Renteria Seeks Happier Ending
Mel Antonen
USA Today
February 25, 2005
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Last fall shortstop Edgar Renteria hoped to be part
of a
World Series ring ceremony. He got his wish, albeit with a major
change.
Renteria will play for the Boston Red Sox this season after
trying to beat
them in the World Series as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Renteria will
be reminded of the Red Sox's four-game sweep on April 11, when the Red
Sox will
issue World Series rings before their Fenway Park opener against the
New York
Yankees.
"I'm going to go through the line and say, 'Where's my ring?' "
Renteria
says. "I'm not happy about last year. I am happy to be with this club,
and I'm
not feeling bad because I lost last year."
Renteria's team switch is historic. According to Elias Sports
Bureau, he's
the fourth player in the last 40 years to play in the World Series and
join the
team he played against the following season.
The others are pitcher Don Gullett, who went from the 1976
Cincinnati Reds to
the Yankees in '77; infielder-outfielder Gary Thomasson, who went from
the '78
Yankees to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1979; and pitcher Tommy John, who
went
from the '78 Dodgers to the Yankees the following year.
John, who lives in Charlotte, said he had no problem wearing
pinstripes, but
pitching against the Dodgers in the 1981 World Series was strange: "The
first
hitter I'm facing is Davey Lopes, one of my best friends."
Renteria, 29, a four-time National League All-Star, is the only
new starter
added to an offense that led the majors with 949 runs scored in 2004.
He hit
.287 with 10 home runs and 17 steals for the Cardinals last season, the
first
time he had hit less than .300 in three seasons. (In 2003, he hit .330
with 13
home runs, 100 RBI and 34 steals.)
Instability might have hindered his offense last season. He
batted second in
the Cardinals' order, but moved to fifth and sixth when Larry Walker
arrived.
Then, in the postseason, he was the Cardinals' leadoff batter.
Renteria is considered one of the best shortstops in the game.
He hits to all fields and has excellent defensive range with a
strong arm.
Last season the Red Sox started with Nomar Garciaparra as their
shortstop,
but they traded him in July to the Chicago Cubs, replacing him with
Orlando
Cabrera, a defensive upgrade that got the Red Sox going on their
wild-card run.
Cabrera and the Red Sox couldn't agree on a contract, so the Red
Sox thought
about quick-fix options. But when Pedro Martinez signed with the New York Mets,
the Red Sox had $40 million to sign Renteria for four years.
Renteria had a part in Boston's first title since 1918. He made
the final out
of Game 4 when he bounced to closer Keith Foulke. It was the second
time he was
the last batter in the World Series. The other time came in Game 7 of
1997, when
his single scored Craig Counsell to give the Florida Marlins the title
against
the Cleveland Indians.
His two Series-ending bats, as well as his All-Star Game shoes,
stand next to
each other on a home mantel.
"I keep everything," Renteria says. "I know the happy and the
disappointing.
Now I want to have the hit that wins the World Series again."
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