Jack Cust hasn't forgotten how to swing that hard lumber. The 6'1" 230-pound Oakland Athletics designated hitter hit the first grand slam of the Spring during the A's 11-4 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers Friday. Cust, who was kept out of yesterday's lineup due to some sort of illness, swung for the fences in each of his first two at-bats for five RBIs.
The first longball was off Dave Bush, sent towering to left field, while the second came in the form of a solo shot to right in the third inning off Manny Parra
“I wasn’t thinking about my swing," Cust said. "I wasn’t thinking about anything. I’ll have to try to do that more often.”
Cust’s name was mentioned in the Mitchell report last month, but he denied having ever used steroids. A’s GM Billy Beane said he spoke with the slugger about the allegations and was confident in his honesty.
With the exception of 2004 (when he made the Baltimore Orioles Opening Day roster for one at-bat before being sent down the rest of the year) the 29-year-old outfielder has began each of his 11 seasons in the minors. That's about to change though, as Cust seems to have the DH role down. In 124 games with Oakland last season, he batted .256 with 26 homers and 82 RBIs.
[USA Today]
