"I'm more embarrassed than hurt," said Sizemore, who said he didn't feel
a thing when the ball hit him. "I had it all the way, then suddenly lost it."
Grady Sizemore went 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring one run and driving in
another.
"I had to do something to make up for it," said the 21-year-old, who is
expected to start the season at Class AAA Buffalo. "It felt good to contribute
after looking bad on that play."
Manager Eric Wedge was impressed.
"The kid hung in there on that ball," Wedge said. "This can be a real
tough sun field this time of year. There's been a lot of balls lost in the sun
the past few days, but he tried to make the play. It's part of the learning
experience."
Sizemore, acquired with infielder Brandon Phillips and pitcher Cliff Lee
in the 2002 trade of Bartolo Colon to Montreal that triggered the Indians'
rebuilding program, put up impressive numbers last year at Class AA Akron. He
batted .304 with 13 homers and 78 RBIs to win the Indians' Lou Boudreau Award as
the top position player in the organization.
He won the rookie of the year award in the Eastern League and was runner up for league MVP. He also won the Larry Doby Award as the MVP of the All-Star
Futures game when he went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs.
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