Reds Are Winners on a Blue, Blue Day

Someone left a display of tulips on a table outside an entrance to Riverfront Stadium on Tuesday. Flowers arrived at the umpires’ dressing room, where the four-man umpiring crew--including replacement Rich Reiker--arrived an hour 10 minutes before game time to receive them.

The umpires wore black armbands as they came on the field in Cincinnati, and they were received by a standing ovation. There were even signs honoring one of their own, and when fans disagreed with a call, as they did in the first inning when first-base umpire Steve Rippley called Eric Owens’ grounder a foul ball, the boos were quickly hushed.

The flag was at half-staff, and a chaplain gave tribute on the field. There was a moment of silence before the national anthem.

Then, seemingly lost amid the day-after reaction to umpire John McSherry’s death, Chris Sabo celebrated a homecoming.

Returning to Riverfront for the first time in three seasons, Sabo drove in three runs in the Reds’ 4-1 victory over the Montreal Expos in the makeup of Monday’s tragic opener that lasted only seven pitches, the last McSherry would ever call.

Grief was evident in the clubhouses, on the field and even in the stands, if not in the front office because owner Marge Schott was unhappy with Monday’s postponement and 53,136 fans going home with rain checks.

Sabo, a favorite in Cincinnati before he left as a free agent in 1993, got the fans into the game by delivering in his first three at-bats. He singled home a run in the first inning, walked in the third, then doubled home a run in the fifth.

The 34-year-old third baseman completed the day by getting hit on the forearm with the bases loaded in the eighth.

“I’m glad to be back,” Sabo said. “I’ve always had jitters here on opening day. I want to do well, considering my limited playing time. I want to make the most of my opportunities.”

Winner Pete Schourek, who threw the seven pitches in Monday’s opener before McSherry collapsed, gave up one run over five innings. Tim Pugh allowed one hit over three innings, and Marcus Moore pitched the ninth for his first major-league save.

The victory was Ray Knight’s first since being introduced as the Reds’ fourth manager in five years. It was Cincinnati’s first season-opening win since 1993, when the Reds beat Montreal, 2-1, in the first of Tony Perez’s 44 games as manager.

“I didn’t know it would feel this good to win,” Knight said. “I’ve always enjoyed winning, but the trying circumstances of the last day or two make it tough to know how you’re going to feel. But I feel really good.”

Once the game started, the players were able to forget about the tragedy.

“When you dive in the ocean, you’ve got to swim,” Expo manager Felipe Alou said. “Once they said ‘play ball,’ to me it was normal. There was some adrenalin lost yesterday, things like that. I thought about McSherry a few times during the game, but there was not a whole lot of time to think about what was going on outside of the game today.”

Pittsburgh 4, Florida 1--The Pirates, whose record was the worst in the National League last season, ran their ’96 mark to 2-0 when Carlos Garcia hit a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning in Miami.

All four Pirate run were unearned. Seven-time Gold Glove winner Devon White dropped Mike Kingery’s routine fly in the sixth inning for an error, leading to the tying run.

Alejandro Pena (0-1) retired the first batter in the Pittsburgh ninth, but Jeff King reached on an error by shortstop Kurt Abbott. With two outs, Jay Bell doubled and Garcia followed by hitting a 2-and-2 pitch over the left-field wall.

Reliever Jason Christiansen (1-0) pitched two-thirds of an inning for a victory. Dan Miceli got three outs for the save.

Colorado 5, Philadelphia 3--Larry Walker’s sore hamstring didn’t keep him from trotting out a two-run home run in the first inning in Philadelphia.

Sid Fernandez settled down after giving up Walker’s homer to strike out eight batters in seven innings and allow only the two runs on Walker’s homer.

He was bested by Kevin Ritz, who allowed only one hit in 5 1/3 innings.

Walt Weiss’ RBI single and Trenidad Hubbard’s two-run double in the eighth inning gave the Rockies three more runs and they were needed because the Phillies scored twice in the ninth inning, on Benito Santiago’s leadoff home run off Curtis Leskanic and Mickey Morandini’s RBI double with two outs off former Philadelphia pitcher Bruce Ruffin.