ST. PETERSBURG - It was time. After a week of trying everything short of acupuncture to snap his sore left hamstring back into game shape, Greg Norton was in the Devil Rays' starting lineup Monday against the Rangers.
"[Trainer] Ron [Porterfield] had kind of made a joke, 'You'll probably go out there and get four hits today and be running on it all day,'" said Norton, who sustained the injury a week ago today and since had been limited to a couple of pinch-hitting appearances between sessions in the training room.
Porterfield proved a prescient healer, as Norton went 4-for-4 with three doubles and two runs scored in a 4-3 Tampa Bay victory in front of a cozy gathering of 7,820 fans at Tropicana Field. The win was as notable for the effort of relievers Brian Meadows and Seth McClung as it was for Norton's prowess at the plate.
"That's what happens," said Norton, who batted fourth and improved his batting average to .307, maintaining the hot streak he had been on before his injury. "But I'll take it every day. And we came out with the victory. We cherish every one of those."
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Norton Returns, Goes 4-For-4 In Rays' Victory
Norton Returns, Goes 4-For-4 In Rays' Victory
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