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 Posted on Mon May 12, 2008 2:02 pm by dd88 |
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 On Sunday, the Dodgers' only runs against Astros starter Shawn Chacon came on a single swing, a two-run home run in the first by James Loney.
The victim was Kuroda (1-2), who had his best start of the season. Kuroda didn't give up a hit until there were two out in the seventh, but extended his winless streak to seven starts. His lone victory came in his major league debut on April 4.
"Honestly, I want to win," he said. "I think anyone would feel that way."
Kuroda said he changed the grip of his slider, which he used to strike out Miguel Tejada with two out and a man on in the sixth.
Kuroda admitted that the Dodgers' minuscule lead affected his approach as he made a bid to get into the history books.
"More than the no-hitter, I was thinking about protecting the lead," he said.
"I'm sure if there was a big gap, you'd think you could walk someone. The way it was, if you let a runner get on and give up a home run, you lose the lead."
Martin said he felt bad that Kuroda couldn't get the win that he was in line to get until Broxton blew the lead. The game marked the third time the bullpen cost Kuroda a win; closer Takashi Saito was responsible for the two other no decisions.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers12-2008may12,0,1631652.story
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| Posted on Thu May 01, 2008 7:15 pm by dd88 |
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 If the Los Angeles Dodgers keep sweeping series, they might find themselves atop the tough NL West in another week or two.
Matt Kemp drove in the tiebreaking run with a ninth-inning single Thursday, and the Dodgers completed their second consecutive series sweep by beating the Florida Marlins 5-3.
The Dodgers have won six games in a row, their longest winning streak since taking seven straight to close the 2006 season. They’re still five games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, whose 20-8 record is the best in baseball.
“You don’t get very many opportunities to sweep series,” manager Joe Torre said. “When you’re playing well and with a lot of confidence, you try to make it last as long as you can.”
The Dodgers, who open a weekend series Friday in snowy Colorado, are averaging nearly eight runs per game during their winning streak.
“It doesn’t have to stop,” outfielder Juan Pierre said. “It’s early, but like everyone says, you want to get it while you can get it. That takes pressure off in August and September.”
With the score 3-all, Rafael Furcal walked to lead off the ninth against Kevin Gregg (3-2), then advanced on Pierre’s sacrifice. Kemp followed by punching a 93-mph fastball from Gregg to the opposite field for a run-scoring single.
“He tried to sink the ball in,” Kemp said. “I tried to stay short and inside-out the ball. I’ve been working on trying to push it that way, and it worked.”
Torre liked the way the Dodgers scratched out the tiebreaking run.
“Fundamentally sound baseball—it sounds simple and boring, but you put yourself in position to win a game,” he said.
Kemp then stole second, and after a walk, he scored when the Marlins made two throwing errors on a grounder to the pitcher. Gregg threw high to second trying for a forceout, and second baseman Robert Andino made a wild relay throw to first.
Joe Beimel (3-0) threw one pitch, retiring Jeremy Hermida on a popup to end the eighth. Takashi Saito pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in six chances for the Dodgers, who have won eight of their past 10 games in Miami.
Pierre went 2-for-3 with a two-run double. He also was hit by a pitch, stole a base and scored a run.
Cody Ross hit his first home run for the Marlins.
The Dodgers’ Hiroki Kuroda and Florida rookie Burke Badenhop left with the score 3-all. Kuroda remained winless since April 4, but he allowed only five hits and no walks in seven innings.
“In the beginning I wasn’t performing that well, but I kept being aggressive,” Kuroda said through a translator. “In the end I came through. I wanted to keep the winning streak going. I didn’t want to be the one to stop it.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280501128
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| Posted on Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:40 pm by dd88 |
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 Perhaps a three-game sweep of the NL champion Colorado Rockies will help spark the Los Angeles Dodgers after they spun their wheels for the first four weeks of the season.
James Loney singled home the winning run in the 10th inning and the Dodgers beat the Rockies 3-2 on Sunday, sending Colorado to its seventh loss in eight games.
The Rockies had won the final seven meetings between the teams last season, including a four-game sweep at Coors Field during a 14-1 finishing kick that earned them a wild-card berth and catapulted them into the playoffs.
“Anytime you can sweep a team at home, it’s always a positive,” Dodgers center fielder Andruw Jones said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit to score runs today, but we came out here and took advantage when those guys made some mistakes and we managed to sneak in a win.”
It’s the first three-game winning streak of the season for the Dodgers under new manager Joe Torre, who used his 24th different lineup in 25 games as he continues to search for a consistent combination.
Los Angeles has had six different managers since winning the 1988 World Series under Tommy Lasorda, and has won only one postseason game since then. So turning this team into a pennant contender remains a daily challenge for Torre, who made the playoffs in each of the last 12 seasons with the New York Yankees.
“You’re never going to find the combination that you’re going to put out there day in and day out,” Torre said. “The fact that we can bat so many of our guys second or seventh is just the versatility of the type of players we have, so I’m not really searching for something that you can sort of phone in every day.”
It was the fifth extra-inning game this season for the Rockies, including a 22-inning win at San Diego on April 17, and a 13-inning loss to the Dodgers on Friday night.
“We didn’t come in here thinking we were going to get swept,” reliever Matt Herges said. “It’s a tad demoralizing, but there’s no one in here who’s going to hang their head. I think we were worse at this time last year, so nobody’s panicking.”
The Rockies’ actually have the same 10-15 record they had last season after 25 games. The pitching staff on Monday night will break the franchise record for most innings worked in April, which was set in 1998 with 240.
“I can’t speak for the starters, but in the bullpen, I think we’re still pretty fresh,” Herges said. “I mean, we played a 22-inning game, for goodness sakes, and that taxed us bad. We weathered it, but losing these extra-inning games is tough, especially on the road.”
Manny Corpas (0-2) walked Rafael Furcal and pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney to open the 10th. Both runners advanced on Matt Kemp’s sacrifice bunt, and Loney grounded a 1-0 pitch through the right side of the infield to end it.
Joe Beimel (1-0) got the win, stranding runners at second and third in the top of the 10th when Jeff Baker fouled out to first base.
The Rockies had a great chance to take the lead in the eighth, but Troy Tulowitzki grounded into an inning-ending double play started by Furcal. That made the Rockies 2-for-16 in bases-loaded situations.
Herges relieved Colorado starter Jeff Francis after seven innings and gave up singles by Kemp and Martin with none out. The former Dodgers right-hander then turned Loney’s comebacker into a 1-6-3 double play and struck out Jones to strand Kemp at third.
Less than 24 hours after putting up a 10-run first inning against left-hander Mark Redman—capped by Kemp’s first career grand slam—Los Angeles came up empty in the first against Francis as Jones flied out with the bases loaded. But the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
Blake DeWitt hit his first big-league triple with two out. Dodgers pitcher Esteban Loaiza drove him in with a single to right after an intentional walk to Chin-Lung Hu, and Furcal drove in Loaiza with a bloop single to center.
The Rockies tied it in the fifth on a leadoff double by Baker, a two-out RBI double by Willy Taveras and a run-scoring single by Todd Helton.
Loaiza threw 70 pitches in his first start since April 7, allowing two runs and five hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Francis allowed two runs and five hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking three. He remained winless this season in five starts after winning 17 games last season.
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| Posted on Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:58 pm by dd88 |
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 Free of the pain in his left ankle that hobbled him for an entire season, Rafael Furcal is hitting again.
Through the Dodgers' 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, Furcal was leading the majors in average (.407) and tied for the lead in on-base percentage (.500) and runs scored (15).
"I'd seen him on TV and I saw him in spring training the last couple of years, but I didn't realize how good he was," said Mike Easler, the Dodgers' first-year hitting coach.
