Garth Brooks’ New Song: I’m Out at Second Base

Garth Brooks, who sings about having friends in low places, found himself in one Sunday afternoon at Peoria, Ariz., when he was out at second base on a double play while pinch-running for San Diego’s Wally Joyner in an exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs.

Brooks, who has sold 62 million country-music recordings, had joined the Padres for two days of workouts, taking batting practice, shagging balls in the outfield and planning to watch the game from a luxury box when, instead, he found himself sitting with Manager Bruce Bochy.

“They asked if I was nervous, and I said I was too busy thinking, ‘I can’t believe where I was,’ ” said Brooks, 36 and a big baseball fan. “It was great. It was a piece of Americana going right down my throat.”

Bochy told Brooks he was going in as soon as someone got on in the sixth. Joyner hit a leadoff single and Brooks soon found himself sliding back into first base on a pickoff move by Cub left-hander Ben VanRyn, who said he wasn’t a country music fan.

Umpire Ed Montague appeared to be generous with his safe call. After a second pickoff throw, Brooks hugged Montague.

Greg Vaughn then grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. Brooks made a pop-up slide into second base, way too late, then hustled off the field.

“What a cool thing--this hasn’t soaked in yet,” said Brooks, who added that it was his second-biggest moment in sports, behind winning a medal at the Kansas Relays as a javelin thrower for Oklahoma State.

It wasn’t the first time an entertainer had a spring training appearance with a big-league club. Musician Bruce Hornsby once pinch-ran for the Angels, and actor Tom Selleck struck out for the Detroit Tigers.

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For the first time in seven seasons, Kevin Appier will not be Kansas City’s opening day starter, Manager Tony Muser said.

Appier, who was 9-13 last season and underwent surgery for a separated collarbone in November, has not had top velocity in four spring starts. Muser said Appier would be moved back to the No. 5 starter to begin the season to give him time to “build that shoulder up.”

In nine innings this spring, Appier has given up eight hits and three runs, with four walks and two strikeouts.

Tim Belcher, a former Dodger who led the Royals with 13 wins last year, will open the season March 31 at Baltimore.

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Dennis Martinez, trying to make baseball’s best starting rotation at 42, pitched five scoreless innings, giving up two hits for the Atlanta Braves, who dropped a 2-1 decision to Cleveland at Winter Haven, Fla. . . . Sammy Sosa’s fourth home run of the spring was a three-run shot over a 40-foot fence in dead center field in Tucson in the Chicago Cubs’ 12-9 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. . . . Luis Gonzalez homered, tripled and stole home for Detroit in a 6-5 win over Tampa Bay at Lakeland, Fla.

Glenallen Hill’s two-run single in the eighth inning against his former team helped Seattle beat San Francisco, 10-5, at Scottsdale, Ariz. . . . Josh Booty, all but assured of being the starting third baseman for the World Series champion Florida Marlins in place of injured Bobby Bonilla, had a two-run triple in an 8-2 victory over Montreal at Jupiter, Fla. . . . Mo Vaughn, struggling with Boston’s management, is having no problems hitting for the Red Sox, getting his sixth homer of the spring in a 5-0 win over Philadelphia at Fort Myers, Fla.