Renteria Picks A Good Time To Break Out
By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff
April 15, 2005
The beginning of Edgar Renteria's Red Sox career gave rise to
whispers.
Is this guy tough enough to play in a market like Boston? Should
the Red Sox
have kept Orlando Cabrera at shortstop?
But on a night when there was the typical chaos of a
Yankees-Red Sox
clash, Renteria showed his reliability by being the offensive hero in
an 8-5 win
over the Yankees.
Batting second in the order, Renteria went 2 for 4, knocked in
three runs,
hit a two-run homer off Randy Johnson in the third, and had the winning
RBI on a
double to right-center off setup man Tom Gordon in the eighth.
"We've known all along that Edgar is a great player," said
manager Terry
Francona. "When you sign a four-year deal and come to Boston, you're
supposed to
be a great player on Day 1. Edgar's smart enough. He didn't panic.
Hopefully, we
can get him on a roll because we need him. We know he's going to be
good. He had
a big impact on the game. That's going to happen a lot."
Renteria's slow start - he entered the game batting .219 - didn't
bother his
teammates, who constantly threw encouragement his way. The former
Cardinals
shortstop and Florida Marlins World Series hero has earned the respect
of his
mates with his quiet nature and team approach. And as bench coach Brad
Mills
said, "Nobody works harder on his game."
Renteria, who signed a four-year, $40 million deal Dec. 22, has
worked nearly
every day with hitting coach Ron Jackson, who suggested Renteria open
his stance
slightly so he can see pitches better. Renteria said he doesn't think
he's
changed his stance, but he did say he has changed his approach to being
more
patient. It's clear Renteria has been pressing, trying to impress his
new
teammates and fans.
"I try not to do too much but sometimes when you try to do too
much, you
start getting tight out there," said Renteria. "So I've just tried to
relax and
put the ball in play. It feels great [to hit a home run] because Randy
is one of
the best pitchers in baseball. He's tough, so you have to have a good
at-bat
against him. I got lucky that I got a ball I could hit and I hit it."
It came at a vulnerable time for Johnson, who isn't used to
pitching in the
cold, raw April conditions at Fenway. Johnson had allowed a two-run
homer to Jay
Payton in the second inning to put the Sox up, 2-0. In the third,
Johnny Damon
drew a walk, stole second, and scored when Renteria lifted an 0-and-1
fastball
over the left-center field wall, making it 4-1.
In the eighth, Renteria again knocked in Damon, who had singled
to center.
Renteria's scorching double hit low off the wall in left-center to
break a 5-5
tie.
"I put a good swing on the ball," said Renteria, who went down to
get a
sinker. "I feel like I came through.
"It feels great because we won the game. That's all that matters.
We took two
out of three and I know everybody feels good about that."
Renteria, who improved his average to .250, said he hadn't felt
as if he were
pressing, but the people who know him best - his family - kept telling
him he
wasn't being himself.
"We're human, and maybe I don't think so, but my family - they
tell me I'm
trying too hard," said Renteria. "They could see during the game what I
was
doing."
Trot Nixon said he never worried about the shortstop.
"In September, Edgar is going to be right where we think he
should be with
his numbers," said Nixon. "This guy has a proven track record. He's
done the job
year after year. This guy can play. He doesn't have to prove anything
to us. We
all heard of him and his reputation before he came in this locker room
and he's
lived up to it."
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