That was something Furcal himself nearly forgot last season, when the switch-hitting shortstop batted .270, including only .254 from the left side. He's hitting .439 as a left-hander this year.
"I felt insecure at the plate last year because I was hitting on one leg," he said. "My ankle didn't help me, especially on the left side. This year, I feel surer of myself."
The resurgence is coming at an opportune time for the electric lead-off hitter -- in the last year of his three-year, $39-million contract.
Furcal says he wants to remain with the Dodgers, though he doesn't want to concern himself with talk of a new deal until the end of the season. Until then, he's leaving the matter in the hands of his agent, Paul Kinzer, who visited Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti during spring training and has had a few follow-up conversations.
Kinzer said the 30-year-old Furcal was looking for a long-term deal that would allow him to "finish his career there."
"There's no deadline," Kinzer said. "We'll give them every opportunity to sign him."
Said Colletti: "We want him to be a Dodger, so at some point in time, we'll sit down and sort it out."
Colletti says he is seeing the same player he saw in 2006, who, in that season, "if he wasn't our best player, was certainly close to it."
That includes his defense, where Furcal says he once again feels as if he has regained his range and arm.
"Last year, there were times I got to balls, but when I tried to stop my body and plant my foot to throw, I couldn't," he said.
But Jones said that health issues aside, Furcal is a better shortstop than he was when they played together in Atlanta from 2000 to '05.
"His range was always good," Jones said, "but his hands are so much better now. And I've always had a good view" from center field.
Furcal's 11 extra-base hits this season are already more than he has had in any March-April, in which he was a career .250 hitter entering 2008. Of his 11 extra-base hits, two are home runs.
"You know where that comes from?" Easler said. "Thinking opposite-middle field. The more he thinks opposite-middle, the more patient he is because he waits longer and sees the ball longer. . . . "
Furcal is seeing more pitches as a result, 4.17 per plate appearance, which is up from 3.68 last season, according to Stats LLC.
"He has a better idea of what he wants to do compared to back then," Jones said, again recalling their days in Atlanta.
"He had power and he wanted to drive the ball more. Now, he just tries to hit it."
Waiting that way wasn't an option last season, when his sprained ankle prevented him from keeping his weight on his back foot when hitting left-handed.
Part of the reason that has happened, Furcal said, is because he played winter ball in his native Dominican Republic during the off-season. But he said the greatest factor might be experience.
"Patience isn't something you pick up immediately, it's something that takes time to develop," he said. "You learn by watching the veterans. I'm the type who loves to watch great hitters at the plate."
When he was playing with Atlanta, Furcal said, he used to observe Chipper Jones, another switch-hitter. In Los Angeles, he added, he devotes the same amount of attention to Jeff Kent.
"They're players who have years in baseball," he said. "I try to pick up on their methods."
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodrep18apr18,1,1388900.story
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| Posted on Sun Apr 06, 2008 6:45 pm by dd88 |
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[excerpt] Hoffman was charged with his second loss in his last three games, allowing Taiwan's Chin-lung Hu’s tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Hoffman, baseball’s career leader with 526 saves, also picked up the loss on Tuesday when he blew a save against Houston. He dropped to 0-2 with a 12.27 ERA in four games this season.
Hoffman had two blown saves in three games at the end of last season, including that epic 13-inning loss at Colorado on Oct. 1 in the wild-card tiebreaker game.
“I just have to start doing my job a little better and things will get even better,” Hoffman said.
Hu’s hit drove in Russell Martin, who led off the ninth with a walk and went to second on a groundout. Martin scored without a throw.
“I took the first pitch and he threw it down the middle,” Hu said. “I was looking for (changeup) on the next pitch and I was ready for that.”
Jonathan Broxton (1-0) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win and Takashi Saito got three outs for his first save.
“He got inside of the pitch enough to keep it fair,” Hoffman said. “It’s a game of inches and I wasn’t able to get the changeup down where he was going to swing over it.”
