Over the ensuing decades, the city has sometimes been viewed skeptically by African-American athletes, at least a few of whom have expressed reservations about playing for Boston teams. And while Boston has had its share of great African-American athletes — from Bill Russell to Jim Rice to Paul Pierce — Russell himself has cited ugly instances of racial harassment that he endured in Boston while becoming a Hall of Fame center for Celtics teams that often dominated the N.B.A.

For Boston, a city known for its many universities, the issue has been vexing, even befuddling. The current Red Sox team, which won the American League East last season and is favored to do so again, is propelled in no small part by two African-American outfielders — Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr.

That fact was cited by Jones in his remarks to reporters on Tuesday. “Two of their best players are African-Americans,” he said, referring to Betts and Bradley. “I come here nine or 10 times a year. They play at this place 81 times a year. They are the ones that have to endure this kind of thing and understand that kind of behavior is around them.”

Betts called on Boston fans to cheer for Jones in Tuesday’s game, and when Jones came to the plate for his first at-bat he received a sustained ovation. Boston’s starting pitcher, Chris Sale, even stepped off the pitcher’s rubber to allow the ovation to build.

The moment was a noticeable departure from the tension that surrounded the series even before Jones reported being the target of abuse. On Monday 34 people were ejected from the stadium, about three times more than during a typical game.