W-OLF
03-20-2006, 04:36 PM
Al Leiter Retires, Ending 19-Year Career
Published: 3/20/06, 7:25 AM EDT
(AP) - Al Leiter made his living with a heavy cut fastball, boring it in on the frightened fingers of right-handed hitters everywhere. He broke enough bats to empty the shelves at Louisville Slugger, getting grounders and squibbers and feeble popups for 19 years in the big leagues. So it was only fitting that his final pitch was pounded into the dirt toward third.
Leiter got one last out Sunday, then called it a career. The New York Yankees' left-hander retired after pitching to one batter in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
"It feels good to be able to go out on your own terms," Leiter said in Tampa, Fla. "I love the game very much, but when you were a certain type of player for a few years, being a front-end starter, that's the way I still think I can pitch. But the body tells you no."
Time was called after Eduardo Perez grounded out, and Leiter handed the ball to Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry. Alex Rodriguez patted Leiter on the head and he began a slow, teary walk off the field for the final time.
He sat in New York's dugout until the Yankees turned an inning-ending double play, then got hugs and warm wishes from his teammates.
"It feels right. Family, kids, I'm constantly being asked when I'm coming home," he said.
Leiter and several Yankees had just returned from the World Baseball Classic, and New York had most of its stars for the first time since the exhibition opener.
The 40-year-old Leiter, a key member of two World Series championship teams, had hinted about calling it a career for some time. Perez, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, was thrilled to be a small part of his retirement.
"We go way back and it was an honor to be his last hitter," Perez said. "He's a class act. The competitor, the cutter, the never-say-die attitude. That's been Al Leiter."
Earlier, Leiter, a two-time All-Star who pitched a no-hitter in 1996, soaked in his last day in uniform as a major leaguer. He posed for photos with Yankees manager Joe Torre and spent about 15 minutes chatting with New York general manager Brian Cashman.
Leiter, who made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1987, finished 162-132 with a 3.80 ERA. He won World Series titles with Toronto (1993) and Florida (1997). He also pitched for the New York Mets and helped them reach the 2000 World Series against the Yankees.
In Phoenix, Oakland's Barry Zito went six innings and threw a spring-high 87 pitches in an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs in a split-squad game.
Zito gave up three runs and six hits, and finished with three strikeouts. He'd like to get up to 100 pitches Friday night when he faces the San Diego Padres.
"I'm trying not to be too fine and guide the ball out of my hands," he said. "I have to stop worrying about where it goes and just pick up my spot and let it go. I threw a couple of bad sliders today, but then I got a better feel for it.
"That's the good thing about spring; you can lose the feel and get it right back. It's about making adjustments."
At Dunedin, Fla., the Toronto Blue Jays said A.J. Burnett's MRI showed scar tissue breaking away in his right elbow.
Burnett left Toronto's 8-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday after throwing 18 pitches, and the Blue Jays initially feared the right-hander had a serious injury.
Burnett had Tommy John surgery three years ago.
"We got good news," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said before a 9-7 loss to the Pirates in Bradenton. "The X-rays came back good, it's probably just a little scar tissue. It's big, big news."
Burnett, who was 12-12 with a 3.44 ERA with the Marlins in 2005, was relieved that it wasn't as serious as it first appeared.
"Obviously, any setback is not good, but when the good news came that it was scar tissue, not anything with the ligaments, it was good news and I am relieved," Burnett said. "It was scary. When you break the scar tissue up, it feels like you are doing the same thing all over again."
The Red Sox, who beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 in Fort Myers, Fla., agreed to a minor league contract with oft-injured outfielder Juan Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was expected to join the team for Tuesday's home game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He has 434 homers, 1,404 RBIs and a .295 batting average in 17 major league seasons.
Also, Boston icon Johnny Pesky broke a bone in his lower leg when he was hit by a line drive at a college game.
The lovable Pesky, who serves as a Red Sox instructor during spring training, sustained a non-displaced fracture of the left fibula near his ankle on Saturday while watching a game between Suffolk University of Boston and Denison of Ohio on a back field at Red Sox camp.
At Surprise, Ariz., Kansas City Royals closer Mike MacDougal has a strained muscle in his right arm and is expected to miss at least a month. Manager Buddy Bell said he would use 21-year-old right-hander Ambiorix Burgos as the closer in MacDougal's absence.
