To have had such a long, successful career, Atlanta Braves' third baseman Chipper Jones had to have found a way to hit off the best pitchers in the sport. It's the ability to hit a Roy Halladay breaking ball and a Randy Johnson fastball that set Jones apart from someone like Matt Stairs. During the course of his career, Jones has had great success against several of the biggest names in the sport, but who has he seen the most success against?
Shane Reynolds - 50 Plate Appearances (PA), .405, 7 HR, 11 RBI
Reynolds and Steve Trachsel have dished out the most home runs to Jones than any other pitcher, but at least Trachsel limited Jones to a .232 average. Reynolds pitched for the Houston Astros during a time when Jones and the Braves often had their way with them, and Reynolds' numbers can show that.
Al Leiter - 90 PA, .316, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 5 2B
Leiter pitched for the New York Mets during an era that saw Jones crush them just about every time they played. Jones has had great success in his career against current (Mike Pelfrey) and former Mets' players, but his success against Leiter stands outs above the rest.
Randy Johnson - 47 PA, .349, 6 HR, 8 RBI
This battle was a hit or miss for Jones. The Braves often struggled against the flame-throwing lefty, so when Jones hit his home runs, most of them were with the bases empty. His six home runs are the third most Jones has against any single pitcher, but Johnson has had his success too, recording 17 strikeouts.
Livan Hernandez - 100 PA, .325, HR, 17 RBI
Hernandez has always been a weird opponent for the Braves. It doesn't matter if his ERA was above 5.00; he always found a way to do well. Jones couldn't find a way to hit the ball out of the park against Hernandez like he did against other pitchers, but he still did well in his 100 plate appearances despite Atlanta's struggles.
Other great performances:
Darryl Kile - 72 PA, .298, 3 HR, 15 RBI
Jason Schmidt - 53 PA, .378, 5 HR, 14 RBI
Randy Wolf - 67 PA, .377, 4 HR, 10 RBI
For access to Atlanta Braves season recaps from 1990-present, a look at trades that changed Braves history, or a look at the greatest award winners in team history, go here.
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Top Moments in the Career of Chipper Jones
Hobson Lopes has been a life-long Atlanta Braves fan, thanks to TBS, and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes .
