with his rehab and took part in spring training. He was in the Braves' opening day lineup against the Nationals, getting the first hit and scoring the first run of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. On April 8, 2011, Jones hit his 2,500th base hit in the Braves' home opener versus the Philadelphia Phillies. His former manager Bobby Cox was in attendance. On April 13, 2011, he recorded his 1,500th RBI, against the Florida Marlins, with a solo home run off Randy Choate. On April 26, 2011, Chipper recorded his 500th double against the San Diego Padres. He also tied Mickey Mantle for second-most RBIs all-time by a switch hitter; Jones passed Mantle for sole possession of second place all-time on April 27, 2011 (with 1,512 RBI) after a 3-run stand-up triple, helping the Braves beat the San Diego Padres 7–0. Jones suffered from a torn meniscus in his right knee for much of the first half of the 2011 season, and received Cortisone shots in an attempt to manage the pain. When this became ineffective, he elected to undergo arthroscopic surgery and was placed on the disabled list on July 9, 2011. He returned to the lineup on July 25. On August 12, 2011, Jones hit a three-run homer against the Chicago Cubs for his 1000th extra base hit. On August 19, 2011, Jones confirmed that he would return for the 2012 season, the final year on his contract, thus ending ongoing speculation about his possible retirement. On August 31, 2011, Jones hit his 450th career home run off John Lannan of the Washington Nationals. 2012: Final season On March 22, 2012, the Braves announced that Jones would retire following the 2012 season, after 19 major league seasons with the team. Following the announcement, a fan tribute song called "The Chipper Jones Song" was featured in a number of sports blogs. Jones opened the 2012 season on the disabled list, following surgery on March 26, 2012, to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He was activated from the disabled list and was in the lineup on April 10, as the Braves faced the Houston Astros; he went 2–4 with a single and a two-run home run, helping the Braves to their first win of the season. On April 24, Jones was in the lineup against the Los Angeles Dodgers on his 40th birthday. He hit a