, including a strained right lat that cost him almost two months and a shot at breaking Pirates rookie records for starting pitchers alongside Paul Skenes.
With what Jones and Skenes displayed in their rookie seasons, Pittsburgh has plenty of reason for optimism with those two atop their rotation for the foreseeable future. Getting Jones a chance to pitch in meaningful games and work out of situations against some of the league's best will ultimately be the next step for him and the Pirates as they look to improve in next season and beyond.
Skenes will get his shot at the Yankees (93-67) on Saturday at Yankee Stadium on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET.
