NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cubs manager Dale Sveum said he’s OK after former teammate Robin Yount accidentally shot him in the right ear and back with pellets during a recent quail hunt in Arizona.
Sveum brushed off the bloody mishap yesterday at baseball’s Winter Meetings and said he didn’t need stitches.
“You don’t get hit very often,” Sveum said. “It’s not that big a deal.”
Sveum and Yount played together in Milwaukee and are hunting partners. Sveum said he was about 50 yards ahead of the Hall of Famer went the accident occurred.
“The bird got up in front of him, and he lost track of where I was and pulled the trigger,” said Sveum, who“I was just looking for birds myself. It was behind me, so I got drilled with pellets in the back and one stuck in the ear.” added he started calling him “Dick Cheney,” a reference to the former vice president who once accidentally shot a friend while hunting.
* Free-agent outfielder Shane Victorino and the Red Sox agreed yesterday to a $39 million, three-year contract.
Nicknamed The Flyin’ Hawaiian, Victorino tweeted he planned to spend the day in Maui on a snorkeling trip.
“Just agreed to join the Boston @RedSox in the middle of paradise,” he tweeted. “#BLESSED!!! Can’t wait to get to Boston!”
Victorino hit a combined .255 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs last season for Philadelphia and the Dodgers. He likely will play right field in Boston.
* Infielder Marco Scutaro, 37, has agreed to a three-year, $20 million contract to remain with the world-champion Giants.
* Free-agent pitcher Dan Haren and the Nationals are close to completing a one-year deal for $13 million. Haren was 12-13 with a 4.33 ERA in 30 starts for the Angels last season.
* Yunel Escobar’s stay with Miami lasted all of two weeks. The payroll-slashing Marlins dealt the former Blue Jays shortstop and his $5 million salary to the Rays for minor league infielder Derek Dietrich.
* Injured closer Joakim Soria and the Rangers reached an agreement on an $8 million, two-year contract. Soria, 28, is recovering from elbow ligament-replacement surgery.
* The Astros traded reliever Wilton Lopez and a player to be named to the Rockies for right-handers Alex White and Alex Gillingham.
* Former Yankees outfielder Eric Hinske agreed to a one-year contract with the Diamondbacks. He spent the last three seasons with the Braves.