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For Browning, It’s Perfectly Easy : Red Pitcher, Only 14th to Throw Flawless Game, Never Goes to 3-Ball Count in 1-0 Win Over Dodgers

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Times Staff Writer

Nearing the stroke of midnight here Friday, Dodger pinch-hitter Tracy Woodson took a final, futile stroke at Tom Browning’s pitch for perfection.

An instant later, after Woodson’s wild swing had missed, Browning had completed a perfect game in the Cincinnati Reds’ 1-0 victory over the Dodgers before 16,591 fans at Riverfront Stadium.

In recording only the 14th perfect game in major league history, the first since the Angels’ Mike Witt did it against the Texas Rangers on the final day of the 1984 season, Browning handled the Dodgers with considerable ease.

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No Dodger came close to hitting safely, though Red third baseman Chris Sabo deftly handled two hard-hit grounders, and Browning did not have three balls against any of the 27 hitters the Dodgers sent to the plate. Of the 102 pitches the 28-year-old left-hander threw, only 30 were balls.

He had a 2-and-2 count against Woodson, batting for pitcher Tim Belcher, before unleashing a high, inside fastball that Woodson missed. The ball securely in catcher Jeff Reed’s glove, Browning was then swarmed by teammates spilling out of the dugout and piling on top of each other near the mound.

So efficient was Browning’s effort, which came after a 2-hour 27-minute rain delay before the first pitch, that even he did not seem to grasp the magnitude of his accomplishment.

Swigging a bottle of California champagne, Browning stood in front of his locker and fondled the baseball he used to strike out Woodson. Taped to his locker was the lineup card, with Dodger hitters crossed out like enemies on a hit list.

“I just wanted to pitch a complete game and give the team the win,” said Browning, who had 7 strikeouts and improved his record to 16-5. “I never expected anything like this to happen to me. I just tried to keep a good, steady pace. In the last few innings, the ball was really moving in and out for me.

“I started to think about it--no, to realize I could do it--in the eighth inning. Once I got to the eighth, I started feeling a little antsy. I was feeling the pressure, and I had to make sure that I calmed myself. After that, everything just seemed to fall in place.”

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From the perspective of the Dodgers, who remained 7 games ahead of the second-place Houston Astros in the National League West race, everything fell apart. The only other pitcher to throw a perfect game against the Dodgers was the New York Yankees’ Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series. The last pitcher to throw a no-hitter against the Dodgers was Nolan Ryan in 1981.

Red Manager Pete Rose, who has witnessed and experienced his share of historic events in baseball, said that Browning’s achievement was one of his most memorable.

“I can’t think of a better game I’ve ever seen pitched,” Rose said. “And I’ve been around no-hitters, both for and against. Tonight, he was incredible. He was just, uh, perfect. What else can I say?”

After many close calls, this was the first no-hitter, let alone perfect game, of the season for any major league pitcher. It was fitting, in a way, that a Red pitcher would break that drought.

On May 2, Red pitcher Ron Robinson came within one strike of recording a perfect game against the Montreal Expos, before Wallace Johnson ruined the bid with a single. Robinson wound up a 3-2 winner. Then, on June 6 in San Diego, Browning came within two outs of a no-hitter before the Padres’ Tony Gwynn singled to left. Browning ended with a one-hit shutout.

After that aborted bid, Browning said that one Red pitcher would eventually break through with a no-hitter this season. His words, uttered in frustration, proved prophetic.

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Browning, who has lost only twice since June 6, has bounced back from a sore elbow that rendered him ineffective much of last season. In fact, Browning was banished to triple-A Nashville for a minor league stint in 1987 after his earned-run average exceeded 5.00 with the Reds.

Browning, born in Casper, Wyo., had a promising rookie season in 1986. He won 14 games and finished second in rookie-of-the-year balloting. But until Friday night, the closest he had come to perfection was the one-hitter against the Padres in June, after which he predicted a forthcoming no-hitter for one of the Reds’ pitchers.

“Yeah, but I didn’t think it would be me who would do it,” Browning said. “They made some good plays behind me, especially Sab’s (Sabo) and they got the run I needed.”

