Adam Jones said it wasn’t the first time it’s happened to him in Boston, but the Orioles outfielder said Monday night was the worst.
“A disrespectful person threw a bag of peanuts at me and I got called the ‘N’ word a handful of times,” Jones said following the Orioles’ 5-2 victory over the Red Sox. “It was pretty awesome out there. Just part of the job, right? That’s one of the worst nights. It’s very unfortunate to be honest with you. I heard there were 50-60 ejections tonight in the ballpark. It is what it is. I just go out and try to play baseball.” (Red Sox officials told the Globe there were fewer than 30 ejections from the ballpark Monday.)
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Added Jones: “It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being. I’m out there trying to make a living for myself and my family. The best thing about myself is that I know how to move on and still play the game hard and let people be who they are and let them show their true colors.”
It didn’t stop the All-Star center fielder from having a highlight-reel game defensively. There were seven incredible plays made by Jones and his teammates. The Orioles were also able to settle a different score when starting pitcher Dylan Bundy hit Mookie Betts with a pitch on the left leg. It was apparent retaliation for Matt Barnes throwing a high hard one at Manny Machado last Sunday, a pitch that earned the Red Sox reliever a four-game suspension.
It was the opposite for the Red Sox, who committed four fielding errors and more on the bases.
Jones was visibly upset after the game. He said the person in question was escorted out of the stadium.
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“They found him,” Jones said. “It’s unfortunate. Pathetic. What they need to do is instead of kicking people out of the stadium, they need to fine them 10 grand, 20 grand, 30 grand, and then make them pay in full and if they don’t, take it out of their check. That’s how you hurt somebody. Kicking them out of the stadium, what does that mean? It’s a slap on the wrist. The guy needs to be confronted and needs to pay for what he does.
“What if something hit me in the eye and I can’t play baseball anymore?”
David Price has also indicated that he had heard the same racial taunts while a member of the Red Sox. Carl Crawford said the same in his tenure there as well.
Jones was definitely pumped Monday. He watched as Machado seemed to get more inspiration as the crowd’s boos got louder every time he stepped to the plate.
Machado hit a solo homer in the sixth off Rick Porcello and went around the bases in 29 seconds, the second slowest home run trot this season.
Machado denied that he was extra slow rounding the bases.
“I mean no, it was normal, nothing different,” said Machado. “I see the ball like I always do and I started running around the bases.”
“Manny was fired up,” insisted Jones. “He brings it every day. On a day you get the young man fired up, that’s good for Orioles baseball, and you’re scared for the opponent.”
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Bundy was asked about hitting Betts. When the question was framed whether the ball just got away from him, Bundy didn’t say a word. He just nodded in the affirmative.
Jones thought it was an annoying media creation and that the situation has been over for a long time.
Well, except for Bundy hitting Betts.
“Hopefully you guys [the media] will nip it in the bud,” Jones said. “From my angle, it looked like Dylan was coming inside.”
Baltimore manager Buck Showalter pretty much said the same thing.
Dustin Pedroia, the object of the Machado spiking 10 days ago that started all the bad blood, didn’t want much to do about Bundy hitting Betts.
“Bro, I don’t know,” he said. “I’m more concerned that we’re trying to play better baseball. This is ridiculous, man. We’re trying to play baseball and win games. I don’t have time for this.”
“You’d have to ask him,” Betts said, referring to Bundy. “It is what it is. He hit me and I just took my base.”
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.