In 1st MLB at-bat in 2 years, Jones lifts Crew to dramatic comeback

MILWAUKEE -- The stage was set for Jahmai Jones pinch-hitting in the seventh inning on Monday afternoon: bases loaded, two outs and Milwaukee trailing by three, with a raucous crowd of 43,209 screaming Cubs and Brewers fans at American Family Field.

Jones, who joined the team prior to the series opener, wasted no time delivering in his first MLB at-bat since 2021. He roped a first-pitch three-run double over center fielder Cody Bellinger’s head, capping the Brewers’ comeback from a 6-0 deficit.

Milwaukee went on to win the series opener, 8-6, with Willy Adames driving home the go-ahead run on an RBI single in the eighth. It’s the Brewers’ largest comeback win this season and their largest since they rallied from a 7-0 deficit to beat the Cubs, 15-7, on June 30, 2021.

“It’s something that you dream about,” Jones said. “You dream about moments like this."

No kidding. It’s especially true for the 25-year-old and 2015 second-round Draft pick, whose journey to the Brewers and Monday’s heroic moment has been quite the ride.

Jones, who made his big league debut in 2020 and played 26 games with Baltimore in '21, missed most of ‘22 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was in Sugar Land, Texas, on Saturday, playing for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, and he exercised a contract opt-out -- hoping to find an opportunity in the Majors. The Dodgers granted it, and he became a free agent.

“You're kind of going into the unknown, not knowing what's going to happen. You do take a chance on yourself a little bit,” Jones said of his decision. “I was pretty confident that whatever happened, I was OK with it -- that that decision was my decision."

For Jones -- who was having a strong season in Triple-A, with a .969 OPS in 62 games -- taking that leap of faith quickly paid off. The Brewers signed him on Sunday. They needed an infielder with Brian Anderson, whose wife is expecting, going on the paternity list.

It’s been a crazy couple of days.

“You can say that,” Jones said, laughing. “It’s been a lot of travel, a lot of decisions. Just thankful that I was able to get an opportunity somewhere to come back to the big leagues.”

“Us using that as a carrot to get him here, it’s crazy,” manager Craig Counsell said. “Then he had the game-[tying] hit. Life worked out pretty good for him.”

The Brewers fell behind the Cubs, 6-0, in the top of the third inning. They scored three runs in the bottom of the frame to cut their deficit, but they put up zeros the next three innings.

Originally, Counsell called on lefty bat Jesse Winker to pinch-hit for Andruw Monasterio and face right-hander Julian Merryweather in that seventh-inning spot. When Cubs manager David Ross countered by inserting lefty Anthony Kay, Counsell went to Jones.

“You're just countering moves,” Counsell said. “I thought it was a good matchup. It's a tough spot coming in [with the] bases loaded for a young pitcher. It's a tough spot for Jahmai as well. But he was aggressive and got a huge hit."

Even beyond trying to hit the All-Star break on a high note, this is an important week for the Brewers, who are tied with the Reds for first place in the National League Central.

Milwaukee will host Chicago for three more games this week and then welcome Cincinnati to town for three this weekend. In the age of balanced schedules in MLB, there are fewer divisional matchups. This is the club’s first series with the Cubs since the season’s opening set.

It makes each divisional game that much more important.

“The schedule is different this year,” Counsell said before the game. “These head-to-head matchups tend to take on a little bit more because of that. You just get less opportunities to directly impact the teams in your division.

“We're in a stretch of the season right now where we're getting a lot of chances to do that, so it heightens the games.”

Whether there is a tendency for teams across the Majors to fall into the trap of prematurely looking ahead to the break, Counsell doesn’t see that being an issue for the Brewers.

“We're going to be in a great atmosphere, I think, for the rest of the week,” Counsell said. “It’s not something that needs to be discussed, because the games just don't require it. We've got big games in front of us. We know what they mean.

“We've got a big atmosphere in front of us. That fires everybody up, so we’ll enjoy it. It brings out the best in competitors.”

So far, so good.