Monday, March 06, 2000

Griffey downplays first homer

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BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Ken Griffey Jr. swings at a Jeff Zimmerman pitch and .... (AP photo) | ZOOM |

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... watches it leave the park. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        SARASOTA, Fla. — It didn't count for posterity, but don't tell that to the 4,096 fans at Ed Smith Stadium on Sunday.

        Ken Griffey Jr. belted his first exhibition-season home run as a Red, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd. The shot off Texas Rangers right-hander Jeff Zimmerman led off the fourth inning and tied the score 1-1. Cincinnati went on to win 5-2.

        Griffey, whose 398 regular-season homers rank fifth among active players, downplayed the blast.

        “It's still spring,” he said.

        Griffey swung at a high 3-0 pitch and lofted it over the left-center field wall. Asked whether he would swing at that pitch in the regular season or settle for a walk, Griffey said, “It depends on circumstances. If we were down a couple of runs, I have to take that. The situation dictates whether I swing or not.”

        Taking the pitch he clobbered wouldn't have been so bad, either, Griffey indicated. “You're just trying to get your eye,” he said.

        Griffey's also trying to hone his swing, which has been difficult in a camp that opened with 71 players. Though the Reds reassigned nine non-roster players to trim their contingent to 62, the clubhouse remains crowded.

        “Sometimes you don't have the chance to get what you need, because of the number of guys in camp,” Griffey said. “So you do other things: Come here early, stay late, things like that.”

       

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