LOS ANGELES -- Nobody's ever called Mike Blowers "Mr. April." But the Los Angeles Dodgers' third baseman, a notoriously slow starter, seems to be picking up steam as the season rolls on.
Acquired from the Seattle Mariners last November, Blowers hit .205 in April for his new team. But he batted .289 in May and has put together a six-game hitting streak this month, boosting his average to .240.
With only four homers and 25 RBIs, however, he'll need a strong second-half performance to match last season, when he batted .257 with 24 homers and 96 RBIs as the Mariners won the AL West.
Entering this season, Blowers' career batting average in April was .202. He had just three homers and 16 RBIs in five Aprils in the big leagues.
"I've always been a slow starter," he said. "Sometimes people try to make a judgment after two or three weeks, but I think it takes a whole season to evaluate a player.
"Hopefully by the end of the year, I'll be good enough to make everyone happy. If not, I'll probably move on, but I have no control over that."
Blowers didn't start playing baseball until he was 9 years old, when his stepfather introduced him to the game.
"I never really thought I'd ever play in the big leagues, so I just kind of took it one step at a time," he said.
He finally stepped up to where he wanted to be -- playing for his hometown team in Seattle.
At first, Blowers wasn't happy about the trade to the Dodgers, who sent minor-league infielders Miguel Cairo and Willie Otanez to the Mariners, but he said he now likes playing in Los Angeles.
"I don't regret coming here. I left a good team and I came to a good team," he said. "Now I just want to improve every year and to play as long as I can."
The switch meant, among other things, that he is facing NL pitchers for the first time, and that he's playing home games outdoors instead of in the Kingdome.
"I like playing outside because it's easier to stay loose," he said. "I like to sweat when I'm playing, it's more natural."
When his baseball career is finished, Blowers intends to return to Seattle and perhaps teach and coach at his old high school.
Blowers, 31, said he hopes he won't be retiring anytime soon.
"You don't see many players stick around fro 10 years, but that's sort of a goal of mine," he said.
Associated press. "Blowers, undaunted by slow start, seems to be picking up steam". 12 Jun, 1996.
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