Edgar Finds It On Road
By Michael Silverman
The Boston Herald
May 30, 2005
NEW YORK - The boos Edgar Renteria heard at home before this road
trip
probably made him glad he was leaving the country.
After epic performances in Toronto and then New York, however,
Renteria
returns tonight nothing short of a conquering hero.
He went 4-for-5, with a solo home run and three singles last
night, meaning
he went 10-for-12 in this three-game set. Coming after a 6-for-12
Toronto
series, Renteria wound up 16-for-24 on the trip, a .667 batting average
that
wound up lifting his batting average from .239 when he left to .295
upon his
return.
If past performance is any indicator, fans didn't have to worry
about
Renteria. He came into this season a .289 lifetime hitter. Over the
past three
seasons, he has a .307 average in April and a .274 mark in May.
After getting nearer those numbers thanks to his red-hot
roadtrip, it's
likely that his reception tonight against the Orioles at Fenway Park
will be
much warmer than how he was sent off.
``I'm not expecting anything from the fans,'' said Renteria, who
is hitting
.459 against the Yankees this season with a team-high 11 RBI. ``I just
want to
play the game and win. Getting cheered or booed for one player is not
all that
matters. We are a team, and we play like a team.''
Manager Terry Francona has been a steadfast supporter of Renteria
from the
start, urging nervous types to just give the veteran shortstop some
time to find
his form.
The skipper hopes that time of adjustment has passed and that
Renteria will
be accepted.
``I hope so - if they don't now, he's in trouble,'' Francona
said. ``I know
there were some boos before, but he's been coming along for some time.
I know at
times they need to vent a bit, but I think they'll be pretty excited
when he
comes up for his first at-bat.''
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