Jeter Finally Makes His First Appearance

New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter went hitless in three at-bats in his spring training debut Sunday against the Montreal Expos at Tampa, Fla.

After sitting out eight exhibition games because of an inflamed right shoulder joint, Jeter was scratched Saturday because of a viral throat infection.

“My throat is still sore, but yesterday I had a fever,” Jeter said. “Finally the shoulder is all right and you get sick. It’s been pretty frustrating.

“You don’t know until you play. You can take all the ground balls you want, but until you get into a game situation, you’re not going to know.”

Jeter lined out twice--to second base and right field--against right-hander Britt Reames. He grounded out to third in his final at-bat in the fifth inning against Bob Scanlan.

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The Florida Marlins, making yet another long-term commitment to their future, agreed with center fielder Preston Wilson on a $32 million, five-year contract.

Wilson, 26, earned $287,000 last season when he set a club record with 121 RBIs. He also became the first 30-30 player in Marlin history, hitting 31 home runs and stealing 36 bases.

“I was surprised they went five years. I think it’s a strong statement about which way the organization is going,” Wilson said. “I’m happy here, and I like the idea of knowing where I’m going to be in the future.”

The Marlins hope to move into a new, downtown Miami stadium in 2004. If they win approval to build the ballpark, they plan to continue increasing their payroll.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates had mixed news from their pitchers, with Francisco Cordova showing progress and Jason Schmidt learning that he must wait longer to pitch.

The right-handers, both recovering from surgeries on their pitching arms last Aug. 17, are trying to win spots in the starting rotation.

Cordova pitched a scoreless first inning in the Pirates’ 2-1 victory over a Toronto Blue Jay split squad in an exhibition game at Bradenton, Fla. It was his first action since having a bone spur removed from his elbow.

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Cal Ripken could start swinging a bat for the first time this spring in the next week. He has been taking it easy since reporting to Baltimore’s camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., because of a cracked rib on his right side. “It may be shorter than a week to 10 days,” Oriole Manager Mike Hargrove said. “We may know something within the next one to three days.”. . . . Closer Billy Wagner, coming back from elbow surgery, gave the Houston Astros a scare when he left their exhibition game against Cleveland at Valencia, Venezuela, after two pitches. He grimaced in pain after throwing a 98 mph fastball to Tim Laker in the eighth inning. He conferred with pitching coach Burt Hooton for a minute and then walked slowly off the field. Wagner has a mild strain on the left side of the groin and took himself off the field as a precaution.