The Dodgers took two of three from the Padres and continue their first road trip under new manager Joe Torre with three at Arizona starting Monday.
“It’s great to come on the road and win a series, especially against a quality opponent,” Torre said.
The Dodgers pushed across a run in the seventh to tie it at 2. Andre Ethier led off with a single, stole second and scored on Martin’s double that fell between Scott Hairston and Jim Edmonds in left-center field.
Giles hit a one-out double and went to third on Tadahito Iguchi’s infield single that was knocked down by Hu at second base. But when Giles rounded too far around the base, Hu threw behind him and Giles was tagged out by Blake DeWitt. Adrian Gonzalez followed with an RBI double to right field.
“I was just trying to knock the ball down,” Hu said. “I knew had I no chance at first base, but I saw that (Giles) went too far past third. If I made a good throw, I knew I had him.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=280406125
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| Posted on Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:42 am by dd88 |
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The 2008 Dodger regular season kicks off today at 1:10 PM Pacific at Dodger Stadium. Go Blue!
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Los Angeles (82-80) finished in second-to-last place in the NL West last season, ahead of only San Francisco (71-91), marking just the second time since division play began in 1969 that the two teams brought up the rear in the division.
The Giants finished in last place despite the efforts of Bonds, who hit 28 of his 762 career homers in 2007, passing Hank Aaron’s previous all-time record of 755 along the way. However, San Francisco declined to re-sign the 43-year-old slugger, and he has yet to find a new job.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are hoping that Torre can help them avoid a repeat of last season, when tension between veterans and younger players arose as the team lost 11 of its last 14 games to fall out of postseason contention.
“He’s calm, he might give us what we need,” catcher Russell Martin said.
The 67-year-old Torre reached the playoffs in each of his 12 seasons as manager of the New York Yankees, winning the World Series in four of his first five. However, he turned down an incentive-laden, one-year contract with the Yankees, saying he was insulted by the implication that he needed motivation to win.
“It didn’t take me long to feel comfortable, I’ll tell you that,” said Torre, who signed a $13 million, three-year deal with the Dodgers. “The last three years weren’t as comfortable.”
Still, Torre already has plenty to deal with in Los Angeles. Second baseman Jeff Kent (hamstring) says he’s ready to go, but third basemen Nomar Garciaparra (broken bone in right hand) and Andy LaRoche (thumb) are on the disabled list.
Tony Abreu, another possibility at third base, has a strained right groin that will keep him out of action for at least two weeks.
Blake DeWitt, a 22-year-old non-roster player who split last season between Single-A Inland Empire and Double-A Jacksonville, was the likely opening-day third baseman as of Sunday.
Takashi Saito, the Dodgers’ 38-year-old closer, has experienced tightness in his left buttock recently after sitting out two weeks earlier this spring with a sore right calf, and right-hander Jason Schmidt has hit a snag in his comeback from last June’s season-ending shoulder surgery, leaving his return date uncertain.
“Usually you make your own luck,” Torre said. “The good luck is staying healthy.”
On top of those dilemmas, Torre will be adjusting to managing in the National League for the first time since he was fired by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1995.
“I’ll have to have somebody keep poking me all the time that I’ve got a pitcher who’s supposed to hit, or attempt to hit, or whatever,” he said. “Not that managing in the American League is easy, but there’s more you have to be aware of in the National League.”
Manager Joe Torre announced Sunday that Andre Ethier would be the Dodgers' starting left fielder today in the season opener against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, relegating Pierre to the role of high-priced reserve.
Ethier concluded his spring-long surge Sunday with two hits and two runs batted in during the Dodgers' 8-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium, raising his batting average to .377. He finished with a team-high six homers and tied right fielder Matt Kemp for the team lead with 18 runs batted in.
Pierre had two hits and an RBI Sunday to finish a mostly dismal spring with a .188 average. He hit .293 last season but was derided for a weak throwing arm and a .331 on-base percentage, low for a leadoff hitter.