That run came in the sixth inning off losing pitcher Tim Belcher (10-5), who also was nursing a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Belcher had two out and one strike on Barry Larkin in that inning when Larkin lined a double to the right-field corner, breaking his no-hit bid.

It looked as if Belcher would escape without yielding a run when Sabo bounced to third baseman Jeff Hamilton, who fielded the ball just as Larkin crossed his path. Hamilton then threw a one-hopper to first baseman Mickey Hatcher, who could not handle it.

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The ball squirted out of Hatcher’s grasp and trickled toward the Red dugout. Larkin easily scored the unearned run, and Belcher found himself trailing Browning and the Reds, 1-0, despite yielding only two hits to that point.

From that point, Belcher allowed only one other hit. But it didn’t matter.

The Dodgers, for most of the night, willingly acquiesced at the sight of Browning’s powerful fastball, beguiling changeup and effective curveball. Browning, who gave up two runs in a no-decision against the Dodgers last week in Los Angeles, had retired the last 11 straight Dodger batters he faced in that outing.

So, counting Friday night, Browning has retired 39 straight Dodgers.

Some went quietly; some threw bats and helmets. And in the case of Kirk Gibson, after a called third strike in the seventh inning, there was an occasional blatant display of frustration.

Gibson, who had 7 hits in 11 at-bats against Browning before Friday night, was ejected by plate umpire Jim Quick after arguing the strike call. When Gibson heard Quick’s call, he quickly turned and charged the umpire. It took Manager Tom Lasorda and several Dodger teammates--including Belcher--to restrain Gibson.

Gibson struck out twice and harmlessly flied to left field against Browning. His teammates fared little better, though Mike Marshall and Rick Dempsey hit the ball hard.

In the third inning, Dempsey hit a 2-0 fastball to the left of Sabo, who fielded it cleanly and threw out the Dodger catcher. The next threat, by Marshall in the fifth inning, also was thwarted by Sabo. This time, Sabo’s throw pulled first baseman Nick Esasky to the right side of the bag. But Esasky gloved the ball, and Marshall was out by a step.

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Leading off the eighth inning, Marshall sent a 1-and-2 fastball into the right-center-field gap, but right fielder Paul O’Neill reached the ball in time, catching it on a jog.

“The only guy that really gave us trouble all night was their catcher (Dempsey),” Reed said. “He took some good cuts on the fastball. Most of their guys weren’t coming close to the fastball. So, the last time he was up, I had Tom throw a changeup, then a fastball and then another changeup, and we got him (to fly out).

“I think his changeup was his best pitch tonight. He used that to offset his fastball. With the curve, he maybe threw only about eight or nine. But he kept them down, and that’s why it worked so well.

“It seemed like, all night long, he had 0-and-1 counts against them. There really weren’t that many balls hit hard. Usually, in a game like that, you have a couple close calls, a couple balls hit hard. Not tonight.”

In retrospect, Browning said it was a night not especially conducive to perfection.

During the rain delay, while Red teammates passed the time playing cards or gabbing in front of their lockers, Browning went to the dugout and watched the steady downpour that canceled batting practice and delayed the game’s starting time until 10:02 p.m., EDT.

Gazing over at the Dodger dugout, Browning said he saw Belcher doing the same thing.

“I smiled at him and gave him some (grief) about hitting a home run off me in L.A.,” Browning said. “I only sat out there for about 10 or 15 minutes when the game was supposed to start. I got irritated because it really didn’t look like it would break up.

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“Guys were talking about playing a doubleheader (Saturday). I just wanted to pitch and get it over with.”

Dodger Notes The last National League pitcher to throw a perfect game was Sandy Koufax, on Sept. 9, 1965, against the Chicago Cubs. The last pitcher in baseball to throw a no-hitter was Juan Nieves of the Milwaukee Brewers, who no-hit the Baltimore Orioles on April 15, 1987.

John Tudor, who left his last start Tuesday night after five innings because of soreness in his left elbow, told trainer Bill Buhler Friday that he will be able to make his scheduled start against the Reds here Sunday. Tudor rejoined the team Friday after spending two days in Boston on personal business.

