CLEVELAND, Ohio — Nolan Jones capped one of the most chaotic 17-day stretches of his life Tuesday with a moment that he had been dreaming about since he was a kid.
Between learning that he had been traded from Colorado back to the Guardians at the end of spring training, to pivoting and finding housing in the Cleveland area for his fiancée and newborn daughter — all while playing the first nine games of the season during a three-city road trip — Jones’ said it felt like his head had been spinning constantly for the better part of the last three weeks.
But by the time the 2025 home opener at Progressive Field came to an end, it was Jones and his Guardians teammates running circles around the infield in celebration following a 1-0 walk-off win against the White Sox.
Jones took a 3-2 fastball from ex-Cleveland pitcher Mike Clevinger down and out of the strike zone with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, forcing home Carlos Santana with the game-winning run. It was the only score in a frigid opener that saw both teams struggle against the elements as well as each other’s starting pitchers.
Jones feels he has hit the ball well early in the season, but has had little to show for it. The 26-year-old entered the game hitless in his previous eight at-bats and was batting .136 over his first 24 plate appearances.
“I was just like, ‘When’s something going to go my way?‘” Jones told reporters afterward. “So, to get an opportunity to come in that last at-bat in that situation, I mean, that’s what you dream about as a kid. It was a lot of fun.”
Manager Stephen Vogt said he appreciated the magnitude of the moment for Jones, who came up through Cleveland’s farm system after being taken in the second round of the 2016 draft and making his debut in 2022 as one of the club’s top prospects. But the Guardians dealt Jones to Colorado in exchange for Juan Brito prior to the 2023 season.
“What a cool moment for him, right?” Vogt said. “Grew up here, gets traded away, gets traded back, and on opening day — the home opener — he has a chance to walk it off.”
Jones studied how Clevinger attacked Kyle Manzardo during his ninth inning at-bat when he was behind in the count. Clevinger focused mainly on fastballs after Manzardo got ahead in the count 2-0 and tried to overmatch the young Cleveland slugger.
When Jones swung at a 3-1 fastball from Clevinger and hooked a foul ball down the right field line, all Vogt could do was smile.
“I was just like, ‘Oh, that would’ve been such a cool moment,‘” he said. “I was just smiling right at him. I just wanted him to relax. You have to laugh at the game. Sometimes you have to smile because it’s real easy to, say, lose your focus on the next pitch.”
One thing that helped, Vogt said, was Jones’ tremendous plate discipline.
“There’s very little chase, and when he hits it, he hits it hard,” Vogt said. “We’re really excited about having Nolan here, and that’s a professional at-bat. That’s a big leaguer’s at-bat right there. Being able to take that close borderline pitch that was down, and he knew it.”
The walk-off walk with the bases loaded marked the 23rd bases-loaded free pass to win a game in franchise history. Michael Brantley was the last Cleveland player to win a game in such fashion when he drew a base on balls May 10, 2011, against Tampa Bay.
It was the 13th walk-off win in a Cleveland home opener and the first since April 11, 2017, against the White Sox (2-1 in 10 innings).
Jones and the Guardians, who arrived in town from their opening nine-game road trip just after 4 a.m. Monday morning, got a chance to visit the ballpark before opening day and re-acclimate himself to his new (old) surroundings.
“I felt like it was another game,” Jones said. “I was able to have my family here. They came out, so it kind of felt like home again. I was looking forward to this since the day I heard I was coming over and it lived up to it for sure.”