The Dodgers' opening-day batting order, barring a last-minute acquisition: shortstop Rafael Furcal, Ethier, Kemp, Kent, center fielder Andruw Jones, catcher Russell Martin, first baseman James Loney, third baseman Blake DeWitt and pitcher Brad Penny.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodrep31mar31,1,3426569.story
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| Posted on Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:23 pm by dd88 |
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A record crowd of more than 115,000 was expected Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as the Dodgers return to their original home in Los Angeles for an exhibition game against the World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
More than 115,300 tickets have been sold for the exhibition, part of the yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles, according to Josh Rawitch, the team's vice president of public relations and broadcasting.
"I'm just unbelievably grateful and humbled with the overwhelming outpouring for this game," Dodger owner Frank McCourt told City News Service. "On the one hand, I can't wait for it to happen. On the other hand, the excitement that's building about the game is a feeling that I hope we have every day."
Baseball's largest crowd was an estimated 114,000 for an exhibition between the Australian national team and an American services team during the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, on Dec. 1, 1956. The largest for a game in the United States is 93,103 for the Dodgers' May 7, 1959, exhibition game at the Coliseum against the New York Yankees honoring catcher Roy Campanella, who was left paralyzed in an auto accident.
All net proceeds will go to ThinkCure, the Dodgers' official charity, which seeks to raise funds and find a cure for cancer. The game will generate more than $1 million for ThinkCure, while McCourt and his wife, Jamie, have pledged to match the first $1 million with a $1 million donation of their own money, Rawitch said.
Additional funds for ThinkCure will be raised by an online auction of game-worn Dodgers jerseys that will continue through April 10 on www.dodgers.auction.mlb.com.
The game was the result of a suggestion by Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, D- Los Angeles, that the Dodgers play at the Coliseum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their move to Los Angeles, Frank McCourt said.
The Dodgers played at the Coliseum from 1958-61 when Dodger Stadium was under construction.
One of the most remembered facets of the Dodgers' days at the Coliseum was the field's quirky dimensions, including a left-field fence that was just 251 feet from home plate.
Then-baseball Commissioner Ford Frick ordered the team to install a screen to prevent pop flies from becoming home runs. At its highest point at the foul pole, the screen was 42 feet high.
"You felt like you could reach out and touch the screen with your hand" from home plate, said Dodger manager Joe Torre, who played eight games in the Coliseum as a rookie catcher for the Milwaukee Braves in 1961.
The removal of the Coliseum's running track in the 1990s so additional seats could be installed will mean the left field screen will be just 200 feet from home plate tonight. To simulate the original Coliseum experience, an approximately 60-foot screen, with the words "ThinkCure", will be erected.
The field likely will have the smallest dimensions for a game involving major league teams -- 280 feet to the left field power alley, 375 feet to center field, 352 feet to the right field power alley and 300 feet to right field.
"It will be the longest game in baseball history with everyone trying to hit home runs," Coliseum Commission Vice President David Israel said at a news conference in November to announce details for the game.
Because of the expected record crowd, the Dodgers are advising fans to carpool, exit the freeways early, arrive as early as possible and allow extra time for congestion.
A shuttle service will be operating from Dodger Stadium beginning at 11 a.m. and will continue running two hours after the game ends. The shuttle service and parking at Dodger Stadium will be free, but fans are asked to call 323-224-1507 to make reservations.
Parking at USC will be $25 with lots opening at 8 a.m. Parking will be available at the gates at Exposition Boulevard and Watt Way; Figueroa Street and McCarthy Boulevard; Jefferson Boulevard and Royal Street; Jefferson and McClintock Avenue and Vermont Avenue and 36th Street.
