Sunday, May 09, 1999
BASEBALL INSIDER
St. X, Miami grad blooms in Colorado
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The thicket of runs the Colorado Rockies produced in their historic performance last Wednesday nearly obscured the major-league blooming of Chris Sexton.
Sexton, a graduate of St. Xavier High School and Miami University, thrived in his first big-league start. Leading off and playing center field for Colorado, he rapped two hits, including his first home run, in the Rockies' 13-6 victory at Chicago.
“All I wanted to do the whole day was stay in an aggressive frame of mind,” said Sexton, who scored twice and drove in three runs as the Rockies became the seventh team in National League history to score in every inning of a nine-inning game. “It worked out.”
Sexton couldn't have been blamed for wondering if he'd ever appear in the majors. He toiled in the minors for six years after the Reds drafted him in the 10th round in 1993. The season after the Reds traded him to Colorado for right-hander Marcus Moore on April 10, 1995, he began spending time in center field after being groomed as a shortstop.
But, as Colorado manager Jim Leyland said after Sexton's big game, “Good things happen to good people.”
Sexton, 27, has been a solid hitter but not especially powerful, amassing 18 homers in 2,644 minor-league at-bats. So when he belted Dan Serafini's 2-0 pitch into Wrigley Field's center-field shrubbery, he sprinted, not jogged, around the bases.
“I was as surprised as anyone in the ballpark. Maybe the wind helped it a little bit,” said the modest Sexton, who replaced another former Red, Pat Watkins, on Colorado's roster.
Tim Hellman, the Cincinnati native who manages the visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley, made sure Sexton's heroics were properly commemorated. A bottle of champagne awaited Sexton at his locker.
GET SOME PRIDE: Maybe the wrong team played the Cubans.
Perhaps America would have been better served by sending the New York Yankees against the Cuban National Team, which whipped the Baltimore Orioles 12-6 last Monday night.
Some Orioles were unhappy about having to play an exhibition on a scheduled off-day, and it showed in their effort. Watching on television, various Yankees players were incensed.
“They embarrassed everyone with the way they played,” relief ace Mariano Rivera said. “To get beat like that, it was embarrassing. I don't know why they even agreed to the game. I saw (Albert) Belle standing there, taking pitches. You could tell the Orioles weren't interested.”
Said right-hander David Cone, “Some games are bigger than the sport. It's easy as major-leaguers to get wrapped up in your own schedule, wanting to have a day off. But the political ramifications of that game were huge.”
The New York Post reported that Yankees owner George Steinbrenner already has approached the State Department about the possibility of organizing a home-and-home series with the Cubans.
Said Cone, “Tell George to schedule it. I would try to win that game as hard as any I've ever played in. I would love to pitch against them.”
IGNORANCE IS ...: San Diego's Ruben Rivera recently became the third player in the 29-year history of Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium to launch a home run into the highest upper-deck seats, the 600 level. Pittsburgh Hall of Famer Willie Stargell and former New York Met Butch Huskey were the others.
But Rivera had no idea that he hit the ball so hard because he didn't watch it reach the seats.
A fan screamed at him when he returned to the outfield: “I've got your ball. You want this ball?” Rivera said, “I was looking. It was really up.”
GOOD NEWS: Having undergone chemotherapy treatments for three months, Atlanta Braves first baseman Andres Galarraga has seen the tumor in his lower back shrink by 75 percent.
“He was crying when he told me what the doctors said,” Braves catcher Eddie Perez said. “He was happy and so was his family. He's supposed to have only one more chemotherapy, but they're going to do two, just to be sure.”
An enthused Galarraga plans to install a batting cage at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., and would like to accompany the Braves on a road trip soon. But returning to the field this year remains unlikely, if not impossible.
“I don't know if it's even fair to speculate on that,” Braves General Manager John Schuerholz said. “He's got cancer, and he's fighting through the disease. We're delighted for all the good that is happening, but I haven't even thought about (Galarraga's return). We're just going to keep hoping he continues to win his fight.”
COLD FISH: How much worse can it get for the Florida Marlins? They played before the smallest home crowd of their seven-year history last Monday, 8,626. That came in the midst of a 2-11 homestand that dropped their Pro Player Stadium record to 4-15, tied with Montreal for the NL's worst home mark.
“No offense to the Marlins, but if we played here 162 games, we'd be looking at the postseason,” Milwaukee pitcher Scott Karl said.
Marlins owner John Henry has remained stoic. After all, the franchise's decline was set in motion in 1997, once Florida won the World Series and jettisoned its most talented, higher-priced players.
“I think it's to be expected,” Henry said of the tiny audiences. “We're not winning any games. The only thing that bothers me about having a small crowd is for the players. It's not the players' fault. It's not management's fault. This is all the result of decisions that were made a long time ago ...
“Would we play better in front of 30,000 than 10,000? No. Because we're trying now. The fans have been through hell, there's no question about that. We hope they will hang with us. But I don't begrudge anybody for being upset.”
QUICK PITCHES: Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez's recovery from April 8 surgery to remove torn cartilage from his left knee has proceeded ahead of schedule. He might be ready to return as early as Monday.
• Speaking of comebacks, Minnesota right-hander Hector Carrasco is overjoyed with his improved health after undergoing arterial surgery in March to clear blockage in his right shoulder.
“I can't wait to play catch,” said the former Red, who's a week or two from doing that. “When I had the surgery, I was thinking maybe I wouldn't be able to play again this year, or maybe my career was done.”
• After doing almost everything a hitter can do, Cubs first baseman Mark Grace finally hit his first grand slam last Tuesday, off Colorado's Darryl Kile, in his 1,630th career game.
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