The Royals beat a split squad of San Francisco Giants 6-3, but two other Cactus League games were rained out.
In other spring training games:
Cardinals 11, Braves 2
At Jupiter, Fla., St. Louis starter Sidney Ponson allowed two runs and four hits in five solid innings.
Pirates 9, Blue Jays 7
At Bradenton, Fla., Oliver Perez gave up a two-run homer to Shea Hillenbrand while lasting two innings in his first Pirates start this spring.
Perez pitched on two days' rest after earning the win in Mexico's 2-1 victory over the United States on Thursday in the WBC.
Tigers 5, Astros 2
At Kissimmee, Fla., Astros starter Roy Oswalt allowed six hits and two runs in six innings, his longest outing of the spring. He threw 60 of 92 pitches for strikes.
Reds 5, Phillies 4
At Sarasota, Fla., Aaron Harang threw four scoreless innings and Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion had a two-run double.
Devil Rays 6, Twins 5
At St. Petersburg, Fla., Jorge Cantu hit a two-run double in his first spring plate appearance for the Devil Rays.
Marlins 5, Mets 0
At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Florida starter Scott Olsen threw five shutout innings and Mike Jacobs hit a two-run homer.
Dodgers 9, Nationals 1
At Vero Beach, Fla., Ricky Ledee and Bill Mueller homered for the Dodgers, and Derek Lowe tossed six strong innings.
Brewers (ss) 4, Giants (ss) 2
At Scottsdale, Ariz., Mike Rivera hit a two-run homer and Milwaukee's David Bush allowed two runs in five innings.
The Giants pulled Barry Bonds and Steve Finley out of the lineup early in the morning, not wanting to risk an injury to either outfielder on the slick field.
Brewers (ss) 8, White Sox 7
At Phoenix, Brady Clark and Prince Fielder each hit two-run singles in Milwaukee's five-run second inning.
Rangers 2, Cubs 0 (ss)
At Mesa, Ariz., Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano struck out seven and allowed two runs in five innings.
Rockies 8, Mariners 5
At Peoria, Ariz., Jeff Baker hit a two-run single for Colorado.
credit BellSouth
Published: 3/20/06, 7:25 AM EDT
(AP) - Al Leiter made his living with a heavy cut fastball, boring it in on the frightened fingers of right-handed hitters everywhere. He broke enough bats to empty the shelves at Louisville Slugger, getting grounders and squibbers and feeble popups for 19 years in the big leagues. So it was only fitting that his final pitch was pounded into the dirt toward third.
Leiter got one last out Sunday, then called it a career. The New York Yankees' left-hander retired after pitching to one batter in a 2-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
"It feels good to be able to go out on your own terms," Leiter said in Tampa, Fla. "I love the game very much, but when you were a certain type of player for a few years, being a front-end starter, that's the way I still think I can pitch. But the body tells you no."
Time was called after Eduardo Perez grounded out, and Leiter handed the ball to Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry. Alex Rodriguez patted Leiter on the head and he began a slow, teary walk off the field for the final time.
He sat in New York's dugout until the Yankees turned an inning-ending double play, then got hugs and warm wishes from his teammates.
"It feels right. Family, kids, I'm constantly being asked when I'm coming home," he said.
Leiter and several Yankees had just returned from the World Baseball Classic, and New York had most of its stars for the first time since the exhibition opener.
The 40-year-old Leiter, a key member of two World Series championship teams, had hinted about calling it a career for some time. Perez, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, was thrilled to be a small part of his retirement.
"We go way back and it was an honor to be his last hitter," Perez said. "He's a class act. The competitor, the cutter, the never-say-die attitude. That's been Al Leiter."
Earlier, Leiter, a two-time All-Star who pitched a no-hitter in 1996, soaked in his last day in uniform as a major leaguer. He posed for photos with Yankees manager Joe Torre and spent about 15 minutes chatting with New York general manager Brian Cashman.
Leiter, who made his major league debut with the Yankees in 1987, finished 162-132 with a 3.80 ERA. He won World Series titles with Toronto (1993) and Florida (1997). He also pitched for the New York Mets and helped them reach the 2000 World Series against the Yankees.
In Phoenix, Oakland's Barry Zito went six innings and threw a spring-high 87 pitches in an 8-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs in a split-squad game.
