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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
BALTIMORE (AP) -- The thick cigar sat poised in the ash tray and
a gold lighter lay at his fingertips. Mike Hargrove was clearly
ready to put the finishing touches on his first victory as manager
of the Baltimore Orioles.
"It tasted pretty good when I lit it up earlier, but it's going
to taste a lot better now," he said.
|  | | Charles Johnson is greeted at home plate by Orioles teammate Will Clark after belting his second homer, a two-run shot in the 8th. |
Charles Johnson homered twice and drove in five runs Wednesday
night as Baltimore beat the Cleveland Indians 11-7, giving Hargrove
an emotional win over his former team.
"I think he was very excited about this win," Johnson said.
"We all wanted to get that first win out of the way. But for him,
coming to a new ballclub after being in Cleveland all those years,
you could see the excitement in him."
Johnson's second homer, a two-run shot in the eighth inning off
former Oriole Scott Kamieniecki (0-1), snapped a 7-all tie. He also
hit a three-run homer to give Baltimore a 7-6 lead in the sixth.
Johnson struggled against Cleveland last year, going just
2-for-27 with one RBI. He also started the season in a slump,
hitting .176 with one home run in April, but he's intent upon
getting off to a good start in his second season in Baltimore.
"I'm just trying to relax," he said. "This year I feel
comfortable around the guys and feel good about being in
Baltimore."
Albert Belle hit a three-run homer for the Orioles, who
rebounded from an opening day loss to Cleveland.
"This feels great, a lot better than the last game," Hargrove
said.
Charlie Manuel, Hargrove's replacement in Cleveland, was ejected
in his second game as a major league manager. Manuel was
complaining about the strike zone from the dugout when home plate
umpire Ed Rapuano ousted him in the third inning.
"I felt like he wasn't calling balls that were close to the
plate," Manuel said. "At the same time, the umpire didn't beat
us."
Jim Thome homered and Omar Vizquel had three hits for the
Indians, who scored two runs on wild pitches and two on
bases-loaded walks.
Belle's homer off Chuck Finley put the Orioles up 3-0 in the
first inning. The Indians scored five runs in the second and led
6-4 in the sixth before Johnson connected off Steve Reed to give
Baltimore a short-lived lead.
Cleveland made it 7-7 in the seventh when Kenny Lofton reached
on an error, took third on a single by Vizquel and scored on a wild
pitch by Chuck McElroy.
Will Clark hit a one-out single in the eighth and Johnson
followed by driving a 2-1 pitch deep into the left-field seats.
B.J. Surhoff iced the victory with a two-run, two-out double off
Tom Martin.
B.J. Ryan (1-0) got the last out in the eighth to earn his
second major league win.
Finley, making his debut with Cleveland after spending his
previous 14 seasons with the Angels, allowed four runs on four hits
in five innings but was in position to get the victory before
Johnson homered off Reed.
"I was kind of erratic but around the strike zone," Finley
said. "I was trying to stay out there and get into some rhythm."
Cleveland batted around in the second, using three hits and
three walks to go up 5-3. After Sidney Ponson issued successive
bases-loaded walks, David Justice scored on a wild pitch before
Vizquel hit a two-run double.
The Orioles got a run in their half when Clark doubled and
scored on a single by Mike Bordick. Thome made it 6-4 with a solo
homer in the sixth, his first hit of the season.
Game notes
Cal Ripken went 0-for-4 and remained eight hits short of
3,000. ... It was Baltimore's second win in 12 games against
Cleveland over two seasons. ... Delino DeShields stole two bases
for Baltimore. He had 11 all last year. ... After Finley hit Belle
with a pitch in the third, several players from both teams left the
dugout before order was restored. ... Despite allowing six earned
runs in six innings, Ponson lowered his lifetime ERA against the
Indians to 10.52.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Cleveland Clubhouse
Baltimore Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 12
Texas 8
Oakland 8
Detroit 2
Baltimore 11
Cleveland 7
Kansas City 4
Toronto 3
Minnesota 10
Tampa Bay 7
Anaheim 12
NY Yankees 6
Seattle 9
Boston 3
Milwaukee 8
Cincinnati 5
San Francisco 11
Florida 9
Montreal 6
Los Angeles 5
Houston 11
Pittsburgh 2
St. Louis 10
Chicago Cubs 4
San Diego 4
NY Mets 0
Atlanta 9
Colorado 6
Arizona 11
Philadelphia 3
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Chuck Finley was not pleased with his performance.
wav: 99 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Charles Johnson talks about his big night.
wav: 134 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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