Delayed second chance
Only hours before getting his second chance in the big leagues, Adam Greenberg admitted he was nervous. Not about facing one of baseball's best pitchers - but about some pregame antics his new Miami Marlins teammates had in store for him.
Greenberg signed a one-day contract to play Tuesday night as a pinch-hitter in the Marlins' game against the New York Mets, who planned to start 20-game winner R.A. Dickey.
The game was Greenberg's first since he stepped to the plate for his major-league debut in 2005 and was hit in the back of the head by the first pitch he saw - a 92-m.p.h. fastball that derailed his career.
Greenberg, 31, took part in batting practice and said he was overwhelmed by the positive reception from his new teammates, who planned to treat him like any other rookie. Catcher John Buck said Greenberg would don a USA Speedo, blue tennis shoes, and pink goggles for a pregame performance in the clubhouse.
The 5-foot-9 Greenberg said he hoped the game marks only the beginning of a career comeback.
If it is it was not a good start. He led off the sixth inning as a pinch-hitter and struck out on three pitches against Dickey.
Another kind of crown
If Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is going to become the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown, he's not going to back into it.
Even though the Tigers clinched the AL Central title Monday, Cabrera was in the lineup Tuesday at third base. He had a pair of singles and drove in two runs in his first two at-bats before flying out to right and leaving in the fifth inning.
Cabrera leads the American League in batting average (.331), homers (44), and RBIs (139).
Angels rookie Mike Trout, who was at .325 before the finish of Tuesday night's game, is giving chase for the batting title, while Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton trailed him by a single home run.
Rather than sit on the bench and watch things play out - by doing so, likely locking up the batting title - Cabrera told manager Jim Leyland that he wanted to play. And he didn't want to be the designated hitter, either. He wanted to play just as he has all season.
This article contains information from Inquirer wire services.
