Biggio done after season
Craig Biggio feels he has nothing left to prove on a baseball field.
After a 20-year career in which he stayed with one franchise, played multiple positions at an All-Star level and joined the elite 3,000 hit club, the Astros infielder said Tuesday he will retire at the end of this season.
“There are a lot of guys that have the game taken away from them by injury,” he said. “For me to be able to walk away now, on top, on my own accord, I’m very happy with that.”
Biggio is the only player in major league history with 600 doubles, 250 homers, 3,000 hits and 400 steals. Biggio is a career .282 hitter and has already been inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
Selig will try to attend
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig will try to be there when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron’s career home run record.
“Out of respect for the tradition of this game, the magnitude of the record, and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty, I will attend Barry Bonds’ next games to observe his potential tying and breaking of the home run record, subject to my commitments to the Hall of Fame this weekend,” Selig said.
Martinez progresses
New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya expects to see Pedro Martinez pitch this season.
Martinez threw 50 pitches Monday in a simulated game against Mets minor leaguers. Minaya said the next step for Martinez would likely be another simulated game, and not a rehab start.
Clearing the bases
Moises Alou’s expected return to the Mets from the disabled list was pushed back to the end of the week after an exam. … St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter had reconstructive elbow surgery, an operation likely to sideline him for at least a year. … San Diego’s Michael Barrett was suspended for one game and fined $1,500, two days after he was ejected from a game against Philadelphia. … Milwaukee catching prospect Angel Salome was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance. … Cleveland’s Ryan Garko was 1 for 3 against Boston, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.