Umpire Knocked Out by Foul Tip

Home plate umpire Jim Joyce had to leave a game between Kansas City and Minnesota in the bottom of the seventh inning when he was struck on the left arm by a foul ball off the bat of Twin Terry Steinbach.

Third base ump John Hirschbeck finished the game behind the plate.

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Before Saturday’s game between Texas and Baltimore, Ranger right fielder Juan Gonzalez hit soft-toss for the first time this spring as he continues his rehabilitation from a torn ligament in his left thumb. Gonzalez is still on schedule to meet his projected return date of May 1.

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Winds gusting at 23 mph when the Detroit-Chicago game began picked up throughout and swirled furiously at times. It made fly balls difficult to judge, sent debris across the field, caused pitchers and hitters to pause and even blew umpire Mark Johnson’s hat off.

Later in the game, it rained several times.

“I’ve played down the street at Wrigley and in San Francisco, but I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Detroit’s Brian Hunter, a National Leaguer before this season. “It was fun. There were bags flying and the fans were getting excited when the sun would come out for a minute. Then it rained. You had everything.”

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Albert Belle continued his slump. He went 0 for 4 and is now at one for nine at Comiskey Park as a member of the White Sox.