Associated Press
The baseball notebook …
PHOENIX ó Veteran left-hander Mike Hampton retired Saturday, ending a 16-year big league career after giving up on a bid to earn a roster spot with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
ěI just knew it was time,î the 38-year-old Hampton said in a statement. ěThe fire is there and the passion will always be there, but physically it was just time to shut it down.î
The oft-injured Hampton was 148-115 with a 4.06 ERA in 419 games, including 355 starts.
He began his career with Seattle in 1993 and played for the Houston Astros, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves and Diamondbacks.
He led the National League with 22 wins in 1999 while with Houston. But the two-time All-Star had just 10 wins in the past five seasons.
SILVA CUT
SURPRISE, Ariz. ó Chicago Cubs right-hander Carlos Silva has been told he will not be on the team’s 25-man roster when the season starts Friday.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Silva would be offered a minor league assignment, but Silva said there was “no chance” he would report to Triple-A Iowa.
Silva was 1-2 with a 10.90 ERA in five appearances this spring after going 10-6 with a 4.22 ERA in 21 starts last year in his first season with the Cubs.
YANKEES
TAMPA, Fla. ó Alex Rodriguez connected, even before he stepped on the field.
On behalf of the New York Yankees, the star slugger called a 12-year-old girl Saturday and invited the young hero and her family to a game this weekend. Less than an hour later, Rodriguez homered as the Yankees beat Pittsburgh 4-2.
Last June, Julianne Ramirez of Tampa noticed 3-year-old family friend Bella Villa had stopped swimming and was sinking underwater at a backyard pool party. Ramirez, having learned CPR as a third grader in the Girl Scouts, rescued Villa from the pool and began chest compressions.
“I have two daughters and I can just really appreciate what an amazing thing she did. She’s a true hero,” Rodriguez said.
TAMPA, Fla. ó The New York Yankees completed their rotation Saturday, tabbing Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia as starters and putting Bartolo Colon in the bullpen.
Nova and Garcia will join CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes in the rotation.