Notes

— RED SOX Pesky dies at 92

BOSTON - Johnny Pesky, who spent most of his 60-plus years in pro baseball with the Boston Red Sox has died. He was 92.

Pesky died Monday at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, Mass., according to Solimine, Landergan and Richardson funeral home in Lynn. The funeral home did not have a cause of death.

Pesky appeared at Fenway Park on April 20 when the Red Sox celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ballpark. The team invited all its former players back, and Pesky was moved to tears at the pregame ceremony.

“I’ve had a good life with the ball club,” Pesky told The Associated Press in 2004. “I just try to help out. I understand the game, I’ve been around the ballpark my whole life.”

Pesky, a lifetime .307 hitter, was a player, manager, broadcaster, and most recently a special instructor for Boston. Unofficially, he was the club’s goodwill ambassador.

Until the past several years, he seemed ever present at the Red Sox spring training camp in Fort Myers, Fla., and at Fenway, where he always had a few minutes to chat with fans and still had knowledge to impart to players well into his 80s.

His legacy is a permanent part of Fenway with the Pesky Pole - the right-field foul pole.

He also was a teammate and friend of Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who died in 2002.

Born John Michael Paveskovich in Portland, Ore., Pesky first signed with the Red Sox organization in 1939 at the urging of his mother. A Red Sox scout had wooed her with flowers and his father with fine bourbon. His parents, immigrants from what is now Croatia, didn’t understand baseball, but they did understand that the Red Sox were the best fit for their son even though other teams offered more money.

He played two years in the Red Sox minor league system before making his major league debut in 1942.

That season he set the team record for hits by a rookie with 205, a mark that stood until 1997 when fellow Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, with whom he became very close, had 209. Pesky also hit .331 his rookie year, second in the American League only to Williams, who hit .356.

Pesky spent two years with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Senators before starting a coaching career that included a two-year stint as Red Sox manager in 1963 and 1964. He came back to the Red Sox in 1969 and stayed there, even filling in as interim manager in 1980 after the club fired Don Zimmer.

The right field foul pole at Fenway Park, just 302 feet from home plate, is named the Pesky Pole in his honor even though Pesky hit just 17 home runs in his career, six at Fenway Park.

ORIOLES

Romero acquired from Indians

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore Orioles have acquired left-hander J.C. Romero from the Cleveland Indians for minor league infielder Carlos Rojas.

Romero began the season with St. Louis, going 0-0 with a 10.13 ERA in 11 games before being released May 14. He was signed to a minor league contract by the Orioles and went 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA in 17 appearances for Class AAA Norfolk. He was then signed by the Indians to a minor-league deal July 21 and pitched in eight games for Class AAA Columbus.

Romero’s contract will be purchased today, and he will be added to the 25-man roster, according to the Orioles.

DODGERS Hairston placed on disabled list

PITTSBURGH - The Los Angeles Dodgers placed third baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a left hip injury.

Manager Don Mattingly says the hip has been bothering Hairston for several months and flared up again during a 7-3 loss to Miami on Saturday night. Hairston left the game early and did not play in Sunday’s series finale.

Hairston is batting .273 with 4 home runs and 26 RBI in 78 games but has struggled since the All-Star break, hitting .212 in his past 21 games. He missed 16 games in May with a left hamstring strain.

CUBS Raley optioned to Iowa

CHICAGO - The Chicago Cubs optioned lefty Brooks Raley to Class AAA Iowa on Monday and moved third baseman Ian Stewart to the 60-day disabled list.

Raley went 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts for the Cubs. He retired the first 13 Reds he faced Sunday before allowing home runs in the fifth and sixth innings in a 3-0 loss to Cincinnati.

TWINS Nishioka sent back to AAA

MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins have sent middle infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka back to Class AAA Rochester on Monday after a rough week in the majors.

Nishioka was recalled from Rochester a week ago, but the former Japanese league batting champion went 0 for 12 with three errors at second base plus a number of other blunders in the field. He didn’t appear in any of the games against Tampa Bay over the weekend.

Sports, Pages 18 on 08/14/2012

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