PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Former Orioles closer Armando Benitez said he misses his boys. Brady, Cal, Robbie, Raffy, Millsy. These friendships are what he holds dear from his days with the Orioles.
But given the choice, the Dominican reliever is glad to be away, glad to catch a whiff of a fresh start.
Facing his old team yesterday, Benitez struck out two in a perfect ninth to preserve the New York Mets' 1-0 victory. Since he didn't make the trip to Fort Lauderdale Thursday, this was Benitez's first exchange with the club that brought him to the majors in 1994 and traded him in the off-season.
"I'm happy I can be on a team like this," he said before getting his first save. "It's much different. Everybody is one. It's not like, one over there and one over there."
Asked if he perceived the Orioles' clubhouse to be more divided, Benitez grinned and said, "You see it. You don't need to ask me. You see what happens."
That's about as close as Benitez came to taking a dig at the Orioles, who dealt him for catcher Charles Johnson in a three-way trade with the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent time during batting practice chatting with Cal Ripken, and later embraced manager Ray Miller in front of the Mets' dugout. He also stressed how much he likes Baltimore and Camden Yards, though both could be awfully fickle to him.
Benitez, 26, was given first crack at the closer's job last year but couldn't hold it despite converting 22 of 26 save opportunities. His season, and perhaps his Orioles' career, was defined by the May 19 brawl he incited at Yankee Stadium when he drilled Tino Martinez in the back after a three-run homer by Bernie Williams.
Though the organization made no secret about its plans, Benitez said the trade surprised him. "He gave me 26 chances and I got 22 saves. I'm thinking, 'Whoa, maybe he'll give me the chance to be the closer.' Think about it. A young guy, and especially when nobody knows who the closer is. That's very good."
Miller said Benitez, who still insists he didn't hit Martinez on purpose, wasn't an outcast after the brawl and the trade had nothing to do with the club's desire to unload him.
"I don't think there's a manager in the world who wouldn't trade a possible closer for a four-time Gold Glove, 27-year-old catcher when you need a catcher," Miller said. "But I wish Armando the greatest career ever. I just hope he doesn't do it against us."
The Mets are trying to discourage Benitez from throwing all his pitches with the same velocity as his fastball. It's not a new approach.
"Armando's a great arm, but I doubt if anyone will be doing anything different than what's been tried," Miller said. "He's a year older, though. You tell somebody a thousand times, and when you tell him 1,001, maybe it sinks in."
Miller is convinced that Benitez would have benefited from beginning his professional career as a starter instead of being groomed immediately as a closer.
"In the past, you started guys the first three or four years and they developed pitches and learned how to pitch when they're tired and all that," Miller said. "Armando is a product of a lot of organizations where you take a kid and he pitches 50 innings, 50 games, three years in a row and blows the ball by everybody. Then he comes to the big leagues and the first time somebody whacks one, it's like, 'Oh, what's the next game plan?' But he's certainly a great arm and he's genuinely a pretty good kid.
"He's a very volatile kid. You've got to watch that. He'll make gestures on the mound sometimes and he doesn't mean anything by it. He's just emotional.
"I think the only problem for us with Armando was when he gets going in one direction, it's not easy for him to turn. If he comes in and he's wild, it's very hard to calm him down."
How calm will he be pitching in New York? Benitez said he's up to the challenge, pointing out how he saved 11 straight games after serving his suspension last year. He's been a rock so far, allowing one run in five innings.
"Nothing bothers me," he said. "Everybody says Latin players can't play good in New York. I say, 'Why not?' "
Benitez recounted his exchange with Ripken, which took place in the Orioles' dugout.
"He said, 'Hey, the clubhouse misses you.' I said, 'Oh yeah? I don't think so.' He said, 'Yeah, we do. We talk about you a lot.'
"I like Baltimore. Maybe one year I'll come back."
No surprises among cuts
The Orioles made their first cuts yesterday, with no real surprises.
Outfielder Darnell McDonald, catcher Jayson Werth and pitchers Carlos Medina and Matt Snyder were reassigned to the minor-league camp in Sarasota, Fla. Catcher Chip Alley, infielders Carlos Casimiro and Ivanon Coffie and outfielder Eugene Kingsale were optioned to Double-A Bowie. Pitchers Radhames Dykhoff and Julio Moreno were optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
Coffie, 21, made a strong impression on Miller. A middle infielder, he doubled in three at-bats and scored twice. He played at Single-A Frederick last year and hit 16 homers with 75 RBIs.
"One guy I'd like to see more of is Coffie. He can hit," Miller said.
McDonald and Werth were first-round picks in 1997. Moreno missed all of last season with a strained shoulder.
Umpires not Cuba-bound?
If umpires don't want to go to Cuba, they can stay behind, Major League Baseball said yesterday.
Umpires filed grievances last week to prevent the American League from sending them to Cuba for the Orioles' historic exhibition game on March 28 and to block the new interpretation of the strike zone.
"We are not required to have major-league umpires for the game in Havana or the game in Baltimore," said Sandy Alderson, the executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office. "If the umpires are not inclined to go, they won't be invited to go."
Umpires union head Richie Phillips said that was fine with him. "The umpires always seem to be an afterthought. That kind of disrespect the umpires really can't tolerate," Phillips said. "They'd rather go with four Cuban umpires than negotiate with the umpires association. If that's their inclination, that just proves where they're coming from."
The umpires' grievance reportedly has irritated commissioner Bud Selig, who sees it as an attempt to get more money for both the first leg of the series and the return game at Camden Yards on May 3.
More work for regulars
With Opening Day just three weeks away, Miller said he'll try to get his regulars some extra at-bats and step up the process of evaluating players.
"You start thinking about all the questions you've asked about the club -- how do you feel about the club, what points do you key in on, preparing your people and what's the best balance? All that," he said.
"It doesn't mean you make these decisions, but you start thinking about them."
Miller said the main question he needs to address concerns the pitching. Not so much the 12 he intends to take north, but the extras who could wind up in Baltimore if injuries ravage the club again.
"There are 14 or 15 you really key on," he said. "Last year, I wanted to go with 12 and I went with 11. I finally got 12 after everything fell apart, and there was no 13th. This year I feel pretty good about having 15 or 16."
Looking at the bench, Miller will have to decide if Harold Baines will be his full-time designated hitter against right-handed pitching, or if he can use the spot to provide some rest for one of his regulars.
"It changes your thinking about your bench," Miller said. "Ideally, if you have 11 pitchers it doesn't matter, but with 12 it does matter."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Pub Date: 3/16/99