BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Ken Griffey Sr. Is Hurt in Crash

Outfielder Ken Griffey Sr. of the Seattle Mariners was injured in a car accident and will be sidelined indefinitely with neck and lower back injuries, team officials said in Tempe, Ariz., Sunday.

Griffey, 40, was en route to take a physical examination Saturday when he stopped his car to yield to an emergency vehicle.

His Mercedes Benz was rear-ended by a pickup truck, said Larry Pedegana, Mariner orthopedic surgeon.

Frank Robinson, manager of the Baltimore Orioles, said he will have to see Jim Palmer, 45, work in at least three exhibition games before he could begin to assess the chances of his comeback.

Manager Roger Craig, who has won two division titles and a pennant in five years with the San Francisco Giants, said the 1991 team is his best. “I’ve never managed a better team,” Craig said. “We have more pitching depth, a healthy Kevin Bass, we’ve added Willie McGee, and players like Kevin Mitchell, Will Clark and Matt Williams are getting better.”