ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 10, 1997 TAG: 9704100063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF AND ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
The Salem Avalanche had to wait another day to win a game.
Wednesday night's Carolina League baseball game at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium against the Wilmington Blue Rocks was postponed because of cold weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tonight. Two seven-inning games will be played beginning at 6.
Wilmington will send right-hander Matt Saier (0-0, 0.00 earned run average in 1996) to the mound against Salem right-hander Scott Randall, who is 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA this season.
The second game will match Blue Rocks right-hander Todd Thorne (0-1, 11.25 ERA) against Salem right-hander Chandler Martin, who is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA.
Randall and Martin each were on 75-pitch counts in their first games. They will be on 90-pitch counts tonight.
Today's weather forecast calls for clear skies with a high temperature of 55 degrees at midday and 30-35 at night.
In other baseball:
Cold reception: It was hard to tell Comiskey Park was open Wednesday.
Toronto's 5-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox drew a paid crowd of only 746, the smallest for a White Sox home game in 27 years.
Not since Sept.21, 1970, when 672 attended a doubleheader against Kansas City at the old Comiskey Park, had the White Sox played in front of a smaller paid crowd at home.
``There were not very many. I can't blame them. I don't think I would come out on a day like this,'' Toronto's Ed Sprague said.
On a windy day that had a game-time temperature of 34, the game was moved from night to day because of the cold. The White Sox, who postponed Tuesday night's game because of the weather, sold $5 tickets that allowed fans to sit anywhere in the lower deck.
Gooden surgery set: New York Yankees pitcher Dwight Gooden will have surgery Monday to repair a hernia. Gooden, likely to be sidelined for more than a month, has been bothered by abdominal pain since spring training. He had hoped to be able to pitch through it.
Gooden, 32, beat Oakland on Saturday in his first start, giving up five runs and six hits - including three homers - in 5 2/3 innings.
Clemens hurt: Roger Clemens left Toronto's game against the Chicago White Sox in the sixth inning Wednesday because of a muscle cramp in his right groin.
Clemens was working on a two-hitter, and the Blue Jays led 5-0 at the time. He was removed as a precautionary measure after throwing 91 pitches on a 34-degree day.
A hot ticket: Only 4,000 tickets will be available to the public for this summer's All-Star Game at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and the top price will increase by $40 to $100.
The Indians said about 1,500 season-ticket holders from among 25,000 will be relocated for the All-Star Game because of the needs of the commissioner's office and reporters.
Only 1,000 tickets will be available to the public for the All-Star workouts July 7. That is so the Indians can accommodate those who bought 20-game season-ticket plans.
Jefferson signs: Reggie Jefferson and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a $6.6 million, two-year contract extension through the 1999 season.
Jefferson, signed by the Red Sox as a free agent in April 1995, hit .347 with 19 homers and 74 RBI in 1996 - all career highs.
Streak ends: Jeff Blauser had his consecutive-hits streak end at eight Wednesday night in his first at-bat against Houston's Darryl Kile.
Blauser, who entered the game batting .542, went 4-for-4 against the Astros on Tuesday night, giving him a hit in eight straight at-bats. But he flied to left field leading off the third inning.
The league record of 10 consecutive hits is shared by several players and last was accomplished by Cincinnati's Bip Roberts in 1992.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS. Most fans had a spot to themselvesby CNBWednesday at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Paid attendance was 746 on a
cold, windy day.