Home >  Sports >  Pirates

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Kenny Lofton's thoughts on his recent success at the plate are rather straightforward.

"The ball's starting to fall," he said. "I've been hitting the ball hard all year. They're starting to fall, and I'm glad they're falling right now."

Pirates center fielder Kenny Lofton began his hitting streak April 29 in a victory against the Padres. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) Kenny's Lofty Feats A statistical glance at Kenny Lofton's career-high 18-game hitting streak: 30 for 73 (.411 average) Raised average from .205 to team-leading .298 11 multiple-hit games; Three home runs; One triple; Seven doubles; Six runs batted in; and 16 runs scored

Just don't ask him about his 18-game hitting streak. He won't talk about it. In fact, he'll shake his head vociferously and move on the next topic whenever he gets asked about, which happens more frequently as the streak grows longer.

Lofton owns the longest hitting streak in the National League this season at 18 games. It's the longest of his career, eclipsing the 17-game steak he had nine years ago with the Indians. And it's longest by a Pirates hitter since Al Martin had a 20-game skein in 2000.

It all started when he had a single and a double April 29 in the first game of a road trip at San Diego. He was hitting .205 at the time, and whispers were heard that, at 35, it was little wonder that nobody else wanted him but the Pirates. But after getting a double and a single Sunday against the Diamondbacks, Lofton had raised his average to .298, which also is his career average.

In that stretch, he has had 11 multihit games, hit three home runs and scored 16 runs. His batting average in those 18 games is .411, and his on-base percentage is .469. Those numbers stand out even more since most of the talk about the Pirates' offense has centered around its failures.

	More Pirates Coverage: Pirates Report: 5/20/03 ... a word from our columnist Ron Cook: Pirates fans deserve apology from Young A day-by-day look at the 1903 Pirates, who won the National League pennant and played in the first World Series. May 20, 1903 The Pirates (18-13) lost two in a row for the first time in almost two weeks after a 2-0 loss the New York Giants (18-8) at the Polo Grounds IV. It was the first time the Pirates were shutout for the season as the Giants took three of four games in the series. The Pirates had six hits, all singles, and one walk. The Giants scored on a wild pitch and a run-scoring single by Charlie Babb. Sam Leever (4-2) was the losing pitcher. He gave up six hits, two walks, one hit batsman and struck out four. -- By Randy Stoernell

"To see him come day in and day out, getting on base for us, it's amazing we haven't scored more runs because he's been on base consistently for the last three or four weeks," Reggie Sanders said. "He's swinging the bat extremely well, staying very short. He's the old Kenny I remember. He's hot."

Ah, the old Kenny.

Lofton is a six-time All-Star who participated in the postseason in 1995 and '99, and again in the past two seasons. He won four consecutive Gold Gloves as a center fielder, the last one in '96. He leads the Pirates in stolen bases with eight.

But after starting in center field with the Giants last year, Lofton was unwanted on the open market. Spring training was half over before the Pirates signed him to a one-year deal for the same salary he received last year ($1,025,000), and it took a recruiting effort by Sanders to persuade him to sign.

Dusty Baker, who is managing the Cubs, said Lofton brings an attitude to the game. And that attitude is a little edgier because he is determined to show people he can still play.

On a road trip at Chicago earlier in the season, Lofton sat in the clubhouse and talked out loud. "The media says I'm too old. The media says I can't hit. The media says I can't run."

While Lofton might not be the player he was, he was an instant upgrade for the Pirates, as a center fielder and a leadoff hitter. As Manager Lloyd McClendon said, he still has a lot of game left.

"I think he's going to play with that little edge all year. I can't blame him," McClendon said.

And of Lofton's current streak and his club's offensive challenges, McClendon added: "When you have a good leadoff hitter, you're going to have an opportunity to score a lot of runs. Kenny's certainly given us that. I really think things are starting to click for us now. We're swinging the bats the way we can. Hopefully, our bullpen has gotten straightened out. The starters have been great. We're looking forward to getting back home and playing good baseball."

Sanders was in much the same boat in the off-season before he signed with the Pirates. Clubs were thinking that, at 35, he was past his prime as a starting position player. Sanders also played with the National League champion Giants last year and can see the motivation that drives Lofton.

"This game is all about proving yourself over and over and over," Sanders said. "There's always a knock in this game. There's always going to be something hovering over the players. We just have to continue to fight and continue to pound. He's a testament to that.

"One of the things when you're doing well is that it continues to snowball. When things are going bad, it goes the other way. It's definitely happening his way. Hopefully, it continues."