Burnitz Gets the Big Hit, Cordero Gets Bad Break

Jeromy Burnitz has no idea how much the Cleveland Indians miss him now.

Burnitz, one of the many players traded by the Indians the past few years, homered leading off the 10th inning Tuesday night, giving the Milwaukee Brewers a 2-1 victory over Cleveland.

Burnitz, traded to the Brewers in 1996 for Kevin Seitzer in a deal Indian General Manager John Hart said before the game is one he regrets making, hit a 1-and-2 pitch from Paul Assenmacher (1-1) off the right-field foul pole for his 12th homer.

“I find that hard to believe,” Burnitz said when told of Hart’s comments. “When I was here, there were three all-stars in front of me and I sat on the bench for five months. I don’t think they miss me.”

Burnitz’s homer was the final blow on a rough night for the Indians, who expect to be without Wil Cordero for 10 weeks after he suffered a broken left wrist making a sliding catch in left field.

Cordero, signed during the off-season by the Indians, bent his wrist back awkwardly on a ball hit by Burnitz in the sixth. As he reached for the ball with his glove, his wrist turned grotesquely backward, and after lying in the grass in pain for several minutes, Cordero was helped off the field and taken to the hospital.

The Indians said the injury was the same one that sidelined Ken Griffey Jr. for 10 weeks in 1995.

Hargrove said he wasn’t sure whom the team would bring up to fill Cordero’s spot, but it’s likely to be Alex Ramirez, Jacob Cruz or Jeff Manto.

Kenny Lofton had three hits and Roberto Alomar had two doubles and a pair of stellar defensive plays for the Indians.

The Indians got 13 hits, but were held to one run for only the third time in 55 games. Cleveland remains the only American League team not to be shut out in 1999.