Tigers reliever Todd Jones calls it quits
Sports Network | September 25, 2008
Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Detroit Tigers reliever Todd Jones has decided to call it a career upon the conclusion of the 2008 season.
Jones wrote about the decision in his weekly column for the Sporting News, and made the announcement official on Thursday.
"This is the culmination of 35 years in baseball for me," Jones said. "Detroit was a big part of my career and I'll be a Tiger through and through. From the bottom of my heart, I can't express what it was like to be a Tiger."
The 40-year-old veteran ranks 14th on the all-time list with 319 saves and holds the Tigers' franchise record with 235 saves. He has spent eight of his 16 big league seasons with Detroit in two separate stints, and has also pitched for Houston, Minnesota, Colorado, Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Florida.
In 45 games for the Tigers this season, Jones has 18 saves with a record of 4-1 and an earned run average of 4.97. He has spent much of the second half of the season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.
Jones spent the first four years of his career with Houston from 1993-96, then joined the Tigers for the first time in 1997 and was Detroit's closer through July 2001 before his trade to Minnesota. He then bounced around the majors until landing with Florida in 2005 and notched 40 saves for the Marlins before re-joining the Tigers in 2006 and helping them to the World Series.
The Tigers will hold a ceremony prior to their game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday to honor Jones.
