Wednesday, April 8, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
Track star opens batting season
Maurice Greene took the mound at Royals game
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The race is not always to the swift, and neither is success on the pitching mound, an admittedly nervous world-class spinner Maurice Greene found out at yesterday's home opener for the Kansas City Royals.
Greene, the Kansas City, Kan., native who recently set the indoor world record in the 60-meter run in Madrid, Spain, with a time of 6.39 seconds, threw the ceremonial first pitch before the Royals met the Baltimore Orioles.
"I think I just lost my pitching job," joked Greene, 23, after his throw to Royals catcher Mike MacFarlane bounced in front of the plate. "When I'm on the track, I'm not really that nervous. But my nervousness got to me today."
Greene, a bit disappointed by the results, obviously was excited by the chance to appear before the hometown crowd.
"Hey, that's me!" he exclaimed when
videos of a couple of his racing victories were shown on the giant screen next to the Kauffman Stadium scoreboard. In addition to his recent record at Madrid, Greene won the 100-meter event in the 1997 World Championships at Athens in 9.86 seconds, matching a World Championships record set by Carl Lewis.
Greene admitted that his baseball experience was limited to playing with other kids in the neighborhood as a boy. As he got older he said that he concentrated on track when baseball season came around. The answer stars
The sprint star
actually was outshone on the pitching mound by Nat Turner, who got his chance to throw an earlier ceremonial pitch — and got it to the catcher. Turner, 26, of Overland Park, had been selected as the grand prize winner among people who purchased special editions of The Kansas City Star sold on street corners every opening day in a fund-raising tradition.
"I was numb out there on the mound," said the delighted Turner, a
"I think I just lost my pitching job. When I'm on the track, I'm not really that nervous. But my nervousness got to me today."
Maurice Greene Royals baseball player
national marketing manager for Kansas City's Hallmark Cards Inc. "I'm glad that the guy caught it because it was starting to sail."
The capacity crowd at the Royals' 30th home opener included veterans who could remember the first one and others making their first trip to the stadium.
Timothy Rigsby, 28, of Independence, recently moved to the area from Alabama and found a prime spot in the first row of the bleachers, just inside the foul pole.
As a newcomer, Rigsby was not quite sure what to expect of the Royals this season but said he planned to get season tickets, just as he did for the Atlanta Braves when he lived in Alabama.
"I'm a supporter of baseball," he said.
Cody Newell, 12, whose mother is
Riggsy's partner in a trucking business, was at his third home opener and hoped for better results on the field this year.
"And I'd like to know why they're raising everything up by a dollar this year," he said, noting that the price for his general admission seat had risen to $6, from last season's $$.
Ed Crenshaw, 46, of Excelsior Springs, Mo., headed for a box seat in left field with his daughter, Heather, 13, and son, Garrett, 10.
"I'm hoping for a win," said Crenshaw, an opening-day regular since the era of the Kansas City Athletics before Charlie Finley moved them to Oakland.
A brief spell of heavy rain sent early-arriving fans scrambling for cover around noon, but within a half hour the sun was out again, although not for long and the game started under overcast skies.
Crenshaw, who said he tried to make 10 or 12 games a year, was cautiously optimistic about the Royals' chances, depending on the status of injured pitching ace Kevin Appier.
"I believe they have a good shot at a decent, .500 finish," Crenshaw said of the Royals, who were last in the American League Central Division two years in a row.
"If their pitching staff holds," added his son.
Orioles dethrone Royals in home opener
Baltimore hits team hard with homers; large crowd present
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Joe Carter drove in four runs, and Eric Davis and Lenny Webster hit home runs as Baltimore won its sixth straight game and beat Kansas City 11-7 yesterday in the Royals' home opener.
Roberto Alomar had four hits as the Orioles improved to 6-1 for only the fourth time. Their loss was 4-1 to the Royals on opening day.
Scott Erickson (2-0), who beat the Royals and Glendon Rusch 10-1 at Baltimore last Wednesday, took an 8-1 lead into the sixth inning but was removed with one out left. Eric kison allowed five
runs and 10 hits that inning.
In front of 40,419 fans, the Royals' largest crowd for a home opener since 1988, Rusch (0-2) gave up six runs and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. He had a 1-0 lead before Webster hit his third homer leading off the fifth, his second of the season
Hammonds hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Davis hit a three-run homer off Jim Pittsley later that inning for a 8-1 lead.
off Rusch. Two-out singles by Jeffrey Hammonds, Davis and Raphael Palmeiro put Baltimore ahead, and Joe Carter followed with a two-run single.
Jeff King, who had an RBI single in the first, hit a two-run homer on an 0-2 pitch from Terry Matthews to end the Royals' five-run sixth. Johnny Damon had an RBI double and Jose Offerman chased Erickson with a two-run single.
Dean Palmer hit Matthews' first pitch in the seventh for his third homer.
Carter hit another two-run single in the eighth, and Matt Whisenant walked Palmeiro with the bases loaded.
Notes: Alomar reached third base after doubling in the first, but he got caught in a run-down when Davis hit an infield grounder ... Starting shortstops Felix Martinez of Kansas City and Mike Bordick of Baltimore began the game a combined 0-for-30. Each got one hit...
Rusch:Gave up six
runs, 10 hits in 51
13 innings.
Cal Ripken's fourth-inning single was hit No. 2,721, tying Lou Gehrig for 45th place. ... Baltimore started 6-1 in 1966, 1971 and 1996. ... Webster had a single, double and homer.
Milwaukee welcomes NL with a win
The Associated Press
MILWAUKEE — On the day National League baseball returned to Milwaukee for the first time in 33 years, the Brewers won with some American League long-ball.
Jeromy Burnitz and Jose Valentin homered and the Brewers won their sixth straight, beating the winless Montreal Expos 6-4 yesterday at County Stadium.
The Expos fell to 0-7, extending their worst start in their 30-year history.
Home-run king Hank Aaron throw out the first ball, a one-hopper to the plate during pregame ceremonies. It was the first National League game in Milwaukee since Sept. 22.
1965, when the Braves lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings. The Braves moved to Atlanta the following season.
The Brewers, who moved from Seattle to Milwaukee before the 1970 season, started the season with a 5-1 road trip, and yesterday's crowd of 51,400 was the biggest for a County Stadium opening in four seasons.
Milwaukee's Scott Karl (1-0), who started last season with five consecutive losses, gave up two earned runs and seven hits in 6/13 innings. He left with a 5-2 lead in the seventh after two singles.
First baseman John Jaha then booted Scott Livingstone's grounder for an error, which loaded the bases. Vladimir Guerrero struck out, but Chad Fox walked Rondell White and Jose Vidro, which pulled Montreal to 5-4. Fox got out of the jam by retiring Brad Fullmer on a grounder to first.
Bob Wickman pitched the eighth, and Doug Jones pitched a hitless ninth for his third save.
Burnitz's three-run homer and Valentin's solo shot both came in the fifth off Dustin Hermanson (0-1), who gave up four runs on six hits in five innings.
Fernando Vina's RBI single off Mike Maddux in the sixth made it 5-2, and Maddux left with a strained right groin after doing the splits while trying to throw out Jeff Cirillo on a bunt.
Vina added a run-scoring single off Rick DeHart in the eighth.
Fullmer and F.P. Santengelo hit consecutive doubles off Karl in the second to put Montreal ahead. White's solo homer off Karl, his first of the year, made it 4-2 in the sixth.
Notes: Hank Aaron and Expos manager Felipe Alou are two of the three people who played for both the Milwaukee Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. The other is Phil Roof.
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