Jake Jones, First Baseman and Ace

I came across a wire photo during my daily eBay rounds about an hour ago. It’s from May 1946 and shows two White Sox players, Bob Kennedy, whom I knew, and Murrell Jones, whom I’d never heard of. Baseball-reference.com didn’t list anyone by that name on the ’46 Sox, but did have a Jake Jones. This Jones was that Jones. The caption noted that Kennedy flew off an aircraft carrier during the Battle of Okinawa during WWII, which I couldn’t confirm, and that Jones was an ace with seven kills in the Pacific, which I did confirm. No doubt, the photographer thought the two infielders/pilots made for a great picture. Jones had two cups of coffee with the Sox, 1941-42, before going off to war. He played some on the South Side in 1946 and then had his best year in 1947, when he was traded to the Red Sox for Rudy York. Jones hit a combined nineteen homeruns with ninety-six RBIs for both Sox teams. He apparently became good friends with another former Navy pilot by the name of Ted Williams. Stuff happens in baseball, and Jones was out of the game after another year. But he and Williams were both called back to the service during Korea. Williams flew missions, Jones trained pilots. This year, Strat-O-Matic is offering the 1947 season. That will give me a chance to play the two fighter pilots in the same lineup.