Rocker Makes His Return to the Mound

John Rocker got a standing ovation in his return to the mound as he sprinted in from the right-field bullpen in the ninth inning of the Atlanta Braves’ game against Detroit on Tuesday night at Kissimmee, Fla.

In his first action since the World Series--and his controversial magazine interview--Rocker pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning in the Braves’ 4-0 win.

Before the game, which drew a record crowd of 10,078 to the Braves’ spring training complex, Rocker worked his way up the right-field foul line, signing autographs and occasionally chatting with fans crowding a railing for a closer view.

Two security guards moved along with the left-hander and kept a pack of photographers and television cameramen out of the way.

Rocker was suspended for all of spring training and the first 28 days of the season by Commissioner Bud Selig after the reliever’s disparaging comments about minorities, gays and foreigners were published. But an arbitrator allowed him to report March 2 and cut the suspension to two weeks.

*

David Glass’ bid for the Kansas City Royals, said to be worth $96 million, was accepted by the team’s board of directors and will be submitted to baseball owners for approval.

Glass, 64, is the Royals’ chairman and has long been regarded as the favorite to gain control of the team. Mile Prentice’s $75 million was accepted by the Royals last year, but baseball owners tabled a vote on Prentice’s bid last September and the commissioner’s office later rejected it.

The offer by Glass, the former chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Inc., could be voted on by baseball owners when they meet April 18 in Houston.

*

Five days ahead of schedule, Philadelphia pitcher Curt Schilling threw off a mound for the first time since off-season shoulder surgery.

Schilling hadn’t thrown from a mound since his final 1999 start, last Sept. 8. He missed most of the final two months of the season because of shoulder discomfort and had arthroscopic surgery Dec 13 to tighten his shoulder capsule.

Schilling says he will throw in the bullpen Sunday, then is likely to need six weeks before being activated.

*

Pedro Martinez and five relievers combined on a perfect game at Fort Myers, Fla, as the Boston Red Sox beat Toronto, 5-0. . . . Orlando Hernandez, who missed his first start because of back stiffness, pitched four shutout innings, allowing two hits as a New York Yankees’ split squad lost to the Houston Astros, 6-4. . . . Arizona Diamondback infielder Andy Fox will be sidelined at least three weeks because of a hairline fracture in his left hand. The Diamondbacks also announced that an MRI of Erubiel Durazo’s right wrist showed the first baseman has only mild tendinitis. . . . Dave Stevens, who had a seizure and collapsed unconscious in the clubhouse last week, was reassigned by the Pittsburgh Pirates to their minor-league camp. . . . Cleveland’s Kenny Lofton will begin a throwing program this week to strengthen his surgically repaired left shoulder. Originally expected to be sidelined until the All-Star break, Lofton could return by May. . . . Milwaukee right-hander Jamey Wright has a small tear in his rotator cuff and will be sidelined at least four weeks. . . . Adrian “El Duquecito” Hernandez, a 25-year-old right-hander who defected from Cuban on Jan. 2, showcased his 93 mph fastball, a knuckleball and an accomplished curve for scouts from 20 teams during a workout complete with umpires and batters in Guatemala City. He is not related to the Yankees’ Orlando Hernandez. . . . Sparky Anderson, the winningest manager in Detroit Tigers’ history, will be honored with a special day on April 30 at Detroit’s new Comerica Park.