occurred on July 16 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia, when Jones went four for six with three RBIs and a run scored, and played all three outfield positions. He ended the season with a .297 batting average, which was sixth best in the National League. Amazin' Mets Jones was batting .341 with ten home runs and 56 RBIs in the first half of 1969 earning the starting left field job for the All-Star Game. He went two for four with two runs scored in the NL's 9–3 victory. He hit a home run in the first game after the break, and emerged as the hitting star of the surprising Mets, with a team-leading batting average of .340. The Amazins found themselves in second place, five games back of the Chicago Cubs in the newly aligned National League East when the Houston Astros came to Shea Stadium for a July 30 double header. July 30, 1969 After losing the first game 16–3, the Mets were down 7–0 in the third inning of the second game when Johnny Edwards hit a double to Jones in left field to make the score 8–0. Mets manager Gil Hodges emerged from the dugout, walked past Nolan Ryan on the mound, and walked all the way out to left field. A few minutes later, Hodges walked back to the dugout, with Jones a few paces behind him, and replaced Jones in left with Ron Swoboda. Newspapers at the time said Jones suffered a leg injury and he was not in the Mets lineup for several games after July 30. Other reporters opined that Jones was removed for failure to hustle, and still others suggested the effect of Hodges’s decision sent a message to the whole team: that he would not tolerate a lack of effort on his team, not even from its star player. On August 22, 2009, following pre-game ceremonies honoring the 40th anniversary of the "Miracle Mets", Jones discussed the incident during SportsNet New York's telecast of that night's game. Jones said Hodges asked him why he did not look good going after a fly ball on the previous play. According to Jones, he pointed down to the water-filled turf. Jones said he reminded Hodges of his leg injury, and that the conditions on the field made it difficult for him to play his best. Jones said Hodges agreed, that he shouldn’t be