Things to Heat Up Early This Season

The 1997 baseball season opens today without a ceremonial pitch by President Clinton--still recovering from knee surgery and weary, perhaps, from a long doubleheader of campaign and contribution pitches.

Clinton will leave it to the professional hurlers as 24 of the 28 teams begin a season that features the introduction of interleague play and commemorates the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier.

Among opening day highlights:

* While Roger Clemens prepares to pitch Game 2 for the Toronto Blue Jays, Pat Hentgen, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner, challenges Albert Belle and Frank Thomas in their official debut as Chicago White Sox teammates at the Skydome. Jaime Navarro, the former Chicago Cub right-hander signed as a free-agent replacement for Alex Fernandez, pitches for the White Sox.

* The New York Yankees, the defending World Series champions, face the Seattle Mariners, a team many predict will knock the Yankees off the October throne, at the Kingdome, with David Cone opposing Jeff Fassero, who’s making his Mariner debut.

* Cal Ripken Jr. takes his consecutive-games playing streak to third base as the Baltimore Orioles open at Camden Yards against the strengthened Kansas City Royals, but Baltimore had to scratch ace Mike Mussina, who is now day to day because of calcium deposits in his elbow. Jimmy Key, the former Yankee southpaw who helped oust Baltimore from last year’s playoffs, will replace Mussina.

The Orioles will also be without second baseman Roberto Alomar, who begins a five-day suspension for last September’s spitting incident with umpire John Hirschbeck, and could also be without Brady Anderson, who has a cracked rib.

* The San Diego Padres begin defense of their National League West title at home, pitching Joey Hamilton against the New York Mets amid rumors that Rickey Henderson could be traded to the Boston Red Sox for Shane Mack and that Hideki Irabu, reportedly back in Los Angeles, could be traded to the Mets--if he agrees to sign with a club other than the Yankees.

* Jim Leyland and the Florida Marlins, coming off an expensive renovation and a scorching 25-6 spring, begin their challenge of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East by sending Kevin Brown, the major leagues’ earned-run average leader last year, against the Cubs in Miami.

* With Kenny Lofton now in center field and batting leadoff, the Braves go with John Smoltz, the NL’s Cy Young winner, at Houston, where former broadcaster Larry Dierker makes his managerial debut for the Astros.

The opening slate has cold-weather teams in warmer locales during the first week to 10 days in hopes of avoiding the postponements that hampered the 1996 season.

All five domes will be in use this week, and every West Coast team will be at home. Only the Orioles and Cincinnati Reds host potential cold-weather openers.

“It’s hard to make a 100% warm-weather schedule, but we did the best we could,” National League Vice President Katy Feeney said. “Many of the East Coast teams don’t want to start with nine or 10 games on the road, and many of the West Coast teams don’t want this many home dates in April [before schools are out and the races heat up]. You can’t satisfy everyone.”

There will be two openers Wednesday, the Red Sox at Anaheim and the Cleveland Indians at Oakland.