Indian Pitcher OK After Shooting

Cleveland Indian pitcher Kyle Denney shrugged off being hit in the leg by a bullet, and said Thursday he was grateful he might have been protected by white cheerleader boots he was wearing as part of a hazing ritual.

Denney was shot Wednesday night when a bullet pierced the team’s bus as it drove to Kansas City International Airport after a game with the Kansas City Royals.

Team trainers removed the bullet from Denney’s right calf. He stayed overnight at a Kansas City, Mo., hotel after being treated at a hospital and arrived in Minneapolis a few hours after his teammates for a series with the Twins that begins tonight.

“As soon as the skin heals, it should be fine,” Denney said at a news conference, where he wore a suit and walked without a noticeable limp.

As part of a rookie hazing ritual, Denney was wearing a USC cheerleader’s outfit, including high white boots, on the trip to the airport. (A USC spokesman said Friday that high boots were not part of the school’s cheerleader uniforms.)

“Our trainers said the boots may have saved Kyle from further injury,” team spokesman Bart Swain said.

Swain said the shot was fired into the side of one of the Indians’ two buses while it was on a ramp between Interstates 435 and 70. Outfielder Ryan Ludwick was hit by debris when the bullet entered the bus.

Police said Thursday they have no suspects in the case.

“It’s disturbing,” Royal General Manager Allard Baird said. “Whether it’s a bus full of major league baseball players and their staff members, or one person driving down the road, it’s very disturbing that something like this could happen.”