HOUSTON (AP) -Chipper Jones went 0-for-3 in Atlanta’s season-ending loss to Houston on Sunday and virtually conceded the NL batting title to Colorado’s Matt Holliday.
“I have submitted my body of work for the season,” said Jones, who finished with a career-best .337 average. “If it happens, it happens. I’m going to go home and get ready for a nice offseason.”
Holliday started the day at .3397 to Jones’ .3392. Jones walked, grounded out and flied out twice to Astros center fielder Hunter Pence in the Braves’ 3-0 loss.
“I can’t complain,” Jones said. “I barreled two balls, just right at guys. That’s baseball. Sometimes they fall in for you and sometimes they don’t. But I’m very pleased with how I was swinging the bat.”
Holliday went 1-for-3 to boost his average to .340 as the Rockies beat Arizona 4-3 to force a one-game tiebreaker with San Diego for the NL wild-card spot. Holliday would have to go 0-for-5 or worse on Monday to lose the NL batting title.
The 35-year-old Jones didn’t seem too concerned.
He finished with 29 home runs and 102 RBIs, even after missing 19 games with bruised hands and another three with a strained oblique muscle. He hit safely in 108 of the 134 games he played and batted .375 in September to make a run at the batting crown.
Jones ranked it as his best season at the plate, even better than 1999, when he was named the NL’s MVP. He set a career high with 42 doubles, but fell short of career bests in homers (45) and RBIs (111).
“I can’t be disappointed,” he said. “I accomplished everything that I set out to accomplish every year.”
Manager Bobby Cox said Jones would’ve garnered votes for another MVP award if the Braves had made the playoffs.
“If we’d have done something, he would’ve had to have been considered,” Cox said.
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