San Diego Padres outfielder Mike Darr killed in car crash

Friday, February 15th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PHOENIX (AP) _ San Diego Padres outfielder Mike Darr was killed and a minor league pitcher was injured early Friday when the vehicle they were riding in rolled over on an interstate highway.

The Padres hold spring training in nearby Peoria, and Friday was the voluntary reporting date for pitchers and catchers to report.

Ben Howard, 23, a pitcher who played for San Diego's Class-A and Double-A affiliates last season, was treated at the scene, Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Frank Valenzuela said. Another man in the vehicle, Duane Johnson, 23, of Reno, Nev., was also killed.

Valenzuela said Darr was driving.

Darr, 25, was San Diego's opening-day center fielder in 2001, his first full big league season. He was the team's minor league player of the year in 1997 after being obtained from Detroit.

Darr was the second player in the Padres organization to be killed in a car crash in less than year. On July 29, minor league pitcher Gerik Baxter was killed near Indio, Calif., when a rear tire on his pickup blew out and the truck rolled over. Oakland Athletics draft pick Mark Hilde, a passenger in the truck, also died in the accident.