A family-style baseball festival will be held outside the Coliseum beginning at noon, with a variety of children's activities and former Dodger players signing autographs. Gates to the Coliseum will open at 4:10 p.m. allowing fans to watch batting practice for the 7:10 p.m. game.
http://www.knbc.com/news/15740801/detail.html
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| Posted on Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:29 pm by dd88 |
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[excerpt] oe Torre calls it the toughest decision he has faced all spring. And he may not have it resolved until Monday morning, when he makes out his opening-day lineup.
"Then I'm going to have to write somebody's name down," he said.
At issue is who will start in the Dodgers' outfield, specifically left field, alongside center fielder Andruw Jones and right fielder Matt Kemp.
Andre Ethier says he believes he has done all he can to make Torre's pick a no-brainer, reaching base four times, hitting his National League-leading sixth home run of the spring and raising his batting average to .359 in the Dodgers' 10-9 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
"It's kind of funny," Ethier said with a smile. "Everyone says 'Let's wait and see what happens in spring training.' But at the same time, some people come back and say 'Well, it's only spring training.'
"I was told to come into spring training and show what I've got. And I did what I was asked. It's management's choice who they're going to put out there."
Ethier's competition for the job, veteran Juan Pierre, is batting .188 with a .253 on-base percentage after reaching base only once in his last 12 at-bats. But Pierre has an established track record, having averaged more than 200 hits, 95 runs and 57 stolen bases over the last five seasons.
But Ethier, 25, has more power, a better arm and will drive in more runs, tools that would make him more valuable off the bench. And that fact, ironically, could wind up costing him the starting job.
"They bring different things to the table," Torre said. "Obviously, Pierre is that guy who's going to put the ball in play. He's going to be a threat on the basepaths."
Torre asked the players to be patient as he searches for a solution, but it hasn't been easy. Monday, Pierre slumped, head down, in front of his locker long after the rest of the team had taken the field. Coaches Bob Schaefer and Larry Bowa went into the clubhouse to talk to Pierre while Torre had a 14-minute talk with Pierre in the outfield during batting practice, then kept him on the bench.
"It's a tough part for the three of us to be in right now," Ethier said.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodrep25mar25,1,6643658,full.story
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| Posted on Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:28 pm by dd88 |
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[excerpt] Clayton Kershaw ... Joba Chamberlain ... Joe Torre.
See the connection? Torre does.
"He certainly has, when they talk about equipment, the same type of stuff," Torre said when asked if the 20-year-old Kershaw could be compared to the 22-year-old phenom now in the Yankees bullpen.
Kershaw was at it again on Tuesday, striking out six in three scoreless relief innings while pitching against the Milwaukee Brewers' first stringers. His strikeout victims included Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall and Craig Counsell.
"You can tell that kid's a No. 1 pick," said Ted Simmons, Milwaukee's bench coach.
Kershaw wasn't perfect. He allowed a Mike Rivera double punched just inside the first-base line, walked a batter and was called for a balk.
"He was rough early because he hadn't pitched in a week, but I thought he kept his composure," said Torre. "He never backs off. The kid is special. Keeping him healthy is the most important thing. He has confidence in himself."
What more does he need to be ready to help the Dodgers in Los Angeles?
"I'm not sure what he needs, other than the experience of innings pitched," said Torre. We'll keep an eye on that. That's the determining factor in how quickly he can help us."
The Dodgers have Esteban Loaiza and Chan Ho Park competing for the fifth starter job, the game plan being that between the two, the club buys time until Kershaw is ready. Of course, opposing batters are indicating that Kershaw might be ready now. His Spring ERA is 0.90, the lowest of any Dodger with at least 10 innings. He's allowed one run on seven hits in 10 innings with 13 strikeouts and three walks.
Could Kershaw, like Chamberlain, be used in relief to avoid overuse of his young arm?
"Clayton's got the overpowering fastball and can cross your eyes with the curveball," said Torre. "How we decide to use him depends on what our forecast is for what's best for him. You can draw similarities to [Chamberlain]. At this point, I think his future [role] is pretty open."