Tudor was not examined by a physician. “I plan to pitch Sunday,” Tudor said. Asked whether he feels pain in the elbow when he pitches, Tudor shrugged and said: “I’ll live.” Buhler said that Tudor has felt periodic soreness in his left elbow throughout the season. “He’s just undergoing the normal treatment he has between starts,” Buhler said.

When Manager Tom Lasorda heard that Pedro Guerrero was hit in the head Friday by pitcher Mike Harkey of the Chicago Cubs, Lasorda quipped: “If he got hit in the head, he’s OK. Anywhere below the neck, then I’d be worried.” . . . Fernando Valenzuela, rehabilitating from a strained left shoulder, has thrown off the mound three times. Pitching coach Ron Perranoski said that Valenzuela recovered well from his last session, on Wednesday, but he does not know when Valenzuela will throw again.

Red pitcher Danny Jackson, battling Dodger Orel Hershiser for the Cy Young Award in the National League, came close to giving an endorsement of Hershiser. Both pitchers have 21 victories and other similar statistics. “Everything’s real close,” Jackson told Cincinnati reporters. “It’s almost a toss-up. But I have to give him the edge because he plays on a pennant contender and he’s on the West Coast. Publicity-wise, it’s better to be on the East or West Coast than the Midwest. It doesn’t bother me at all. He’s had an outstanding year. I wouldn’t be heartbroken if I didn’t get it. He deserves it as much as I do.”

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Hershiser’s wife, Jamie, gave birth to the couple’s second son, Jordan Douglas Thursday. He remained in Los Angeles Friday.

PERFECT GAMESTHE LIST OF ALL PERFECT GAMES (NINE OR MORE INNINGS) THROWN IN THE HISTORY OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL:

PITCHER TEAMS SCORE YEAR Tom Browning Reds-Dodgers 1-0 1988 Mike Witt Angels-Rangers 1-0 1984 Len Barker Indians-Blue Jays 3-0 1981 Catfish Hunter A’s-Twins 4-0 1968 Sandy Koufax Dodgers-Cubs 1-0 1965 Jim Bunning Phillies-Mets 6-0 1964 Harvey Haddix*** Pirates-Braves 0-1 1959 Don Larsen** Yankees-Dodgers 2-0 1956 Charles Robertson White Sox-Tigers 2-0 1922 Ernie Shore* Red Sox-Senators 4-0 1917 Addie Joss Indians-White Sox 1-0 1908 Cy Young Red Sox-A’s 3-0 1904 John Ward Providence-Buffalo 5-0 1880 John Richmond Worcester-Cleveland 1-0 1880

*--Entered the game after starter Babe Ruth walked Ray Morgan, and following an argument, was ejected by umpire Brick Owens. Morgan was caught stealing and Shore retired the remaining 26 batters.

**--World Series.

***--Pitched 12 perfect innings, lost in 13th on an error, sacrifice bunt, walk and double.

NO-HITTERS AGAINST THE DODGERS Regular-season no-hitters thrown against the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles:

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DATE PITCHER, CLUB VS. BROOKLYN SCORE July 31, 1891 Amos Rusie, New York 6-0 Aug. 6, 1892 John Stivetts, Boston 11-0 Aug. 21, 1898 Walter Thornton, Chicago 2-0 May 1, 1906 John Lush, Philadelphia 1-0 Sept. 20, 1907 Nicholas Maddox, Pittsburgh 2-1 April 15, 1909 *Leon Ames, New York **0-3 April 15, 1915 Rube Marquard, New York 2-0 Sept. 21 1934 Paul Dean, St. Louis 3-0 June 15, 1938 Johnny Vander Meer, Cincinnati 6-0 April 27, 1944 Jim Tobin, Boston 2-0 Aug. 11, 1950 Vern Bickford, Boston 7-0

DATE PITCHER, CLUB VS. LOS ANGELES SCORE Aug. 9, 1976 John Candelaria, Pittsburgh 2-0 Sept. 26, 1981 Nolan Ryan, Houston 5-0 Sept. 16, 1988 ***Tom Browning, Cincinnati 1-0

*--Ames surrendered his first hit in the 10th and later lost in the 13th

**--13 innings

***--perfect game.

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