Strawberry Will Have Growth on His Colon Checked Out Today

A CT scan Wednesday revealed a growth on the colon of Yankee outfielder Darryl Strawberry.

Strawberry, who has been complaining of severe stomach cramps, will undergo a colonoscopy, an examination of the inner surface of the colon, today and probably will be lost for the rest of the division series.

The growth probably will have to be removed, but doctors at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York want to take a closer look before making a diagnosis.

“The doctors told me they were glad they got to this early, so I feel a little better about things,” Strawberry told the Hartford Courant. “I’ve been worried about this for a while.”

“Any time you’re taking tests like this, cancer is the one thing you fear,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “That’s the one thing we’re taught to fear. You have to hope it’s something they can handle real quick.”

“We’re all praying for him,” owner George Steinbrenner said.

Strawberry, who left Yankee Stadium about four hours before Wednesday night’s game, said he had been suffering from stomach cramps for more than a month, but with a contract loaded with incentives for plate appearances, he chose not to reveal his condition.

“I didn’t want to go on the disabled list,” Strawberry said.

A trip to Baltimore during the last week of the season changed his mind. Strawberry spoke with Oriole outfielder Eric Davis, a lifelong friend from their childhood days in Los Angeles who sat out more than three months of the 1997 season because of colon cancer before returning last September.

Davis told Strawberry the first symptoms he experienced before his cancer was diagnosed were severe stomach cramps.

“It had been bothering him for quite a while, but he never let anyone in on it,” Torre said. “I did notice [late in the season] that he didn’t seem to be moving around on the field very well.”

Said designated hitter Chili Davis: “We tried to tell him to be positive, to do what he has to do to come back. We’re all concerned about him and hoping for the best.”

Strawberry, who was being treated with antibiotics, did not accompany the Yankees on their flight to Texas after Wednesday night’s game. If Strawberry’s condition improves, Torre said there’s a chance he will be available for Game 3 Friday night.

But the Yankees sent outfielder Ricky Ledee, who is not on the division series roster, to a mini-camp in Tampa, Fla., Wednesday to prepare for the league championship series if Strawberry can’t play. Teams cannot make switches in playoff rosters until the beginning of a new series.

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Yankee right-hander David Cone (20-7) will make his 13th postseason start Friday night when he opposes Ranger right-hander Aaron Sele (19-11) in Game 3 at the Ballpark in Arlington. Cone is 1-1 with a 7.20 ERA in the playoffs. . . . Torre has agreed to a two-year contract extension through 2001, the New York Post reported. . . . New York’s 2-0 victory in Game 1 Tuesday night was only the second shutout in division series play in either league, the other being Cleveland’s 4-0 win over Boston in Game 2 of the 1995 division series.