BALTIMORE, JULY 30 -- John Kruk delivered one of his patented opposite-field singles to left in the first inning today at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. But that turned out to be the colorful 34-year-old veteran's last time at-bat. He retired from baseball after the inning.
Frank Thomas replaced Kruk as the Chicago White Sox' designated hitter in the third inning, by which time Kruk already was packing his gear.
"The desire to compete at this level is gone," Kruk said in a statement, after his departure was worked out in advance with the White Sox. "I want to thank San Diego for giving me my first opportunity to play professional baseball and Philadelphia for the chance to play in the World Series. I thank the Chicago White Sox for the opportunity to come back and to walk away from the game on my own terms.
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"Finally, I thank the fans in San Diego, Philadelphia and Chicago for supporting me through the years."
Kruk, who was signed by the White Sox as a free agent on May 12, batted .308 with two home runs and 23 RBI in 49 games. In his 10-year career, he hit .300 with 100 home runs and 592 RBI. "He just got to a point health-wise where he was breaking down," said White Sox Manager Terry Bevington. "You just wish every player was like John Kruk."
"He was complaining every night about his knees," said shortstop Ozzie Guillen. "That's why he was tired every night. He can hardly even walk."
Kruk came back from surgery to remove a cancerous testicle in March 1994, although he missed the first six games of that season. However, that apparently wasn't a factor in his decision to retire -- it was the trouble with his knees.
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Guillen said Kruk told teammates of his plan to retire today. "He just wanted to make sure everybody knew he wasn't a quitter," Guillen said. "He came every day and he couldn't play and he tried to. That's why he went home." Extra Bases
The arrival of Bobby Bonilla will mean more rest for slumping Orioles outfielder Kevin Bass, who is hitting .134 in July. . . .
Curtis Goodwin kept his batting average above .300 with a seventh-inning infield single. He went to second as pitcher Jose De Leon threw wildly to first, but ended up being tagged at third by Robin Ventura. On the play, Ventura suffered a sprained wrist tagging Goodwin. He was removed from the game and is day to day. . . . Leo Gomez also left the game early, with a slightly sprained right ankle. An X-ray showed he'll be fine.
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