BASEBALL

The Cincinnati Reds released Pedro Borbon, a 48-year-old pitcher who was their most prominent replacement player.

And General Manager Jim Bowden asked Manager Davey Johnson, who had harshly criticized replacement baseball after turning over his duties to assistant Ray Knight five games into the schedule, to follow Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson’s example and take a leave of absence. Johnson, who has just a one-year contract to manage the Reds, refused to go.

Bowden told Johnson that if he wanted to stay, he’d have to fulfill all the duties of a manager.

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Teams using replacement players would be barred from playing at Baltimore’s Camden Yards under legislation approved by the House of Delegates and certain to be signed by Gov. Parris Glendening.