Zito gave up three runs and six hits, and finished with three strikeouts. He'd like to get up to 100 pitches Friday night when he faces the San Diego Padres.
"I'm trying not to be too fine and guide the ball out of my hands," he said. "I have to stop worrying about where it goes and just pick up my spot and let it go. I threw a couple of bad sliders today, but then I got a better feel for it.
"That's the good thing about spring; you can lose the feel and get it right back. It's about making adjustments."
At Dunedin, Fla., the Toronto Blue Jays said A.J. Burnett's MRI showed scar tissue breaking away in his right elbow.
Burnett left Toronto's 8-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday after throwing 18 pitches, and the Blue Jays initially feared the right-hander had a serious injury.
Burnett had Tommy John surgery three years ago.
"We got good news," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said before a 9-7 loss to the Pirates in Bradenton. "The X-rays came back good, it's probably just a little scar tissue. It's big, big news."
Burnett, who was 12-12 with a 3.44 ERA with the Marlins in 2005, was relieved that it wasn't as serious as it first appeared.
"Obviously, any setback is not good, but when the good news came that it was scar tissue, not anything with the ligaments, it was good news and I am relieved," Burnett said. "It was scary. When you break the scar tissue up, it feels like you are doing the same thing all over again."
The Red Sox, who beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 in Fort Myers, Fla., agreed to a minor league contract with oft-injured outfielder Juan Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was expected to join the team for Tuesday's home game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He has 434 homers, 1,404 RBIs and a .295 batting average in 17 major league seasons.
Also, Boston icon Johnny Pesky broke a bone in his lower leg when he was hit by a line drive at a college game.
The lovable Pesky, who serves as a Red Sox instructor during spring training, sustained a non-displaced fracture of the left fibula near his ankle on Saturday while watching a game between Suffolk University of Boston and Denison of Ohio on a back field at Red Sox camp.
At Surprise, Ariz., Kansas City Royals closer Mike MacDougal has a strained muscle in his right arm and is expected to miss at least a month. Manager Buddy Bell said he would use 21-year-old right-hander Ambiorix Burgos as the closer in MacDougal's absence.
The Royals beat a split squad of San Francisco Giants 6-3, but two other Cactus League games were rained out.
In other spring training games:
Cardinals 11, Braves 2
At Jupiter, Fla., St. Louis starter Sidney Ponson allowed two runs and four hits in five solid innings.
Pirates 9, Blue Jays 7
At Bradenton, Fla., Oliver Perez gave up a two-run homer to Shea Hillenbrand while lasting two innings in his first Pirates start this spring.
Perez pitched on two days' rest after earning the win in Mexico's 2-1 victory over the United States on Thursday in the WBC.
Tigers 5, Astros 2
At Kissimmee, Fla., Astros starter Roy Oswalt allowed six hits and two runs in six innings, his longest outing of the spring. He threw 60 of 92 pitches for strikes.
Reds 5, Phillies 4
At Sarasota, Fla., Aaron Harang threw four scoreless innings and Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion had a two-run double.
Devil Rays 6, Twins 5
At St. Petersburg, Fla., Jorge Cantu hit a two-run double in his first spring plate appearance for the Devil Rays.
Marlins 5, Mets 0
At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Florida starter Scott Olsen threw five shutout innings and Mike Jacobs hit a two-run homer.
Dodgers 9, Nationals 1
At Vero Beach, Fla., Ricky Ledee and Bill Mueller homered for the Dodgers, and Derek Lowe tossed six strong innings.
Brewers (ss) 4, Giants (ss) 2
At Scottsdale, Ariz., Mike Rivera hit a two-run homer and Milwaukee's David Bush allowed two runs in five innings.
The Giants pulled Barry Bonds and Steve Finley out of the lineup early in the morning, not wanting to risk an injury to either outfielder on the slick field.
Brewers (ss) 8, White Sox 7
At Phoenix, Brady Clark and Prince Fielder each hit two-run singles in Milwaukee's five-run second inning.
Rangers 2, Cubs 0 (ss)
At Mesa, Ariz., Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano struck out seven and allowed two runs in five innings.
Rockies 8, Mariners 5
At Peoria, Ariz., Jeff Baker hit a two-run single for Colorado.
credit BellSouth