Williams Will Sit 8-10 Weeks

All-star third baseman Matt Williams of the Arizona Diamondbacks had surgery Saturday to have a metal plate put in his broken right foot.

Doctors found more damage during the operation and the team said Williams will be sidelined eight to 10 weeks, two to four more than originally estimated.

Williams suffered a broken foot when he fouled a pitch off it Wednesday in an exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners at Tucson. Initially, no surgery was planned, but Williams decided to have the plate inserted so he could put weight on the foot sooner to keep up his conditioning.

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Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants didn’t take long to become the first player to homer at Pacific Bell Park, the Giants’ new stadium. Bonds homered on the first pitch he saw from Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees in the first inning of Saturday night’s exhibition game. The shot to right-center landed in what has been nicknamed McCovey Cove, a body of water leading into San Francisco Bay named for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.

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John Rocker of the Atlanta Braves made a return of sorts in a 6-3 exhibition victory over the Cleveland Indians, pitching at Turner Field for the first time since offending gays, foreigners and minorities in a magazine article during the winter. Rocker, greeted by mostly cheers, pitched a hitless ninth for the save.

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Mark McGwire sat out the St. Louis Cardinals’ final exhibition because of a bad back. . . . Second baseman Warren Morris is expected to sit out the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home opener against the Houston Astros because of an infected left shin.