Andruw Jones got the Cooperstown treatment twice this week, first in New York and then back where his legend was built. The longtime Braves center fielder returned to Truist Park on Thursday for a hometown celebration just days after being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Atlanta fans who watched him patrol center field for more than a decade finally got their own chance to cheer the newest immortal in Braves history.
The Braves honored Jones with pregame recognition at Truist Park, and photos from Atlanta News First captured the celebration after his Sunday induction in Cooperstown. The ceremony gave the Atlanta crowd a fresh look at Jones in his familiar Braves colors, this time with a Hall of Fame plaque attached to his name.
The celebration had been listed on the Braves’ 2026 schedule as a Hall of Fame tribute, complete with an Andruw Jones bobblehead giveaway and on-field recognition, according to the Atlanta Braves. The giveaway was part of the team’s alumni-focused promotional lineup, which has turned the former center fielder’s induction into a season-long Atlanta event.
A Cooperstown Career With Atlanta At Its Center
Jones spent 12 of his 17 major league seasons with Atlanta, becoming one of the defining players of the Braves’ long-running 1990s and early-2000s run. The National Baseball Hall of Fame credits him with 434 home runs, 1,289 RBIs and 10 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, while also identifying him as the first native of Curaçao to reach Cooperstown.
His defensive reputation remains the centerpiece of the case Atlanta fans made for years: Jones combined elite range in center field with middle-of-the-order power, including a franchise-record 51 homers in 2005. During his induction speech, Major League Baseball reported that Jones remembered former manager Bobby Cox and Braves icon Hank Aaron, tying his personal milestone to the figures who shaped his career.
Atlanta’s Jones Celebration Keeps Moving
Thursday’s ballpark ceremony followed another Atlanta tribute earlier this month, when Delta and the Braves dedicated Hartsfield-Jackson’s Gate A25 to Jones’ honor. The gate number references the No. 25 he wore with Atlanta, and Delta News Hub said the permanent display includes Braves and Delta memorabilia from the era when Jones became a superstar.
Jones was elected with 78.4% of the vote in his ninth year on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, finally clearing the 75% threshold after a slow climb that began with just 7.3% support in his first year. Now the waiting is over, and Atlanta has given its former center fielder the kind of victory lap that only a Braves legend could receive.
