The Associated Press

NEW YORK - In a convention of Hall of Fame catchers, Carlton Fisk, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter and Yogi Berra gathered Friday night to honor Mike Piazza, who earlier this season broke the home run record for catchers.

Piazza snapped Fisk's mark of 351 homers on May 5 and entered play Friday with 355 while playing the position. Now, he is primarily a first baseman.

He caught for the first time since May 23 on Thursday and was behind the plate again for Friday night's game against the Detroit Tigers.

"It's a real honor that these men changed their schedules to come here," Piazza said. "It's a tribute to the game, to the position of catcher. It's a celebration of the game and the position of catcher more than the home run mark.

"I guess I feel like I'm retiring."

Piazza said he felt all of his home runs are special. Overall, he has 372, 56th on the career list and two short of Rocky Colavito.

"I think hitting home runs is the single most difficult thing to do in sports," he said.

Fisk said he knew Piazza was approaching the record when this season began. "I was cheering for him," he said. "I appreciate his talent. I had seen him the day before at first base. There's only one place on the field you're supposed to get run over. I told him, Get back behind the plate. You'll get hurt at first base.'

"Only we as catchers can fully appreciate what it means to go behind the plate every day and put some offensive numbers on the board. Mike has met that challenge."

Fisk's most famous home run was his 12th-inning winner in the sixth game of the 1975 World Series. He said there were other memorable ones.

"My first major league hit was a home run in Tiger Stadium," he said. "Up until a few days ago, I was the oldest major leaguer to hit a grand slam. Now it's Julio Franco."

"You're losing all kinds of records this year," Bench said.

Bench recalled the first time he saw Piazza hit.

"He looked like he made the ball stop," Bench said. "George Foster was like that. Barry Bonds, too. So fast through the hitting area."

Bench is third on the catchers' home run list with 327 followed by Berra (306), Lance Parrish (299), Carter (298), Roy Campanella (239) and Ivan Rodriguez (234).

Parrish, now the Tigers bullpen coach, and Rodriguez, now catching for Detroit, joined the ceremonies along with Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, Piazza's first manager, and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner - a longtime Mets broadcaster.

PIRATES: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Salomon Torres was suspended Friday for four games for throwing at Oakland's Damien Miller, and manager Lloyd McClendon was suspended for one game - McClendon's third suspension in six weeks.

McClendon was suspended because Torres' actions last Saturday came after a warning had been issued. As a manager, McClendon is not allowed to appeal and sat out Friday night's game against Seattle. Bench coach Pete Mackanin managed the club in his absence.

Torres, who said he was fined $1,700, will appeal the decision.

"I'm embarrassed, because it's the first time I've ever been thrown out of a game or suspended," Torres said.

McClendon was visibly upset with his latest suspension. The penalties were handed out by Bob Watson, baseball's disciplinarian and a former major-league player.

"Anybody who has any baseball sense about how things operate would know that, as a manager, you're not ordering a guy to throw at somebody when you've lost (six) in a row," McClendon said.

Torres threw consecutive pitches behind Miller in the eighth inning of a game the Pirates led 10-6. The Athletics rallied to win 12-11 - the seventh loss of what became a nine-game Pirates losing streak.

• Pirates right-hander Kip Wells will miss today's scheduled start against the Mariners because of irritation in the middle finger on his pitching hand. He complained of numbness in the finger during his last two starts and didn't last five innings in either.

CUBS: Sammy Sosa, who had been on the disabled list since May 16 because of a sprained back ligament, was activated for Friday's game with the Athletics and went 0-for-4.

MARLINS: Ace Josh Beckett expects to make his next start despite a strained back muscle.

Beckett left Thursday's game against the White Sox, his first start since returning from the 15-day disabled list, after feeling a "pop" in his back. He went on the DL May 31 because of a blister on his right middle finger.

"Hopefully I can make my next start," Beckett said. "If it keeps getting better, I don't see why I couldn't."

Manager Jack McKeon said he might opt to push back Beckett's next start a day or two, depending on how quickly the World Series MVP recovers. Beckett is scheduled to pitch Wednesday against Atlanta on six days' rest.

RED SOX: An MRI on Curt Schilling's sore right ankle showed no damage that would require him to miss his next start. He is expected to pitch Tuesday against the Twins as scheduled.

"The condition of his ankle appears stable. We are making no changes in his treatment," Red Sox doctor Bill Morgan said.

Schilling, 8-4 with a 3.31 ERA, has had injections of an anesthetic in his ankle before each of his last few starts.

ROCKIES: Center fielder Preston Wilson, out since April because of surgery on his left knee, was activated and batted in the cleanup spot against the Orioles Friday.

Wilson, who led the NL with 141 RBI last season, returned after six games at Double-A Tulsa, skipping the expected stop at Triple-A. Center fielder Choo Freeman was sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs to make room for Wilson.

"It felt fine and, with everything that I've done on it so far, there hasn't been any bad reaction - no extra swelling, no additional pain - so everybody felt like those were good signs and I was ready to go," Wilson said.

CARDINALS: Catcher Mike Matheny was activated off the 15-day disabled list Friday. He had been sidelined by a strained muscle under his right rib cage.

RANGERS: Texas optioned left-hander Erasmo Ramirez to Triple-A Oklahoma and purchased the contract of right-hander John Wasdin from Oklahoma.

Wasdin, who started against Florida Friday, allowed seven hits and three runs in 4 2/3 innings against Seattle on April 25 in his first big-league start.

Ramirez, one of three lefties in the bullpen, was 3-3 with a 4.88 ERA in 23 games.