Saberhagen Dazzles In Minor-League Return

It’s been 14 years since Bret Saberhagen pitched in the minor leagues in earnest, and 22 months since he’s pitched in a real game of any kind.

So it was no surprise he was thrilled to be in front of the chain-link fences and aluminum bleachers of the Class A New York-Penn League on Sunday, making his first rehab start for the Lowell (Mass.) Spinners as he tries to come back from right-shoulder surgery.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner struck out two and allowed just two of 10 hitters he faced to hit the ball out of the infield. All three batters in the third inning essentially hit the ball back to the mound.

He threw 36 pitches in all, 27 for strikes. His fastball topped out at 93 mph and never went below 90. He allowed his only hit - a double to Jamestown designated hitter Mandy Jacomino - on a changeup.

Saberhagen was 141-100 with the Royals, Mets and Rockies over 13 years. He had not pitched to an opponent since the 1995 playoffs, when he was with the Colorado Rockies. He had surgery on his right shoulder on May 28, 1996 and missed all of last year, then signed with the Red Sox as a free agent in the off-season.

Irabu heads for bullpen

Hideki Irabu, hit hard in his last three starts for the New York Yankees, is heading to the bullpen.

With Irabu’s next start scheduled to fall on Thursday - a day off for the Yankees - manager Joe Torre said his new $12.8 million pitcher would be skipped in the rotation.

“He’s not going to start,” Torre said. “He’ll be in the bullpen on Tuesday. He’s too cluttered up with being too perfect right now. He understands the situation and wants to do anything he can to help the team.”

Irabu has a 7.97 ERA after being tagged by Cleveland, Milwaukee and Seattle in his last three outings.

Guerrero returns

The Montreal Expos activated rookie outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, who missed 15 games with a broken bone in his left hand.

Guerrero, who has missed a total of 52 games this season because of injury, is batting .329 with six home runs and 26 runs batted in. He started the season on the disabled list with a broken bone in his left foot and was sidelined from June 6-20 with a pulled right hamstring.

During Guerrero’s most recent absence, the Expos lost 10 games, including seven of the last eight.

Tigers honor Newhouser

Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser became the first pitcher to have his uniform number retired by the Detroit Tigers as his No. 16 was unveiled on the facing of Tiger Stadium’s third deck.

Newhouser, 76, the left-hander known as “Prince Hal,” was honored in ceremonies preceding the Tigers’ game against the Brewers.

“I am very pleased,” Newhouser said. “And I have to say if it wasn’t for the players that played in back of me, I would’ve never stood here today.”

Newhouser was the only pitcher ever to win consecutive MVP awards. A native Detroiter, he spent 15 of his 17 big-league seasons with the Tigers. He was the A.L.’s MVP after going 29-9 in 1944 and again in 1945 when he was 25-9 with eight shutouts and helped Detroit to a World Series title over the Chicago Cubs. He was on seven All-Star teams and led the A.L. in wins four times and in strikeouts and earned run average twice.