Sherman Jones was a big six foot four, right handed pitcher originally signed by the New York Giants in 1953. Jones was drafted by the New York Mets in the 1961 expansion draft (34th pick overall) becoming an original Met in 1962. In Spring Training he took a line drive to the leg which put him on crutches for over a week. Manager Casey Stengel originally wanted Jones to pitch the club's first game so the so-called ace of the staff, Roger Craig, could start the home Opener at New York. But in another of the many classic '62 Mets tales, Jones suffered a freak accident when a lit match flew off the cover and struck him in the eye. His start had to be moved ahead, and Craig pitched the Mets first historic game.
Jones started the third game in Mets history on April 13, 1962, which was the team's first-ever home game, played at the Polo Grounds. He pitched well against the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowing two runs in five innings of work that day. The first run (Smokey Burgess) scored on a Don Hoak double, Burgess had reached base on an infield hit, when Charlie Neal's throw pulled the first baseman off the bag. Hoak then scored when Bill Mazeroski's fly ball fell between Ritchie Ashburn and Gus Bell. Bell had waved off Ashburn but as it ended up couldn't make the play after all.
Sherman Jones was the pitcher of record that day and took the loss in front of the 12,447 fans on the historic rainy afternoon in New York. It was also Jones who got the first Mets hit at the Polo Grounds that day, when he singled in the third inning off Tom Sturdivant.
In his next outing the St. Louis Cards beat him up for six runs over four innings and it would be his last start as he was moved to the bull pen. He lost two more games there and was sent back to the minors at the end of May, getting back as a September call up at the end of the season.
He would go 12-6 for the Mets at A ball Raleigh in 1963 posting a good 2.10 ERA but never got called up to the big leagues again. Jones would spend 12 years in the minor leagues going 84-63 with a 3.96 ERA pitching 289 games. In the majors he pitched 48 games going 2-6 with three saves in 110 innings posting a 4.73 ERA.
Retirement: At age 30 Jones started a second career as a Police officer in Kansas City Missouri, and would stay on the KC Police force for twenty two years. After that he was elected to the Kansas Legislature of Wyandotte County, serving in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1989 to 1992.
He then served in the state Senate from 1993-2001. Mr. Jones had quite a career going from an original Met to law enforcer to a politician. In 2007 he passed away at age 72.
