The Pirates, convinced Mesa can help as a closer, added the 37-year-old veteran to their 40-man roster Thursday.

"It was a matter of if he was healthy and could he throw strikes," Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon said of Mesa, who has saved 249 career games. "In the conversation I had with him this winter, I told him there was a great opportunity here. If he came here in shape and did what he needed to do, the job would be his.

"He held up his end of the bargain."

The Pirates will pay Mesa $800,000 in base salary with $465,000 more in incentives if he finishes 57 games.

Mesa had a 0.90 ERA and three saves in 10 innings entering Friday.

Last season, however, he finished 5-7 with a 6.52 ERA and converted 24 of 28 save opportunities. The Phillies twice removed Mesa, who made $5.2 million in 2003, from the closer's role and he didn't pitch after Sept. 12.

The Pirates open the season with a three-game home series against the Phillies, meaning Mesa's first save opportunity could come against his former team.

"No question about it," Mesa said, "I'm looking for the opportunity to redeem myself with the Pirates."

UNCONVENTIONAL RIVALRY: Keep an eye on the season-opening series between the Marlins and Expos.

Major League Baseball will.

Since Jeffrey Loria sold the Expos to MLB in 2002 and bought the Marlins, taking his front office staff in the process, eight Marlins batters and one Expos player have been hit by pitches.

Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell, who missed almost all of September with a broken hand after being hit by Expos pitcher Hector Almonte, was hit twice by Montreal minor leaguer Josh Karp on Tuesday.

"I'm tired of having our guys hit by the same team, time after time," Marlins president David Samson said. "You're talking about very highly paid professionals who are (being hit).

"I guess part of the game is pitching inside, but it just seems to us (pitching inside) is hitting our players for the better part of a year and a half."

NO WORRIES: It didn't take long before George Steinbrenner felt compelled to issue his first statement of the 2004 season.

The Yankees owner offered this after his team lost 8-3 against the Devil Rays in the season opener Tuesday in Tokyo:

"I once co-produced a show with my partner Jimmy Nederlander," Steinbrenner said in the statement. "It starred Tommy Tune and a key song for Tommy was, 'It's not where you start, it's where you finish.' I have always remembered that tune and the meaning of that lyric.

"Baseball is a great challenge where one must travel a long and treacherous path - and this journey will show your true greatness. It's not for the faint of heart - only the strong will prevail."

The Yankees won Game 2 of the overseas series 12-1 the next day.

THE LANDLORD: Real estate tycoon Donald Trump is doing his best to sell Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez one of his Manhattan properties, according to the New York Post.

Trump flew Rodriguez's real estate agent to Florida on his private jet for a meeting. The two then visited Rodriguez at Yankees camp in Tampa.

LISTEN UP: Marlins pitchers recently were treated to a one-hour chat with Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax.

"I didn't try to do or change anything," Koufax said. "Why would you want to change guys who have been that successful at this point?

"There is no magic bullet. Everybody does it different. I hope they do well. Otherwise I'll get blamed for screwing them up."

BY THE NUMBERS: Red Sox players Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe remain unsigned past this season. ... Projected revenues from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia allowed the Phillies to raise their payroll from $42 million in 2001 to $93-million this season. ... With the departures of Eddie Guardado and LaTroy Hawkins from the bullpen, the Twins lost 160 combined career saves. Their replacements, including closer Joe Nathan, have four combined career saves. ... The Tigers are 30-70 in their first 10 games the past 10 seasons.

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Information submitted by other MLB writers and other news organizations was used in this report.

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