Seattle Mariners outfielder James Jones had a night to remember Monday against the Houston Astros, as he became just the second player in franchise history to record four hits and three stolen bases in the same game, per MLB Stat of the Day.
Unsurprisingly, the other player to accomplish the feat in an M's uniform was future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki, who registered four hits and four steals in a July 20, 2004 game against the Boston Red Sox.
Batting second and starting in center field, Jones started his historic game in rather inconspicuous fashion with a flyout to left field. It was the last time he'd be retired all night, as each of his following four plate appearances ended with a single.
After his first base knock in the third inning, Jones stole second base then proceeded to also swipe third before ultimately being stranded. He again stole second base after a fifth-inning single but was once again stranded in scoring position.
Jones didn't get much chance to run after his third hit, as the next batter, Robinson Cano, smashed a three-run homer to extend the M's lead to 8-3 in the seventh inning.
Jones got another opportunity in the ninth inning, and while he made the most of it with a base hit, Cano proceeded to single on the first pitch of the following at-bat. Jones perhaps could've tried to steal third base, but with a five-run lead in the ninth inning, it wouldn't have been in good taste.
The 25-year-old rookie hasn't brought much to the table in terms of power this season, but he finished the month of June with 12 steals in 12 attempts while also posting a .292 batting average. Still in search of his first career home run, Jones has proved to be a demon on the basepaths, if nothing else.
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