BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Brett’s No. 5 Is Retired by the Royals

No. 5, worn by George Brett during his 20-year career, became the first player’s number retired by the Kansas City Royals.

“He is one of the greatest players in Royals history,” said Muriel Kauffman, the widow of Royal founder Ewing Kauffman. “He is not only a good athlete, he played hard and he played to win, and that’s what it is all about. He was one wonderful example in the clubhouse to all the younger players and he helped build a winning team.”

With 3,154 hits and batting titles in each of three decades, it appears certain that Brett will go into baseball’s Hall of Fame with Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount once the five-year waiting period is up.

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Outfielder Darryl Hamilton of the Milwaukee Brewers (elbow) and catcher Mike Stanley of the New York Yankees (hamstring) were put on the 15-day disabled list.

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In his first pinch-hit appearance of the season, Michael Jordan struck out in the ninth inning of the Birmingham Barons’ 9-7 loss to the Jacksonville Suns. Jordan is batting .255.