Griffey a hit in White Sox debut

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Ken Griffey Jr. got a rousing reception when he came to the plate for the first time in a White Sox uniform Friday night.

Just wait until he gets back to Chicago.

At 38, Griffey admits he's no longer the five-tool dynamo he used to be in his younger days. That doesn't mean the center fielder is playing out the string.

Batting seventh against the Royals, Griffey sparked the Sox to a 4-2 win at Kauffman Stadium by going 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. He also scored a run and walked.

"Just trying to get my feet wet and help out,'' said Griffey, who joined the Sox after being acquired in a trade from the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. "It was fun because we won.''

Before the game, Sox manager Ozzie Guillen warned the media and fans about expecting too much from one of the greatest players to ever grace the game.

Afterward, Guillen couldn't hide the fact he is managing a unique talent.

"He did what he always does,'' Guillen said. "It doesn't surprise me at all. I bet you he was a little excited, a little anxious. All of the sudden, he goes out and gets a couple big basehits.

"There's no doubt he's going to make out lineup better. There's no doubt he's going to make our club better.''

And there's no doubt Griffey was a nervous wreck in his debut with the White Sox, even though he's in his 20th major-league season.

"Jermaine (Dye) asked me in the seventh inning if I was OK, and I said no,'' Griffey said. "I'm still nervous. I ate at 9 last night and not again until after the game.''

Even though he's been a popular, productive player, Griffey is dealing with three new challenges - he's on a different team, he's finally in a pennant race and he's trying to get a handle on some strange characters in the clubhouse.

"These guys, they're different,'' Griffey said with a sly grin. "From one to 25, you will get talked about. I found out firsthand. It was just a matter of trying to fit. I'll throw my jabs (today).''

On Friday, Griffey settled for swinging the bat.

With two outs in the second inning, he singled on a 3-2 pitch from Kansas City starter Luke Hochevar to score Jim Thome from second base while giving the Sox the early lead.

After flying out to deep center field in the fourth, Griffey made it a 2-0 game with another run-scoring single in the sixth inning. He then scored the White Sox' final run, before drawing a walk in the eighth and coming out for pinch runner Brian Anderson.

"I'm just trying to get off to a good start here,'' Griffey said. "Just trying to be patient. I've been able to fix a mechanical flaw that I had earlier in the season, and that's seemed to help.

"Today, I was just fortunate enough to help out.''

Guillen said Griffey is going to make his new teammates better, so maybe he had a positive impact on starting pitcher Javier Vazquez.

After working 6 innings and allowing 2 runs on 5 hits in hot and humid weather, Vazquez won his first game since June 17.

"It feels good to finally get a win, get the monkey off my back,'' Vazquez said. "I've thrown a few good games, but I haven't been as consistent as I've wanted to be.''

Vazquez had a shutout until the Royals scored 2 runs in the sixth.

"I was down in the (strike) zone, and that's important for me,'' Vazquez said. "I wasn't making mistakes in the zone.''

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