Despite being tentative over a number of aches, pains and infirmities, Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre swung as hard as he could at the first pitch he saw in Friday's Cactus League tilt at Peoria, Ariz., against the Dodgers.
Feeling no pain, Beltre said he went on to play without reservation as he went 2-for-3 with a double, one run and three RBI in the Mariners' 18-2 victory.
Though he said his back was "a little stiff," he had no complaints about ailments to his thumb and shoulder, and especially the shoulder, over which he was most concerned, he told KONO-1000 AM radio.
"However, he remained reluctant to commit himself to play for the Dominican Republic in the coming World Baseball Classic.
"(I'll) wait until tomorrow to see how my body reacts," Beltre said.
Whether Beltre plays tomorrow for a consecutive day in the field or appears as designated hitter will say much about his condition. Management opposes his participating in the WBC for fear it will put him at extra risk.
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