SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, April 11 (UPI) -- The fans in Puerto Rico gave the Montreal Expos a warm welcome Friday night. Tomo Ohka and the Expos then made things hot for the New York Mets.
Ohka pitched eight dominant innings and Brad Wilkerson hit a
grand slam to highlight a seven-run third inning as the Expos
made their first game in their home-away-from-home a success
with a 10-0 victory over the Mets.
A festive crowd of 17,906 filled Hiram Bithorn Stadium, a
40-year-old ballpark that will serve as home for 22 of the
Expos' 81 home games this season. Major League Baseball is
bringing the Expos to Puerto Rico in a bid to bring more revenue to the financially strapped franchise and to continue
baseball's globalization.
The game had a postseason feel as the players were introduced in a pregame ceremony and Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, a native of Puerto Rico, threw out the first pitch.
Once the various anthems were played, the Expos teed off on
David Cone (1-1), who made a triumphant return to the major
leagues with five scoreless innings over Montreal last Friday at Shea Stadium. The 40-year-old Cone had no such luck this time, allowing seven runs and eight hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out four.
Ohka (1-1) lost to Cone last week, but the Japanese righthander was in complete control Friday, allowing just one hit, a fourth-inning single to Cliff Floyd, while walking four and striking out seven.
Scott Stewart pitched the ninth and allowed the other New York hit, a single to Roger Cedeno.
Montreal's Jose Vidro, a native of Puerto Rico, received a warm ovation and drove in three runs with a single in the third and a two-run homer in the eighth.
