A Record April for Homers (931)

For pitchers, this was the cruelest April.

There were 931 homers, a record for the month and 195 more than last April, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, baseball’s official statistician.

“I don’t like it. I think it’s taken away a lot from the game,” Atlanta pitcher Tom Glavine said.

The Dodgers’ Kevin Brown said, “It’s not a good time for pitchers, there’s no doubt. There are a lot of ways to get hurt out there, the way the ball’s flying.”

Hitters didn’t quite reach the record for any month--980 last May. The previous record for April was 826 in 1996.

There was an average of 2.56 homers per game in April, up 15% from the average of 2.22 last April. There was an average of 1.38 homers in April 1968, the year offense dropped so low that owners lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 after the season.

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The Texas Rangers signed four-time all-star outfielder Ruben Sierra, 34, to a minor league contract. He’ll join triple-A Oklahoma of the Pacific Coast League today. Sierra was playing for Cancun in the Mexican League. The Rangers also announced left-hander Justin Thompson has been recalled from his rehab assignment at Oklahoma and remains on the 15-day disabled list. Thompson had shoulder surgery last August. . . . Cleveland starter Bartolo Colon, on the 15-day disabled list since April 16 because of a pulled muscle in his rib cage, will throw on the side Wednesday and will make a minor league rehab start next week. . . . The Toronto Blue Jays recalled outfielder Andy Thompson from triple-A Syracuse and placed outfielder Shannon Stewart on the 15-day disabled list because of a right hamstring pull.

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Almost two years to the day of his 20-strikeout game against the Houston Astros, Kerry Wood makes his return to the majors tonight at Wrigley Field. And the opponent is the Astros. Wood, the 1998 NL rookie of the year, missed all of last season after blowing out his elbow in spring training.