Oriole Adam Jones Gets Standing Ovation From Red Sox Fans

BOSTON, MA — Just 24 hours after Baltimore Orioles star outfielder Adam Jones said he was racially abused by Red Sox fans during a game, the park's patrons gave him a prolonged standing ovation.

Jones said he was racially abused, "called the 'N' word a handful of times" by Red Sox fans and had a bag of peanuts hurled at him Monday night in the outfield.

Major league and government officials apologized throughout the day Tuesday, and the tide turned in the first inning of Tuesday night's game when Jones stepped up to the plate for his first at-bat.

The crowd started to rustle and stood up as he was introduced, and Sox ace Chris Sale stepped off the mound to allow the applause to continue.

In right field, Boston outfielder Mookie Betts, one of the relatively few black athletes in Major League Baseball, applauded.

Jones said he had "never on the road gotten any ovations or anything like that," and it "caught me off guard a little bit."

See Also: Oriole Adam Jones Says Red Sox Fans Racially Abused Him

The Orioles outfielder told the media that a standing O was not what was needed.

"I don't want any special treatment. I don't need any special treatment," Jones said. "Just keep the racist stuff out of there."

Jones said he wanted the fans to "be normal," adding: "Be cheering on your team, but be respectful..."

Had he known what transpired Monday night, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that he would have pulled the team off the field.

Red Sox and government officials apologized on behalf of the team, fan base and region Tuesday morning. Team officials met with Jones Tuesday to discuss the situation and apologize.

The Red Sox said they was instituting a "zero tolerance" policy, issuing this statement:

The Red Sox want to publicly apologize to Adam Jones and the entire Orioles organization for what occurred at Fenway Park Monday night. No player should have an object thrown at him on the playing field, nor be subjected to any kind of racism at Fenway Park. The Red Sox have zero tolerance for such inexcusable behavior, and our entire organization and our fans are sickened by the conduct of an ignorant few. Such conduct should be reported immediately to Red Sox security, and any spectator behaving in this manner forfeits his/her right to remain in the ballpark, and may be subject to further action. Our review of last night’s events is ongoing.

"This is unacceptable and not who we are as a city,’’ Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement. “These words and actions have no place in Fenway, Boston or anywhere. We are better than this.”

The president of the Boston chapter for the NAACP said the incident at Fenway Park was a "shame on the city."

Boston's racist history has dominated much of the national conversation. The Red Sox were the last team in the majors to integrate. Red Sox pitcher David Price indicated he was the victim of racial abuse while in the bullpen last season. Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia told news reporters Monday the only place in his career he had been called the N-word was Fenway Park.

Former Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells was among the ex-players talking about Fenway's negative perception, tweeting: "As a player, I was only warned about two stadiums where racially motivated comments could occur..Fenway was one..."

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Jones incident was "completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any of our ballparks."

Jones is one of the most well-known black stars in the majors. According to ESPN, he was one of just 62 African-American players on an Opening Day roster this season.

“It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being," Jones told reporters. "I’m out there trying to make a living for myself and my family. The best thing about myself is that I know how to move on and still play the game hard and let people be who they are and let them show their true colors."

Tuesday's game was the second in a four-game series between the Sox and Orioles at Fenway Park.

In Monday's matchup, the O's won, 5-2. In Tuesday's game, the Red Sox won, 5-2.

— By Mike Carraggi and Elizabeth Janney

Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr