Tommy Lasorda said goodbye to Dodgertown in style, walking out of Holman Stadium under an archway of bats. Bartolo Colon and Carlos Silva also had a difficult day, but for a much different reason.
His eyes red, his steps slow, Lasorda waved to the fans for the final time at Dodgertown. Down in the right-field corner, his players and coaches silently gathered and formed two lines.
Crossing bats overhead in a sacred baseball tradition, they formed an arch to let Lasorda close the special place the Dodgers called their spring home for 60 years.
“These guys want me to cry,” the Hall of Fame manager said.
He didn’t, but chances are a few people in the overflow crowd did. Some of them stood in the bottom of the ninth, bidding farewell to their team – and a piece of paradise lost – as Los Angeles fell to the Houston Astros 12-10.
“We’re going to leave, but we’re not leaving our memories,” Lasorda told them in a pregame address, pausing between sentences. Later, he reflected: “In all probability, I’ll never be here again.”
Set to move next year into an $80 million complex that they’ll share with the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Ariz., the Dodgers will take away more than a team from Vero Beach, a town of 30,000 on Florida’s east coast.
In an era when spring training has become big business, Dodgertown was more like baseball’s petting zoo, where players were encouraged to chat with fans and sign their balls. To many visitors, Vero Beach was a true field of dreams.
“It is a special place,” former Dodgers ace Carl Erskine said.
Colon, making his second spring start for the Red Sox, didn’t make it out of the first inning in Boston’s 8-4 loss to the New York Yankees. The right-hander gave up three hits and four runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Colon signed a minor league deal in February. He went 6-8 with a 6.34 ERA last season for the Los Angeles Angels, and was kept off the playoff roster due to elbow inflammation.
“I haven’t felt any pain in my arm,” Colon said through a translator. “That’s what I need right now, to stay healthy.”
Andy Pettitte also needed a pain-free outing after he was scratched from his previous start Wednesday due to minor muscle irritation on the outside of his throwing elbow.
The Yankees left-hander allowed three runs and three hits over 3 1-3 innings.
“My arm felt good,” Pettitte said after his 65-pitch outing in Tampa, Fla. “Felt real good in the first. Got a little tired in the last inning. All in all, it was a good day for me.”
It was a rough one for Silva, who allowed 10 runs and 13 hits over 4 1-3 innings in Seattle’s 17-3 loss to Milwaukee in a split-squad game.
“I felt very good, very strong. But at this level, that performance stinks,” said Silva, who signed a $48 million, four-year contract in the offseason. “I’ll be ready for the season. That’s the only thing that matters.”
Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano walked off the mound in the fourth inning with pain in his arm. As he walked down the right-field line and into the clubhouse in Peoria, Ariz., after allowing three runs and five hits, Capuano motioned to a trainer that he could feel something in his arm when he tried to extend on his pitches.
Capuano was examined by a doctor and said he’d be shut down for a few days to see if his sore elbow calms down.
In other spring training games:
Mariners (ss) 5, Rangers 2
At Surprise, Ariz., long reliever Cha Seung Baek allowed one hit in four shutout innings for Seattle.
White Sox 4, Brewers 4, tie, 10 innings
At Phoenix, Mike Cameron hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning for Milwaukee.
Athletics 6, Royals 2
At Phoenix, Dana Eveland tossed five scoreless innings to increase his chances of earning a spot in the Oakland rotation.
Diamondbacks 8, Padres 4
At Tucson, Ariz., Trot Nixon hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBIs for Arizona.
Brian Giles made his first spring training appearance with San Diego in his comeback from microfracture surgery. He had batted in a pair of minor league games, grounding out twice.
Marlins 5, Twins 3
At Fort Myers, Fla., Chris Volstad turned in another strong outing for Florida, giving up one run and five hits in five innings. Volstad, vying for a spot in an injury-depleted rotation, lowered his spring ERA to 1.13.
Reds 5, Tigers 3
At Sarasota, Fla., Johnny Cueto pitched four solid innings after getting off to a rough start, taking another step toward earning a spot in Cincinnati’s rotation.
Pirates 4, Blue Jays 1
At Bradenton, Fla., Zach Duke tossed five scoreless innings and Freddy Sanchez, Jason Bay and Nate McLouth each drove in a run for Pittsburgh.
Phillies 6, Indians 4
At Clearwater, Fla., Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, who both came into the game batting below .200, had run-scoring singles in Philadelphia’s five-run second.
Mets 7, Nationals 3
At Viera, Fla., Oliver Perez threw five effective innings and David Wright had two hits and two RBIs for New York.
Cardinals 4, Braves 2
At Jupiter, Fla., Mike Hampton allowed a run and two hits over 4 1-3 innings in his best start of the spring for Atlanta.
Rockies 4, Giants 2, 10 innings
At Tucson, Ariz., Ian Stewart hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and Aaron Cook pitched five innings for Colorado. Cook was scratched from his last start because of a sore shoulder.
Add A Comment