Lo Duca receives mixed reaction

On the day Paul Lo Duca reported to spring training, he apologized -- but he never said why he was apologizing.

Friday, the former Dodgers catcher was more forthcoming about the passages in the Mitchell Report that pertained to him.

“What was written about me is true,” Lo Duca said.

Lo Duca was the starting first baseman for the Washington Nationals on Friday in his first game at Dodger Stadium since he was cited in the Mitchell Report as a user of steroids and human growth hormone and the person who referred former Dodgers teammates Eric Gagne and Kevin Brown to his drug supplier. He said he was unsure of how he would be received in light of the revelations.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll see. That’s going to be interesting. I thought about that too.”

He paused and asked, “Have the Brewers played here yet?”

Told they hadn’t, he said, “Yeah, so I wonder if they’re going to boo Eric or not too. It’ll be interesting.”

Lo Duca was mildly booed during pregame introductions, and received a mix of boos and light applause for his first at-bat in the third inning.

Lo Duca didn’t want to comment further on the report, which cited former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski as saying he sold at least six kits of human growth hormone to Lo Duca. The report included a copy of a handwritten note from Lo Duca to Radomski on Dodger Stadium letterhead that read: “Thanks. Call me if you need anything! Paul.”

“It’s something I did even before I got here,” Lo Duca said. “I apologized. It’s something I wish I didn’t do. It’s over with now. You move on, definitely. I have apologized.”

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