Baseball, movies and hotdogs: 5 questions with Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones
Jones, who went through spring training camp preparing for another year in the Colorado Rockies outfield, was traded to the Guardians shortly before the 2025 season began. The deal came together quickly and somewhat surprisingly for Cleveland, which sent Tyler Freeman to the Rockies.
Jones' circumstances were flipped. Instead of the rebuilding Rockies, he was a potentially key part of the lineup for a Guardians team hoping to repeat as American League Central champs.
A former Cleveland first-round pick, Jones is back with his original club and fighting for as many at-bats as possible.
We asked Jones five questions on pregame meals, baseball history, movies and more.
What is your go-to postgame or pregame meal on game days?
Nothing crazy. I would say pregame, I just do a smoothie with a bunch of fruit. It's protein.
If you could face any pitcher in baseball history, who would it be?
Probably Nolan Ryan, since I'm named for him.
What's your favorite baseball movie?
Probably "The Sandlot." Growing up, watching it a bunch, it's just a classic.
What's your go-to hot dog order?
Not really a hot dog guy, honestly. I would say if I'm eating a hot dog, it's just mustard, but I don't really. I'm not a hot dog guy. (First baseman Kyle Manzardo, sitting at a nearby locker, jokingly refuted that last claim after the interview concluded, saying he's seen Jones eat plenty of hot dogs.)
It's Game 7 of the World Series, and you need a hit to win it; who would you want at the plate if you can have any hitter in baseball history?
I'd probably just go, like, prime Mike Trout.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones answers 5 questions on baseball
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Eugenio Suarez trade corrects a Mariners mistake. Can he lead Seattle to World Series?
PHOENIX — The Seattle Mariners, who made the painful mistake of trading third baseman Eugenio Suarez two years ago to the Arizona Diamondbacks only to watch him become one of the game's premier power hitters, swallowed their pride Wednesday night and traded for him back. Suarez, who has 36 homers and 87 RBIs, becomes the first player in baseball history to hit at least 35 homers before he was traded in-season. 'Super excited, it's a great move,'' Mariners MVP candidate Cal Raleigh told reporters after their game Wednesday night. 'He's pretty much everything you look for in a teammate. He's supportive. Super nice. Keeps it light in the room. Always positive. And you add on to that, he's a great player. 'We saw that when he was here the first time, and we were obviously all sad that he left, but we're happy that he's coming back …. Very, very excited for it. Obviously, we know how great a guy he is, how great he's playing this year. Great, great add.' It was the second deal the Mariners and Diamondbacks made in a week with the D-backs also trading first baseman Josh Naylor to Seattle for two pitching prospects. Now, they sent his corner infield teammate to provide the Mariners much-needed power to reach the postseason for only the second time since 2001 after near-misses the last two years. The Mariners, fortunate that the market for Suarez never materialized the way the Diamondbacks envisioned, were able to pull off the deal without touching any of their prized prospects. The cost was first baseman Tyler Locklear, their ninth-best prospect, who leads all Triple-A hitters with 16 homers and 56 RBIs since June 1; and minor-league pitchers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos, their 16th- and 17th-ranked prospects, respectively. Just like that, they now have a team built to win their first World Series championship in franchise history. The Mariners (57-52) are five games behind the Houston Astros in the AL West, and are tied with the Texas Rangers for the third and final wild-card berth. Yet, with their star-studded rotation of Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller, they can scare the living daylights out of any team in the postseason. And now, they finally have the power they have long coveted, with Suarez hitting 53 home runs over the past year, trailing only Shohei Ohtani (60 homers) and Aaron Judge (58). Raleigh (41 homers) and Suarez (36) make the Mariners the second team in MLB history to enter August with at least two players having at least 35 homers, joining the 1961 Yankees who had Roger Maris (40) and Mickey Mantle (39). The Mariners now have one of the deepest and most-talented lineups in the American League, rectifying the blunder they made two years ago when they traded Suarez. The Mariners thought his career was in a steep decline after the 2023 season, which saw him hit .232 with 22 homers, 96 RBIs and a league-leading 214 strikeouts. The Mariners sent him to Arizona, receiving only minor-league reliever Carlos Vargas and backup catcher Seby Zavala, while saving about $11 million in salary. It looked like a shrewd move when Suarez was struggling so badly — hitting just .193 — that the Diamondbacks considered designating him for assignment in late June 2024. He instead caught fire, hitting .307 with 20 homers and a .942 OPS in the second half, and never cooled off. Now, all the Mariners need is for Suarez to stay hot for three more months, their starting pitching to stay healthy, maybe grab one more late-inning reliever by Thursday's trade deadline, and take the franchise on a magical ride to its first World Series. It has been a long time coming, but now the Mariners have the lineup, the pitching, and the burning desire to pull it off. They've saved prized prospects long enough. Now, it's time for a parade. Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cubs add depth to rotation by acquiring Michael Soroka from Nationals, AP source says
