Former Cy Young Winner Drabek Signs With Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles filled out their starting rotation Thursday by signing free agent Doug Drabek to a one-year contract for $1.8 million, plus an additional $600,000 in performance incentives.

Drabek, 35, was 12-11 with a 5.74 earned-run average in 31 starts for the Chicago White Sox last season. He won the National League Cy Young Award with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1990 and has a career record of 149-123 in 12 seasons.

Drabek said he was looking forward to pitching for Ray Miller, who was hired as the Orioles’ manager last month and served as the Pirates’ pitching coach during the six years Drabek was with Pittsburgh, 1987-92.

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The Minnesota Twins signed free-agent outfielder Otis Nixon to a one-year contract with a club option for 1999. Terms were not disclosed.

Nixon, 38, split last season between the Toronto Blue Jays and Dodgers, hitting .266 with two home runs, 44 runs batted in and 59 stolen bases in 145 games.

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The Angels signed free-agent pitcher Omar Olivares to a one-year contract. Olivares went 6-10 with a 4.97 ERA for the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners last season. The Angels envision the right-hander joining Chuck Finley, Ken Hill, Jason Dickson and Allen Watson in the starting rotation.

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Pitcher Frank Castillo and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. . . . The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Gerald Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league reliever Chad Fox. . . . The Philadelphia Phillies extended the contract of Manager Terry Francona through the 1999 season.

Golf

The duo of Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldorf began their quest for a third consecutive title by rallying for a 1-up victory over Tommy Tolles and John Cook at the $700,000 Diners Club matches at La Quinta.

Lehman and Waldorf erased a one-hole deficit over the final four holes to win in the PGA Tour division of this tournament, which also features two-player teams from the Senior PGA and LPGA tours.

In other PGA Tour matches, Steve Elkington and Jeff Maggert scored a 1-up victory over John Daly and Tim Herron, Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade rallied for a 1-up victory over Justin Leonard and Mike Hulbert and Jim Furyk and Lee Janzen defeated Mark Calcavecchia and Jeff Sluman, 3 and 2.

Miscellany

Indiana (23-0) hopes to take the penultimate step toward perfection today when it takes on UCLA (20-2) in the first semifinal of the NCAA men’s soccer championships at Richmond, Va. In the other semifinal, Virginia (18-3-2) plays St. Louis (17-4-3).

A magistrate in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, issued a restraining order against Wilfredo Cordero after the outfielder’s wife complained that he had threatened her. Cordero, released by the Boston Red Sox after the season, is on probation after pleading guilty in Massachusetts to beating and threatening his wife in June.

The entertainment license of the nightclub where a woman was injured after two New England Patriots dived from the stage into the crowd was suspended for 30 days by the city of Boston. The mayor’s office of consumer affairs and licensing said that the Paradise club violated its license agreement by allowing too many people in the club, and by allowing quarterback Drew Bledsoe and guard Max Lane onto the stage with the rock band Everclear.

A University of Michigan wrestler apparently was trying to lose weight rapidly when he collapsed and died while working out, officials and a relative said in Ann Arbor, Mich. Jeff Reese, 21, collapsed about 8 p.m. Tuesday at Crisler Arena. An autopsy and toxicological tests are scheduled for today.

A 34-year-old British man outpaced 22 two-man teams to finish seventh in a trans-Atlantic rowing race. John Searson completed the 2,700-mile row in 59 days, mostly on his own after his partner had to be airlifted back to shore after injuring his back six days into the race.

Michelle Kwan, still hurting from a stress fracture in her left foot, withdrew from the Champions Series Final in Munich on Dec. 19-21, which takes place less than a month before she is scheduled to compete for a place on the U.S. Olympic figure skating team.

Warm and wet weather canceled the women’s World Cup super-giant slalom scheduled for Thursday at Val d’Isere, France. Picabo Street, who hasn’t raced since tearing knee ligaments Dec. 4, 1996, is scheduled to make her comeback in that race.