One of the goals of Hanshin Tigers left-handed pitcher Trey Moore is to keep his batting average higher than his earned run average. You have to take out the decimal points, of course, and so far, he's done a great job both on the mound and in the batter's box in getting off to a brilliant start in the 2003 season.
Moore turned in seven strong innings last Saturday in beating the Yomiuri Giants, running his record to 3-0 and lowering his ERA to 2.25, third best in the Central League. He also smacked two hits, a single and a double, in the same inning, as Hanshin sent 13 batters to the plate in an eight-run top of the third. Following the game, his batting average stood at .500.
"Were you trying to hit for the cycle?," I asked him on Sunday.