The Questions With Gary Matthews Jr.

What was your welcome-to-the-big-leagues moment?

The ninth inning of my first game [as a Padres rookie in 1999]. I wasn't nervous all night, until hearing the start of Hells Bells when [closer] Trevor Hoffman came in. I think we were up a run, and I heard 50,000 people go nuts. Your heart starts pounding.

Your most embarrassing moment?

In 2004 at Yankee Stadium someone left up the lineup card from the night before. I looked at the wrong card, saw I was in the lineup and prepared all day. The game starts, and after we've hit, I run out to rightfield and see there's two rightfielders there. [Second baseman] Alfonso Soriano and the umpire were laughing at me. Soriano yells, "Hey, Junior! I think we got a problem!"

If I were commissioner for a day, I'd ...

put all East Coast teams on the West Coast at the start of the year. I hate playing in the cold. Either that or I'd put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame.

LAST WEEK

Matthews had a double, a triple and an RBI on Sunday as Texas won its third straight game, against Detroit.

THIS WEEK

The Rangers host Oakland, against whom Matthews homered on Aug. 9.