Leyland Opts for Hernandez

One day after saying that World Series MVP Livan Hernandez would not start the season opener, Florida Marlin Manager Jim Leyland reversed his field.

It appears that Hernandez will indeed start against the Chicago Cubs on March 31 at Pro Player Stadium.

“In this case it’s an honor to Livan,” Leyland said Wednesday before Florida’s 6-4 exhibition loss to Detroit. “He’s earned it and I think he deserves it.”

After pitching two scoreless innings against the New York Mets on Monday, Hernandez expressed his hope of starting the opener.

“It’s a desire for many pitchers,” Hernandez said. “It’s an honor for me, and I want to thank the manager for having confidence in me.”

The 23-year old right-hander is the only healthy, returning member of the Marlins’ 1997 starting rotation.

Alex Fernandez is rehabilitating from rotator cuff surgery and won’t be available until the All-Star break at the earliest.

Tony Saunders was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ first pick in the November expansion draft, and Kevin Brown and Al Leiter were traded.

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In a sharp break with tradition, the National League passed over Eric Gregg and three other senior umpires for promotion in hiring crew chiefs for this season, the Associated Press has learned.

The NL needed to fill three new slots and skipped Gregg, Joe West, Charlie Williams and Bob Davidson. Instead, it chose Jerry Crawford, Randy Marsh and Steve Rippley.

While seniority is not the only factor, it has long been the most important one in determining a crew chief. The seven crew chiefs in the NL last season were the same seven umpires who had worked in the league the longest.

But NL President Len Coleman, a strong proponent of a merit system for umpires since taking office in 1994, parted with the longevity factor in this round of promotions.

By not taking Gregg or Williams, Coleman, who is black, passed up a chance to hire the first black crew chief in the major leagues at a time when baseball is pushing for the promotion of minorities.

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The Toronto Blue Jays agreed to terms on a one-year contract with relief pitcher Kelvim Escobar.

The 21-year-old Escobar had a 2.90 earned-run average with a 3-2 record in 27 games last season. He converted 14 of 17 save opportunities.

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Kim Ng, director of waivers and records for the American League, was hired as assistant general manager of the New York Yankees.

“I’m sure it opens some eyes and I think that’s great,” Ng said. “I think I’ve been judged fairly throughout my career. This means a lot to me. I’ve been a Yankee fan all of my life and I’m happy they made me part of the organization.”

Ng becomes the second female assistant general manager in the majors, following Elaine Steward, whom the Boston Red Sox hired in 1990.

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The contract of Atlanta General Manager John Schuerholz was extended for four years and now runs through 2003. His current contract, signed in August 1994, runs through 1999. Terms of the extension were not released.

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A 5-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was struck by an overthrown ball during the third inning of the Philadelphia Phillies-Pittsburgh Pirates game at Bradenton, Fla.

“It’s all he could talk about at day care, that his dad was picking him up early to go to the game,” Larry Ballard said after his son, Hawken, was transferred to All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

He was taken from the ballpark to Manatee Memorial Hospital, where a nurse listed his condition as critical. Ballard said his son, who suffered a fractured skull above his eye, would undergo surgery today to lift the depressed bone back in place.

Hawken was sitting behind first base when Pirate shortstop Lou Collier’s throw sailed into the stands.