Yankee Coach Hurt in Mishap

Mel Stottlemyre, the New York Yankee pitching coach and a former 20-game winner, was struck in the forehead by a line drive hit by Tino Martinez during batting practice Tuesday but was not seriously hurt.

Stottlemyre, 57, was standing behind a screen in center field when the line drive struck him while the Yankees took batting practice before their game against the Phillies at Philadelphia. He received 11 stitches and returned to the stadium before the game was over, then went to the team hotel. A CT scan proved normal.

*

The Oakland Athletics agreed to terms with left-hander Barry Zito of USC, their first-round pick in last week’s draft. Zito was selected ninth overall after going 12-3 with a 3.28 earned-run average for the Trojans this season. He will report to Visalia of the Class A California League. . . . Manny Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians dropped his appeal of a three-game suspension for charging the mound against the Detroit Tigers last month. He will return to the lineup for Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. . . . The Tampa Bay Devil Rays placed right-hander Dave Eiland on the disabled list and recalled left-hander Norm Charlton from triple-A Durham. . . . Pitcher Kyle Snyder, the Kansas City Royals’ top pick in this year’s draft, signed a contract with the team. . . . Bob Hamelin, the 1994 American League rookie of the year, quit baseball Monday night, leaving in the sixth inning of the Toledo Mud Hens’ game against Ottawa.