The Chicago Cubs acquired right-hander Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, adding a veteran starter as they pursue an NL Central title, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trade was not official, said Washington received two minor leaguers: infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin. An All-Star in 2019 with Atlanta, the 27-year-old Soroka is 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA this season for the Nationals, who signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract in the offseason. He should provide depth in the Cubs' rotation behind Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga. The Canadian is 20-26 with a 3.91 ERA in six major league seasons. He tore his right Achilles tendon on a routine fielding play in 2020, then injured the same tendon while walking into Atlanta's ballpark the following year. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA last season for the Chicago White Sox. The Cubs trail the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers by one game after beating them 10-3 earlier Wednesday. Chicago gave a contract extension on Monday to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has assembled an entertaining squad led by breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs have not won a playoff series since 2017, the year after they won their first World Series in 108 years. The Nationals are last in the NL East and fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez earlier this month. Soroka was pulled after allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday night at Houston as the Nationals shopped him. He has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts. Washington also dealt relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García to the Los Angeles Angels for prospects earlier Wednesday, and veterans Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong are candidates to be traded before Thursday's deadline. The 18-year-old Cruz joins Washington's farm system after batting .270 this season for the Cubs' Rookie-level Arizona Complex League squad. The 25-year-old Franklin is batting .265 with eight homers this season for Triple-A Iowa. ___
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Nathan Lukes' 3-run homer helps the Blue Jays avoid a sweep with a win over the Orioles
BALTIMORE (AP) — Nathan Lukes capped Toronto's five-run seventh inning with a three-run homer, and the Blue Jays held on for a 9-8 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday to avoid a four-game sweep. Toronto's AL East lead was down to four games after dropping the first three of this series against the last-place Orioles. And the Blue Jays fell behind 3-0 early in the finale before rallying. Bo Bichette delivered a two-run single off Yennier Cano (1-6) to put Toronto ahead 6-5 in the seventh. Three batters later, Lukes came up as a pinch-hitter and connected off Cano. The Orioles answered with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, but with the bases loaded and one out, Braydon Fisher came on and struck out Cedric Mullins and pinch-hitter Ramon Laureano to preserve a one-run lead. Seranthony Domínguez pitched a scoreless eighth one day after being traded from the Orioles to Toronto. Then Jeff Hoffman finished for his 25th save in 29 chances. TIGERS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 2 DETROIT (AP) — Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs, Chris Paddack threw six solid innings in his Detroit debut and the Tigers beat Arizona. The AL Central-leading Tigers have won four straight games, coming off a 1-12 slump that spanned before and after the All-Star Game. Detroit may make moves before the trade deadline on Thursday to bolster its chances winning the franchise's first World Series since 1984. Arizona has lost five straight, matching its longest losing streak of the season. Paddack (4-10) gave up only one run on three hits with five strikeouts and no walks, two days after the right-hander was acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Twins. Ryne Nelson (6-3) allowed four runs — one earned — on six hits. Kyle Backhus followed and gave up three runs on four hits, retiring only two batters. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jarren Duran went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, Trevor Story hit his second homer in as many games, and the Red Sox earned a series win with a victory at Minnesota. Red Sox starter Brayan Bello yielded one earned run on five hits in seven innings with four strikeouts. The Dominican right-hander has recorded a quality start in nine of his past 10 outings. Boston finished the month 17-7 and has the American League's fifth-best record at 59-51. Minnesota (51-57) is 4-8 since the All-Star break and sits fourth in the AL Central. Story's 17th home run of the season gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Abraham Toro had an RBI sacrifice fly in the third, and Duran's two-run single in the fifth made it 4-1 and ended starter Zebby Matthews' day. ASTROS 9, NATIONALS 1 HOUSTON (AP) — Jose Altuve tied a career high with four hits, highlighted by a three-run homer, to lead Houston to a win over Washington. It was Altuve's second four-hit game of the season and 41st of his career, which extends a franchise record. He was 4 for 4 and scored three times. Cooper Hummel hit a two-run homer and Yainer Díaz added a three-run shot to help the AL West leaders win a second straight after they snapped a season-long five-game skid with a 7-4 win Tuesday night. Houston starter rookie Ryan Gusto (7-4) yielded four hits and a run in six innings to bounce back after giving up a season-high eight runs in a loss to the Athletics on Friday night. There were two on with two outs in the second when Altuve smacked a changeup from MacKenzie Gore (4-11) into the Crawford Boxes to put the Astros on top 4-1. Mauricio Dubón singled with one out in the sixth and Hummel made it 6-1 and chased Gore with his third homer of the season. Gore allowed eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings. ROYALS 1, BRAVES 0, 10 INNINGS KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez drove in MJ Melendez with a single leading off the 10th inning, and Kansas City beat Atlanta while matching a major league record by using nine total pitchers in the shutout. Sam Long (1-2) was the last of the relievers for Kansas City. He had runners on the corners with nobody out in the 10th before striking out Sean Murphy and Eli White and getting Luke Williams to line out to left field. Kansas City put Melendez on second base as a pinch runner in the bottom half, and Perez rapped the second pitch from Daysbel Hernandez (4-2) into the gap in right field to give the Royals the win. The only other club to use nine pitchers in a shutout was Cleveland, which also did it in a 10-inning game in 2016. WHITE SOX 9, PHILLIES 3 CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Vargas and Edgar Quero each hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning, and Chicago beat Philadelphia. Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel also went deep as last-place Chicago won the rain-delayed rubber game of the three-game series. Luis Robert Jr. and Mike Tauchman each had three hits, and Mike Vasil (5-3) pitched four scoreless innings. Robert, Tauchman and right-hander Adrian Houser all could be on the move ahead of Thursday's MLB trade deadline. Austin Slater was dealt to the Yankees before the matchup with the Phillies, and Houser was scratched amid trade talks. Philadelphia's bullpen struggled on the same day it acquired hard-throwing reliever Jhoan Duran in a trade with Minnesota. The Phillies remained a half-game back of the NL East-leading Mets, who lost 5-0 at San Diego. CUBS 10, BREWERS 3 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Michael Busch homered on the game's first pitch, Moisés Ballesteros hit a bases-clearing double and Chicago trounced Milwaukee to avoid a three-game sweep. Milwaukee leads Chicago by one game in the NL Central. The teams meet once more this season, a five-game series at Chicago from Aug. 18-21. Ian Happ homered, Pete Crow-Armstrong went 3 for 4 with two doubles and Kyle Tucker was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for the Cubs. Milwaukee's William Contreras had his fifth career two-homer game. The two-time All-Star had homered just once since May 23. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (8-4) struck out eight, walked none and gave up three runs and five hits in five innings. Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta (12-5), who had won his last seven starts, allowed a season-high five runs in four innings. PIRATES 2, GIANTS 1, 10 INNINGS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Henry Davis' fielder's-choice grounder brought home the go-ahead run in the 10th inning, and Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of San Francisco. Pittsburgh has won five in a row. San Francisco went 0-6 on its homestand, the first time since 1896 the Giants franchise has gone winless on a homestand of six or more games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Giants also dropped below .500 (54-55) for the first time this season. San Francisco was swept last weekend by the New York Mets. With runners at the corners in the 10th, Davis hit a comebacker to Ryan Walker (2-4). Instead of throwing to the plate to get Oneil Cruz, Walker went to second to try to get a double play. Jack Suwinski was running on the pitch and beat the throw. Davis was retired. Isaac Mattson (3-1) worked two scoreless innings. He struck out Patrick Bailey and Heliot Ramos with runners at second and third for the final two outs. Pittsburgh starter Mike Burrows allowed one run on three hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one. The Giants' Logan Webb gave up one run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out 11 and walked four. PADRES 5, METS 0 SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish pitched seven impressive innings for his first win of the season, Gavin Sheets hit a two-run homer and San Diego beat NL East-leading New York for a three-game sweep. Manny Machado added a two-run, bases-loaded single for the Padres, who won their fifth straight game as they continue to chase the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Slugger Juan Soto was out of the lineup for the Mets a day after fouling a ball off the top of his left foot. Darvish (1-3), who turns 39 on Aug. 16, held the Mets to two hits, struck out seven and walked none in his fifth start. After allowing Mark Vientos' single with one out in the first, Darvish retired the next 13 batters. He had been sidelined by right elbow inflammation from mid-March until making his season debut on July 7. Darvish got a nice ovation as he headed to the dugout after pitching a perfect seventh in what became the Padres' big league-high 15th shutout. GUARDIANS 5, ROCKIES 0 CLEVELAND (AP) — David Fry hit a two-run homer, Kolby Allard struck out five in 3 1/3 innings, and Cleveland beat Colorado. Carlos Santana had two hits and an RBI and José Ramírez added two hits as Cleveland took two of three from the Rockies. Allard retired nine straight batters with five strikeouts while surrendering just one hit. Ramírez doubled in the first inning, moving to seventh on the Guardians' career hit list, and Fry followed with a home run over the left field wall for a 2-0 lead. Jakob Junis (3-1) went two innings while Nic Enright, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith each pitched one scoreless inning. Six Cleveland pitchers held the Rockies to three hits. Colorado starter Kyle Freeland (2-11) gave up three hits and two runs in three innings. REDS 5, DODGERS 2 CINCINNATI (AP) — Spencer Steer hit a two-run triple in the eighth inning and Cincinnati defeated Los Angeles after Shohei Ohtani's pitching outing was cut short. Ohtani left the mound accompanied by a trainer during the fourth inning with no outs and a 2-0 count against Spencer Steer. The Dodgers' two-way superstar threw six straight balls, including two consecutive wild pitches. Ohtani was making his seventh mound start in his comeback from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which occurred after the 2023 season. The Dodgers' plan for Wednesday was for Ohtani to throw four innings. He threw 51 pitches, including 32 for strikes. After Austin Hays and Tyler Stephenson walked in the eighth against Emmet Sheehan (0-3), Steer drove a ball to deep center on the 11th pitch of his at-bat. James Outman, who had just entered to play center field, nearly made a leaping catch at the wall, but the ball popped out of his glove, and Hays and Stephenson scored.
