Jones graduated from
Osborne High School in
Marietta, Georgia, and attended
Jacksonville State University in
Alabama. He was drafted by the
Houston Astros in the first round of the
1989 Major League Baseball draft and made his major league debut during the season. Initially a setup reliever, Jones started being used as a closer for the Astros in the 1995 season. His best years came with the Detroit Tigers from –, when he notched 142 saves. On April 22, 1999, Jones earned career save number 100. On September 27, , Jones threw the last official pitch at
Tiger Stadium, striking out
Carlos Beltrán as the Tigers defeated the
Kansas City Royals 8–2. Jones' tenure as a Detroit Tiger peaked in 2000, when he converted 42 saves in 46 attempts, made his first and only AL All-Star team, and won the AL
Rolaids Relief Man Award. The 42 saves established a new Tigers team record, surpassing
John Hiller's 38 saves in 1973. The record would stand until 2011, when it was broken by
José Valverde. Jones could not continue his success into the 2001 season. After blowing 6 of his first 17 save opportunities, Jones lost his closer role and the Tigers traded him to the
Minnesota Twins on July 28, 2001. After the 2001 season, Jones became a free agent and signed with the
Colorado Rockies. While playing for the Rockies in April , Jones made remarks criticized as anti-
gay comments during a discussion of the play
Take Me Out. Jones publicly apologized, but did not retract his comments. He shifted to the
Boston Red Sox midway through the season. He made his first career postseason appearance that year, pitching to three batters in Game 6 of the
ALCS as the third Red Sox pitcher against the
New York Yankees. In the sixth inning, he allowed a hit while garnering a strikeout and a walk before being taken out for
Alan Embree. The Red Sox won the game 9-6 with six pitchers used, but they lost the ALCS the next night. Jones left the Red Sox after the season. Following a season spent with the
Cincinnati Reds and
Philadelphia Phillies, Jones signed a one-year contract with the
Florida Marlins. After an injury to incumbent closer
Guillermo Mota, Jones took on the role for the first time since 2001. He finished the season with a 2.10 ERA and 40 saves, surpassing 200 career saves during this season. On December 8, 2005, Jones signed a two-year contract to return to the Tigers. In , he also participated in the inaugural
World Baseball Classic. On May 21, 2006, he became the Detroit Tigers' all-time leader in saves, passing
Mike Henneman. Jones saved 37 games for the
2006 Tigers, who made the postseason for the first time since 1987. He would appear in seven postseason games for the Tigers: two in the
ALDS, three in the
ALCS, and two in the
World Series, pitching the ninth inning in each occasion. He converted four saves and allowed one total run (unearned) throughout the postseason. His last postseason appearance was Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, as he finished the only victory that the Tigers would garner against the St. Louis Cardinals. Jones retired with a postseason ERA of 0.00 in seven innings. The Tigers re-signed Jones to a one-year contract for the 2008 season. On July 27, Jones lost his role as the Tigers' closer to
Fernando Rodney. On September 25, 2008, the 40-year old Jones announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. ==Pitching style==