Having withdrawn his trade request, Gary Sheffield could get back to what he does best: hit a baseball.
Sheffield got his first hit of the spring Sunday, tripling in the fourth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 in Jupiter, Fla.
"I'm not a politician or anything like that," said Sheffield, who had been 0-for-10. "I'm just a baseball player and a family man, and I'm going to get back to doing those two things."
Sheffield got his first hit off Jason Karnuth in the fourth and scored on a single by Chris Donnels. Sheffield said he'll make the best of his situation.
"I know guys respect me in this locker room and we have a mutual love for each other and mutual respect," Sheffield said. "I said what I said and I'm happy with it and we can move on and try to win a championship."
Sheffield, who rescinded his trade demand on Saturday, didn't want to talk about what changed his mind.
"I'm going to leave that where it is, and just focus on baseball," he said.
At Valencia, Venezuela, Houston closer Billy Wagner, coming back from elbow surgery, gave the Astros a scare when he left the game against Cleveland after throwing two pitches.
He grimaced in pain after throwing a 98-mph fastball to Tim Laker in the eighth inning. He conferred with pitching coach Burt Hooton for a minute and then walked off the field. Wagner has a mild strain on the left side of the groin and left as a precaution.
Adam Everett's two-run homer in the ninth inning gave the Astros an 8-8 tie.
In Tampa, Fla., Derek Jeter's return couldn't slow down Alfonso Soriano, who had filled in for Jeter at shortstop. Soriano started in left field and hit a three-run triple during a five-run seventh-inning.
Jeter went 0-for-3 in his spring debut. He had missed eight exhibition games because of an inflamed shoulder joint, and was scratched Saturday with a viral throat infection.
"It looked like everybody was throwing 200 miles an hour," Jeter said.
Also, the Florida Marlins, making yet another long-term commitment to their future, agreed with center fielder Preston Wilson on a $32 million, five-year contract.
Wilson earned $287,000 last season when he set a team record with 121 RBIs. He also became the first 30-30 player in club history, hitting 31 home runs and stealing 36 bases.
"I was surprised they went five years. I think it's a strong statement about which way the organization is going," Wilson said from Melbourne, Fla.
In other games, it was Florida 2, Atlanta 1; Texas 2, Cincinnati 1; New York Mets 7, Detroit 2; Baltimore 10, Boston 2; Pittsburgh 2, Toronto 1; Minnesota 9, Tampa Bay 4; Toronto 11, New York Yankees 6; Kansas City 4, Philadelphia 2; Tampa Bay 7, Philadelphia 6; Anaheim 5, Seattle 4; Colorado 2, Milwaukee 1; Oakland 12, San Francisco 6; and Chicago White Sox 6, San Diego 1. Arizona swept the Chicago Cubs in a pair of split-squad games, winning 13-3 at Mesa, Ariz., and 4-3 in Tucson, Ariz.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.