Year dedicated to Robinson off to fitting start

The Expos scored the winning run in the ninth inning - on a bases-loaded walk - to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 in Montreal, the city where Robinson briefly played before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers.

As a tribute to Robinson breaking the color barrier 50 years ago, special commemorative balls were used in each team's home opener yesterday and players and umpires wore Robinson patches on their uniforms.

Baseball's opening day also delivered two notable changes from the start of the 1996 season: Albert Belle talked, and fans didn't freeze.

Following a snowout in Boston, a snowstorm in New York and arctic temperatures in both Detroit and Chicago last year, baseball adjusted its schedule in an attempt to beat the cold weather. All five domes in the majors were used Tuesday, and every West Coast club in both leagues was scheduled to begin the year at home this week.

It was a brilliant idea as a severe snowstorm battered the East Coast on Monday, forcing the postponement of Baltimore's home opener at Camden Yards until Wednesday.

In Tuesday's other AL afternoon games, Chicago beat Toronto 6-5 and Texas beat Milwaukee 6-2. In night games, Detroit lost to Minnesota and the New York Yankees opened defense of their World Series title losing 4-2 to Seattle.

The National League schedule included Cincinnati's 11-4 afternoon victory over Colorado. Also, it was Chicago 2, Florida 4; Atlanta 1, Houston 2; Philadelphia 3, Los Angeles 0; New York 5, San Diego 12 and Pittsburgh beating San Francisco 5-2.

Belle made his debut with Chicago in climate-controlled SkyDome and paid immediate dividends for the White Sox's $55 million investment.

Belle, whose defection from Cleveland to Chicago was baseball's biggest offseason story, drove in the first run of the new season with a first-inning double. He added a home run in the eighth inning.

And in continuing his pledge this season to be more cooperative with the media, baseball's $10 million-a-year-man even talked about his performance.

''I'm happy to come over and be productive in the first game,'' Belle said. ''There was pressure coming over, hitting with a guy like Frank Thomas and our tremendous lineup.''

The White Sox trailed 5-2 in the eighth when Thomas singled and Belle followed with a home run into the left-field seats off AL Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen. Belle went the entire exhibition season without a homer.

''I looked terrible in spring training,'' he said. ''Everybody was wondering when I was going to hit a home run. Once the season starts, everything is for keeps. These are the statistics that count. The main thing is that we started the season out 1-0.''

So did Texas, although John Wetteland made the Rangers sweat out the ninth inning.

Wetteland, the World Series MVP for the Yankees last season, survived a 30-pitch ninth inning in Texas' win over Milwaukee at Arlington, Texas. Wetteland entered in the ninth and quickly got into trouble, allowing a one-out single and a walk. After getting a fly out, he walked Jeff Cirillo to load the bases.

Wetteland got out of it when Dave Nilsson hit a game-ending pop-up to shortstop.

''I was extremely nervous,'' Wetteland said. ''There was a lot going on out there. It was opening day and the team had a win in mind. I had a lot of adrenalin going. I was fighting myself a little. I really never gave myself a chance.''

In Cincinnati, Deion Sanders returned to baseball with a big game to help the Reds over the Rockies.

Sanders, who took last season off to become a two-way player with the Dallas Cowboys, went 2-for-4 with an RBI, a pair of stolen bases and two runs scored.