NEW YORK — Major League Baseball's style police were patrolling Yankee Stadium, and Red Sox manager Terry Francona was pulled over.
During the second inning of Wednesday night's game against the New York Yankees, Francona was called out of the dugout so an MLB security official could make sure he was wearing his uniform top under his usual Boston pullover jacket.
"When Derek Jeter is on second base and I got somebody coming from the league making me go down the runway, I was a little perturbed," Francona said Thursday.
"That was about as embarrassed as I've been in a long time, for baseball."
Francona got fired up again in the seventh inning of the series finale against New York. He was ejected for the fifth time this season for arguing with the umpires after Kevin Youkilis was called out for running outside the basepath.
Francona said the commissioner's office contacted him when the Red Sox were in Cleveland earlier this month, reminding him to wear his uniform top. He also spoke with MLB vice president Bob Watson before Wednesday's game, and Francona said he showed him he was wearing his uniform under his jacket.
TIGERS GET LAMBERT: The Detroit Tigers acquired right-hander Chris Lambert from St. Louis on Thursday as the player to be named later completing the trade of left-hander Mike Maroth. Lambert, who appeared in both Double-A and Triple-A in the Cardinals system this year, was assigned to Triple-A Toledo.
HARGROVE VISITS MARINERS: Nearly two months after stunning his team by stepping down as manager, Mike Hargrove visited the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
Hargrove attended a game between the Mariners and Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field. It was the first time he'd seen his former club play since resigning on July 1. The 57-year-old Hargrove lives in Richfield, Ohio, about 20 miles from Cleveland.
Hargrove spoke with John McLaren, who took over as manager, in the Mariners' clubhouse before the game. Hargrove stood at the batting cage as Seattle took batting practice and talked with several coaches and players.
"I miss being around the players, and I miss the game itself," he said. "I miss the excitement of winning but not the dregs of losing."
ORIOLES SHAKE UP BULLPEN: The Baltimore Orioles fortified their overworked bullpen Thursday by recalling Jon Leicester from Triple-A Norfolk and designating right-hander Rob Bell for assignment. Leicester made one appearance for the Orioles earlier this season, allowing four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings against Boston on May 12. He went 3-3 with a 2.22 ERA in 13 games with Norfolk. Bell pitched two innings Wednesday and took the loss in a 12-inning game against Tampa Bay.
CONTRACT EXTENDED: The Texas Rangers exercised their 2009 option on rookie manager Ron Washington's contract Thursday. While the Rangers are in last place in the AL West, they are 41-37 since June 1. They went into Thursday night's game against the Chicago White Sox with a season-high four-game winning streak. When Washington replaced Buck Showalter in November, he was given a two-year contract that included two additional option years. Washington was a coach the last 11 seasons for the Oakland Athletics.
SELIG ENDORSES COOPER: Baseball commissioner Bud Selig would like to see Cecil Cooper hired permanently as manager of the Houston Astros. Cooper was named interim manager of the Astros after Phil Garner was fired on Monday. In an interview with Houston television station KRIV, Selig said Cooper has earned the opportunity to be retained as permanent manager. When Selig owned the Milwaukee Brewers, Cooper played for him from 1977-87. Baseball has received considerable criticism in recent years for its lack of black players and managers. Having another black manager is important for baseball, Selig said. The 49-year-old Cooper is the 14th black manager in the history of major league baseball.