tuesday, may 11, 2004
sports
the university daily kansan
3B
Royals off to worst start since 1992
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Switchhitter Orlando Hudson hit the first two homers of his career right-handed and drove in four runs Monday night, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Over the Ramses in my life
Reed Johnson went 3-for-5
Reed Johnson with a homer for Toronto, which won its sixth straight and extended its winning streak at Kauffman Stadium to eight games. The Royals (9-21) are off to their worst start after 30 games since the 1992 team.
royals 3
blue jays 9
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@royls
records: royls 9-
21 blue jays 14-
10
Juan Gonzalez hit a solo homer off Pat Hentgen (2-2) in the seventh for Kansas City, giving him 1,400 career RBs. Hentgen struck out a season-high five in 6 1-3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with two wickets
Courtesy of KRT Campus
1992 team started 8-22.
Hudson's three-run shot with two outs capped a six-run first inning, and he added a solo shot in the third to make it 7-0. He singled and scored in the sixth and finished the night 3-for-5.
right side of the plate.
Hudson has 18 career homers — five this season — in 227 games, but his two off Brian Anderson were his first from the
right side of the court.
Anderson (1-4) lost his fourth straight start and was yanked after giving up four singles to open the sixth inning. The fourth, Frank Catalanotto's blooper to right, dropped out of Gonzalez's glove for an 8-0 lead.
Anderson gave up eight runs and 13 hits, but four of the runs were uncarnied because of a fielding error by third baseman Joe Randa in the first inning. He walked one and struck out two.
walked on Vernon Wells and Carlos Delgado each hit RBI singles in the first inning, and Josh Phelps' sacrifice fly made it 3-0 before Hudson homered to left.
After Micheal Nakamura relieved Hentgen with one out in the seventh, Benito Santiago had an RBI single to cut Toronto's lead to 8-2.
lead to 8-2.
Johnson's solo homer in the eighth off Mike MacDougal made it 9-2, but Carlos Beltran answered with a leadoff homer off Nakamura in the bottom half.
Catalanotto and Wells also had three hits each for Toronto.
The Royals' Carlos Beltran went one for four and struck out once during his team's loss to the Blue Jays yesterday. The Royals will play the Blue Jays at home on Wednesday.
Notes: Royals infielder Tony Graffanino flashed a thumbs-up when asked about the condition of his left knee but gave no timetable for his return. "I'm at the mercy of the trainer," said Graffanino, who went on the disabled List May 1 with torn cartilage. ... Seven of Hentgen's 13 strikeouts this season have come against
Kansas City. ... Kansas City dropped to 5-19 against right-handed starters. ... Toronto has two six-run innings against
Anderson this year. The Blue Jays scored six runs in the second inning of their 10-3 victory on May 5.
The Associated Press
Braves outfielder battles for respect
ATLANTA — Journeyman. It is the most dreaded of labels for a professional athlete.
Just ask Jesse Garcia, who showed up at spring training last year for the Atlanta Braves
Braves coming off a .300 season at Triple-A.
What did that earn him? For the first two weeks, he didn't even get in a game. He was relegated to the back fields with all the up-and- comers and down-and-outers.
"That was a low point," Garcia said. "Sometimes, you just have to sit back and wonder. What kind of player am I? Am I good enough or not?"
He stuck with it, played in the Triple-A All-Star game, and finally convinced a few people that he might be useful as a utility infielder in the majors.
At 30, Garcia made Atlanta's opening-day roster. With short-stop Rafael Furcal and second baseman Marcus Giles plagued by injuries, Garcia has become an integral part of the team.
As of Monday, Garcia was batting. 313 with one homer — his first in the big leagues since 1999 — and eight RBIs. He's been one
of the few bright spots for an aling team, which is two games under .500 as it bids for a 13th straight division title.
But Garcia knows his position is still tenuous. He's a journeyman, remember? Those guys can never get too comfortable.
Giles and Furcal could return to the lineup today for the start of a series at St. Louis. If that happens, Garcia will shuffle back to the bench, hopeful that his contributions strengthened his spot on the 25-man roster.
He homered last month against Florida — off World Series hero Josh Beckett, no less. Last week, Garcia helped turn a triple play against San Diego.
Over the weekend, he rallied the Braves to a victory over Houston — convincing the umpes he was grazed by a pitch in the eighth, leading to two runs, then driving in the tying run with a ninth-inning triple.
Garcia is only 5-foot-10 and 171 pounds — hardly the prototype player for this homer-crazy era. These days, everyone is expected to knock the ball over the fence.
With his experience, he isn't taking anything for granted.
taking an jean jacket.
"Even if I go 0-for-4," he said,
"I'm going to be hustling down
the line four times."
Eckersley prepares for his induction into Hall of Fame
The Associated Press
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. When Dennis Eckersley walked into the Plaque Gallery at the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time, he was as overwhelmed as any of his predecessors.
"Being with the plaques is where I felt it. That's when it hit home." Eckersley said yesterday as he toured the Hall of Fame in preparation for his July induction. "You get the feeling that it's not really true. That's what puts it in perspective, how awesome it feels."
Eckersley and former Milwaukee Brewers star Paul Molitor w
Eckersley
bringing to 40 the number of players elected on the first ballot.
Eckersley saved an American League-record 324 games in stints with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics. He also pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs of the National League before retiring in 1998 with a record of 197-171 and 390 saves in 1,071 games.
With his shaggy black hair and distinct mustache, Eckersley
relied on pinpoint control and was the most effective reliever in baseball from 1988-92, helping the Athletics win four division titles and one World Series. He also won the AL MVP and Cy Young Awards in 1992 with one of the greatest seasons by a reliever, going 7-1 with 51 saves and a 1.91 earned-run average.
Eckersley reached the big leagues in 1975 with Cleveland and pitched a no-hitter against the Angels in 1977. It wasn't until
10 years later — after stints with the Red Sox and Cubs — that he became a closer and his baseball life changed forever.
After completing a month of alcohol treatment in January 1987, Eckersley went to spring training with the Cubs, and they traded him to the Athletics during the first week of the season. It was there that manager Tony LaRussa and pitching coach Dave Duncan relegated him to the bullpen, expecting him to pitch only the
ninth inning if the Athletics were ahead.
"I was looking for a niche," said Eckersley, who posed for a photo in front of the plaque of his idol growing up, former San Francisco Giants right-hander Juan Marichal. "I just kind of fell into it."
In a big way. In that four-year stretch with Oakland, Eckersley saved 220 games, struck out 378 and walked only 38 batters. He also is the only pitcher with 100 saves and 100 complete games.