Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 2, 1994 TAG: 9404020154
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I tell Albert [Belle] that he could hit the ball out of the Grand Canyon, except that he'd have to pull it," Cleveland Indians hitting coach Charlie Manuel said. "If he hits it, he hits it."
Yet it remains to be seen whether the Indians' new home will be friendlier to hitters or pitchers, whether its asymmetrical field will make a difference in the way the game is played.
The park, named Jacobs Field by team owner Richard E. Jacobs, gets its first test today when the Indians take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in an exhibition game that will serve as a dress rehearsal for Monday's regular-season opener against the Seattle Mariners.
"It is very important to get to know your home field," Manuel, from Roanoke, said. "It might take a couple of homestands."
The park has quirks that should give it a personality. A 19-foot-high fence in left field - a mini-version of Fenway's Green Monster - will reduce some potential home runs to doubles. A 410-foot-deep gap where the left- and center-field fences meet will let outfielders chase down some fly balls that might have sailed out elsewhere.
"One thing I notice is that there's not a lot of foul ground, so you won't have a lot of foul balls caught," Manuel said.
DODGERS KEEP KOREAN: Rookie pitchers Chan Ho Park and Darren Dreifort have made the Los Angeles Dodgers' opening day roster.
Park, 20, signed as a free agent, is the first player from South Korea to make a major-league team. He was 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in six spring starts.
Dreifort, 21, was the second pick overall in the June 1993 draft. Both are right-handers. He was 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA and two saves in eight exhibition appearances. Last year, he led Wichita State to the finals of the College World Series.
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by CNB