Torre said he expected Kershaw to start this season at Double-A Jacksonville, where he ended last year after dominating in Class A. The trick is to give Kershaw enough innings to polish his game while keeping his arm fresh enough to help the big league club at crunch time. After Chamberlain's August promotion to the Yankees, management ordered that he must have one day off for every inning pitched -- the Joba Rules.
Kershaw said nobody's said anything to him other than he'd be on the flight to Los Angeles after this game. He was critical of himself for not adjusting his location on the walk, but took some satisfaction in the strength of the opposition.
"You see guys in their lineup like Fielder and [Ryan] Braun, guys who did so much damage last year, and if I can get those guys out, that's a little confidence booster," said Kershaw. "We'll just have to see how it goes."
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080325&content_id=2458265&vkey=spt2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=la
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| Posted on Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:33 pm by dd88 |
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[AP News] China’s red flag with its yellow stars blew in a stiff breeze in deep left field alongside the U.S. Stars and Stripes. Except for this, the first Major League Baseball game in China mostly looked like any afternoon at the ballpark in America.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres played to a 3-3 tie on a near-perfect Saturday in Beijing, with clear blue skies replacing the city’s usual smog, and 50-degree temperatures making it a glorious debut for baseball. The second game is set for Sunday. Both teams are using only a half dozen players who will be on the opening day 25-man roster.
The game at the new Olympic venue drew an announced crowd of 12,224—a near sellout—and had many of the touches of home: vendors selling peanuts, hot dogs, beer, soft drinks or—and this is China—plastic bottles of tea. The concessions were cheaper than the U.S.—about $1.50 for a soft drink or a beer, and $3 for a bag of peanuts.
“I felt like the atmosphere was like anywhere else,” Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said. “You didn’t really capture the fact you were in China unless you knew you were in China. The atmosphere was great and the field was in great condition.
“You just felt like you were at a ballpark playing baseball.”
There was one problem, though it didn’t impact the players. Vendors and concession stands kept running out of drinks, causing long lines to form before reinforcements arrived.
There was occasional staccato organ music to pump up the fans, and the music between inning ranged from Carmen to Latin rhythms to hip-hop.
“In general overall the ballpark had a good feel,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “The between innings entertainment was not unlike what we have in the States.”
Commissioner Bud Selig was on hand with an entourage of MLB officials.
“The thought that we are standing here today watching the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres in Beijing, China, sort of takes my breath away,” Selig said. “We certainly want to play more games here, there’s no doubt about it.”
Let history record that the first hit in China went to the Dodgers’ John Lindsey in the top of the second, a line shot to left field. Also of note— Dodgers outfielder George Lombard swung at the first pitch of the game and grounded out. He also hit a home run to right field in the third inning with one out to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
The Padres tied it in the fourth when Oscar Robles scored from third after Dodgers catcher Lucas May threw wildly back to the pitcher. The Dodgers went ahead in the sixth 2-1 when May singled to drive in Andruw Jones. The Dodgers added another run in the eighth. Starter Chan-ho Park went five innings and allowed one hit.
Craig Stansberry drove in a run with a double in the eighth to cut the lead to 3-2, and Gonzalez followed with a run-scoring double to tie it for the Padres. After nine innings, the teams decided to call it quits, which is fairly common for spring training games.
“With all the attention, all the media I thought it felt a bit more like a regular-season game than a spring training game,” new Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.
In the seventh inning, of course, fans were led in a chorus of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The only person singing, however, was the public address announcer. And there were cheerleaders dressed in red and silver with pom poms and bare stomachs.
Only at times was it clear this is China, where baseball is virtually unknown and MLB is trying to cash in on a growing middle class with money to spend.
In one inning, the scoreboard mysteriously gave the Dodgers an extra run. The error was fixed an inning later. And the park was blanketed with uniformed and plainclothes security officials, who did a sweep hours before the game and forced officials to reissue tickets and credentials for fans and reporters.
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