Mark McGwire hitting two home runs doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. Darryl Strawberry hitting one is.
One day after having a chemotherapy treatment, Strawberry hit his first homer of the spring -- a monstrous three-run shot -- Saturday in the New York Yankees' 10-9 loss to the Cleveland Indians."I never surprise myself," said Strawberry, whose postseason was cut short last year when he was diagnosed with colon cancer in October. "I feel comfortable at the plate no matter how long it has been and how many days I've had off."
Strawberry wasn't expected to make the trip with the Yankees, but decided to go Saturday morning after he woke up feeling good.
With one out and runners at first and second, Strawberry connected on a 3-0 pitch from Mike Matthews in New York's six-run sixth inning at Winter Haven, Fla.
Wil Cordero, who earlier hit a three-run homer, doubled in two runs as the Indians rallied to win in the ninth against Jason Grimsley.
At Jupiter, Fla., McGwire hit two solo home runs to tie Sammy Sosa for the spring training lead with seven as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Montreal Expos 7-4.
"Our young guys gave him pitches to hit," Expos manager Felipe Alou said. "You just can't throw him that low fast ball."
They were McGwire's first homers since hitting two last Sunday at Vero Beach. Each came with two outs, off Expos starter Mike Thurman in the first and Roberto Duran in the fifth.
"I think he's in full-season form," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. "His approach is so consistent, mentally and physically he's always the same."
McGwire struck out in his only other at-bat, with a runner on base in the third. McGwire is batting .481 in 11 games (13-for-27) and has 13 RBIs.
At Fort Myers, Fla., Nomar Garciaparra left the Boston Red Sox to head to Los Angeles where he will undergo an MRI on his right elbow.
Garciaparra will be examined by Dr. Tony Daley and Dr. Louis Yokum on Monday.
"Nomar has been suffering from a muscle strain and a strained ligament," team physician Arthur Pappas said. "If all goes well we expect he will be back Wednesday."
Pappas describes Garciaparra's pain as a typical spring training injury.
"There is nothing wrong when he swings the bat, he only experiences pain when he tries to throw the ball," Pappas said.
In other games:
ROYALS 7, MARLINS 3: At Viera, Fla., Kevin Appier allowed two hits and one unearned run in four innings and Jeff Conine homered to lead Kansas City. Alex Fernandez allowed two hits and one run in five innings for Florida.
ORIOLES 3, DODGERS 2: At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., an eighth-inning error by outfielder Scott Livingstone enabled the go-ahead run to score. The Dodgers lost Warren Newson for at least two weeks with a pulled hamstring.
RED SOX 2, PIRATES 1: At Fort Myers, Fla., Pedro Martinez pitched six shutout innings and Andy Abad delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
ASTROS 5, TIGERS (ss) 1: At Lakeland, Fla., Tim Bogar, Carl Everett and Jack Howell homered and Chris Holt allowed one run in five innings for Houston.
TIGERS (ss) 5, TWINS 1: At Fort Myers, Fla., Juan Encarnacion hit a three-run home run and Bryce Florie pitched five strong innings.
RANGERS 5, REDS 4: At Port Charlotte, Fla., Juan Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Rusty Greer had three hits to lead Texas.
DEVIL RAYS 3, PHILLIES (ss) 2: At St. Petersburg, Fla., Joe Oliver's run-scoring single off Wayne Gomes snapped a ninth-inning tie.
BLUE JAYS 7, PHILLIES (ss) 1: At Dunedin, Fla., Alex Gonzalez's two-run double highlighted a six-run fifth, and Joey Hamilton allowed one run in five innings.
ANGELS (ss) 7, GIANTS (ss) 3: At Scottsdale, Ariz., Troy Glaus broke a tie with a two-run double and Omar Olivares allowed one run and five hits in five innings.
GIANTS (ss) 6, ANGELS (ss) 5: At Tempe, Ariz., Barry Bonds homered, and Michael Bias drove in the tying run and scored the winning run in the ninth.
ATHLETICS (ss) 8, MARINERS (ss) 4: At Peoria, Ariz., Gil Heredia pitched five strong innings and the Oakland Athletics scored five runs in the first inning off Ken Cloude.
MARINERS 12 (ss), ATHLETICS 6 (ss): At Phoenix, Ozzie Timmons hit a three-run homer to help lead Seattle.
WHITE SOX 6, CUBS 5: At Tucson, Ariz., Greg Norton went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Joe Crede's RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth won it.
PADRES 9, ROCKIES 4: At Tucson, Ariz., Greg Myers had three hits and drove in five runs, and Matt Clement pitched five shutout innings.