Hubbard’s Latest Stop Has Him Starting in Center in Opener

Trenidad Hubbard never gave up hope, though he said it was sometimes difficult to keep believing in himself.

He regularly faced disappointment in his journey through baseball, and he often wondered whether his day would come. But Hubbard persevered, and the Dodgers believe they will benefit from Hubbard’s courage.

Hubbard started in center field in the Dodgers’ 6-0 opening-day loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday at Busch Stadium. He went hitless in two at-bats before being removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the eighth inning, and handled four chances in the outfield.

It wasn’t a spectacular start, but it was great for Hubbard.

“I really am overwhelmed by everything that has happened,” Hubbard said. “When you go a long time without getting a break, and then all of a sudden you get what you’ve been working for, it really is emotional. I’ve been to a lot of places, but I wasn’t sure I would ever make it here.”

Hubbard, 31, has played parts of the last three seasons with the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Indians. The Dodgers signed him as a free agent in the off-season after he played primarily with the Indians’ triple-A team last season, and batted .312 with 16 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 26 stolen bases.

Hubbard started regularly in exhibition games because outfielders Roger Cedeno and Todd Hollandsworth were sidelined for much of the time because of hamstring injuries. He batted .217 with two homers and seven RBIs and impressed the Dodgers with his defense and hustle.

With Cedeno on the 15-day disabled list, some thought that Thomas Howard would be the starting center fielder until Cedeno returned. But Hubbard is considered slightly better defensively in center.

“This is a great time for a player like Trenidad Hubbard,” said Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president. “He’s a player who has a reputation as a hard worker, and he has played games for a lot of years, and hasn’t had the chance to be in this position before.”

One day Hubbard is hoping to make the 25-man roster, the next he’s fulfilling his dreams.

“You never know how things are going to work out,” he said. “I never imagined that I would be starting for the Dodgers, and here I am.”

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Rookie first baseman Paul Konerko was understandably nervous before the game, but he quickly overcame that.

He had two of the Dodgers’ three singles, and handled seven chances without an error. The outcome didn’t please Konerko, but the game served a purpose.

“It’s just nice to get the first game out of the way,” said Konerko, who went two for four. “After my first at-bat and my first inning of defense, I felt as comfortable as I have during spring training.”

Konerko said he now feels as though he’s part of the team, something he didn’t experience when he was called up in September last season.

“I was more nervous last year, because I knew that if I got into the game I would probably only get one at-bat,” he said. “Now, I know I’m going to get other chances as long as I produce.”

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Catcher Mike Piazza was inadvertently hit in the head with a bat in the sixth inning by Tom Lampkin, his Cardinal counterpart.

Lampkin hit Piazza with the barrel of the bat while completing his swing. Piazza, who was attended to by trainer Charlie Strasser, said he felt momentarily disoriented, but completed the game.

“I got clubbed in the head, and I was seeing some stars out there,” Piazza said. “It caught me on the backswing.”