Al Leiter and the New York Mets got a scare when the left-hander was hit in the head by a line drive Saturday.
Leiter grabbed the side of his face after being struck by Alex Gonzalez's liner in the second inning of New York's 21-13 victory over the Florida Marlins in Jupiter.
The pitcher fell on the mound, but never lost consciousness. After being treated by trainers, he stood up on his own and walked to a nearby golf cart that brought him to the clubhouse.
Leiter was taken to Jupiter Medical Center for a CT scan and X-rays, which were negative. He was to return to the team's spring training complex in Port St. Lucie to be examined by assistant team physician Joe Bosco.
"I'll be fine. I've got a little headache and a little bruise," Leiter said. "I saw it and I thought I had it. It was knuckling a little bit and I missed it."
The left-hander said he didn't know if he would miss his first start Thursday night in Atlanta.
"If it's still really sore I won't push it," Leiter said.
The Mets also traded disappointing outfielder Roger Cedeno to St. Louis for backup catcher Chris Widger and infielder Wilson Delgado.
The Colorado Rockies will start the season without slugger Larry Walker, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left groin.
The three-time NL batting champion has been sidelined most of the spring with the injury. He was hurt early in spring training and aggravated the injury in an exhibition game on a checked swing. The move was made retroactive to March 26.
The Philadelphia Phillies opened their new ballpark with a 6-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
The outcome didn't seem to matter for the sellout crowd getting its first look at Citizens Bank Park.
Fan favorite Jim Thome picked up where he left off last year when he led the National League with 47 home runs, smashing a solo shot in the first inning for the first hit.
Pat Burrell added a three-run homer in the fifth inning, but the Indians went ahead for good when Chris Clapinski homered off Rheal Cormier leading off the seventh.
The intimate, baseball-only ballpark mixed modern conveniences with old-time charm. Real grass, an open-air stadium with a splendid view of Center City, wider seats angled toward home plate and more concession choices with a local flavor made the ballpark a hit with fans.
Veterans Stadium, the Phillies' home for the last 33 years, closed for good last year.
"There's so much more character than the concrete toilet bowl," said area resident Gene Schriver. "All the sight lines are awesome. It's better than we expected."
The first major league game of the 2004 season on American soil will be Sunday night, when Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox open against Sidney Ponson and the Baltimore Orioles.
Braves 5, Red Sox 0
At Atlanta, Red Sox closer Keith Foulke finished a rocky spring by giving up two runs while getting only one out. Foulke ended the spring with a 15.59 ERA, giving up 17 hits and 15 runs in 8 2-3 innings.
Pirates 7, Twins 4
At Bradenton, Florida, hours after earning a spot in Pittsburgh's rotation, Ryan Vogelsong capped a solid spring with four strong innings. The right-hander gave up one run and struck out seven for the win. He finished spring training with a 2.05 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 26 1-3 innings.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
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