On the very first pitch he saw as a member of the Detroit Tigers, Jahmai Jones delivered the most powerful moment of his baseball life.
The outcome, a soaring fly ball beyond the left-field fence on Friday night, was a home run with meaning like few others.
Jones' path to Detroit was not a straightforward one. When he was 13, his father Andre died of a brain aneurysm.
“I don’t know if I’ve had a single day when I haven’t given thought to something or something hasn’t come up that I’d love to share with him or talk about or ask for advice," Jones told The Athletic. "Doesn’t matter. It’s every day.”
Andre had been a football star at Notre Dame who then played for the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Jones' older brother, T.J., also spent NFL time with the Lions.
Detroit was a city with strong ties for the Jones family.
The baseball-playing Jones seemed like he'd fulfill his major league dreams much in the way of his father and brother. He was a top Angels prospect.
But Jones never really panned out in the way some expected. He got cups of coffee in the majors but not much more.
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He's now on his sixth organization, and the Tigers sent him to Triple-A to start the season. But he kept working, earned a call-up and didn't miss when he was called on as a pinch-hitter.
JAHMAI JONES: ACTIVATED 💥 pic.twitter.com/kN8EKBPJBF
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 7, 2025
It's a moment you really can't script, but that's the beautiful thing about sports.
A chance for the Jones family to return to a professional field in Detroit once again, with his father's legacy on his mind, Jahmai Jones hit what was only the second home run of his MLB career. He certainly won't forget it.
“Detroit’s got a special place in my heart just because of the family side,” Jones said. “Being able to do it myself and add to it, it’s everything I can ask for.”
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