Krukow’s Waiting Game Is Over; He Beats Dodgers, 4-1

The Dodgers, who rival Disney in their ability to create a bread-and-circuses atmosphere, trotted out the usual birds, bands, baritones and balloons for their home opener before 46,910 fans at Dodger Stadium Friday.

But when it came time for the baseball segment of the program, the Dodgers left most of the entertaining to the San Francisco Giants, who arrived with what had been the league’s worst pitching staff in 1984. One of its members, Mike Krukow, then proceeded to strong-arm the Dodgers, 4-1, with an eight-hit complete game.

If that came as a surprise to the Dodgers, whose only offense was Sid Bream’s first big league home run, it registered somewhere between miraculous and unbelievable for Krukow, a 33-year-old journeyman right-hander who never had won before in Los Angeles and whose lifetime earned-run average against the Dodgers was a shade under 5.00.

Asked if he planned to call home with the news, Krukow, who lives in Pasadena, said: “I think I’ll call everybody I ever knew in my life.

“I just hope I don’t have to wait another eight years for the next one.”

Pedro Guerrero suggested that Krukow enjoy it while it lasts. Told that this was Krukow’s first win in Dodger Stadium, Guerrero said: “Probably his last, too. Who knows?”

The unknown for the Dodgers Friday was pitcher Rick Honeycutt, who hadn’t worked more than four innings this spring while recovering from bursitis in his left shoulder.

Honeycutt didn’t last even that long Friday, departing with two out in the fourth after spotting the Giants a 4-0 lead in the third on four straight hits, the last a two-run homer by Jeff Leonard between the flagpoles in center field.

“The last few times I threw, I felt well,” Honeycutt said. “But I felt like I had a dead arm today. There was no pain, but there was no liveliness, no extra pop.”

The pitch to Leonard was supposed to be a changeup, Honeycutt said.

And what did it end up as?

“It ended up being about 400 feet,” Honeycutt said.

The tape measure didn’t have to extend that far for Bream, who led off the bottom of the third by sending a ball halfway up the right-field bleachers.

Bream, who said he came within an inch of lofting another ball out with two runners on in the fourth, also lined a single in the seventh. The only other Dodger who had two hits against Krukow was ex-Giant Al Oliver.

But Bream is not yet counting on making first base his permanent residence while Greg Brock’s sore right elbow heals.

For now, in fact, Bream is living with Orel and Jamie Hershiser.

“Hey, this fellow doesn’t have a car, and I’m going home,” Hershiser said to the circle of reporters gathered around Bream.

The biggest difference between Brock and Bream is in their power quotient, which is what has kept Bream in the minors.

“I’m not one to hit 20, 25, 30 home runs in a season,” Bream said. “I’ll hit 10 to 20. I have a short stride and I’m not trying to overstride to produce power.”

Krukow came away impressed.

“It just seems like the Dodgers are always bringing up somebody else,” he said.

“The book on Bream was to bunch him, pitch him inside. My first pitch to him was a slider, and he swung through it. The second pitch was a fastball, belt-high and inside, a tough pitch for a left-handed hitter, but I didn’t impress him too much with it.”

The Dodgers threatened only once more against Krukow, when Oliver and Guerrero singled with one out in the sixth. But Krukow got out of it when Mike Marshall lined to third and Mike Scioscia bounced to first.

“Every time I made a mistake, they hit a rocket at somebody,” Krukow said.

The Giants stopped hitting, period, after Honeycutt left. Tom (the Flamingo) Brennan, a longshot to make the club in the spring, struck out the first batter he faced, Manny Trillo, on three pitches, ending the fourth, then did not allow a ball out of the infield in the next three innings. Tom Niedenfuer retired all six Giants he faced, too.

Brennan, who has been in pro ball for 10 years but has just 52 games of big league experience (all in the American League), also had his first at-bat in the majors.

“When he threw me that first pitch, I never saw it,” said Brennan, who popped to second in the fifth.

“The American League was nothing like this. There’s strategy involved here. It’s a much more exciting game than they have in the AL.

“I was asking the coaches to keep me informed on strategy.”

That shouldn’t have been too tough to understand on Friday. It certainly wasn’t for Krukow.

Dodger Notes Third baseman Pedro Guerrero was charged with his first error of the season in the first inning when he threw wildly to second base on an attempted force-out after making an exceptional backhanded stop on a ball hit by Chili Davis. “I thought it was a good play, but they gave me an error,” he said. “I was in a bad position to throw the ball.” . . . Ken Landreaux also made an error, fumbling Davis’ single in the third, and also popped up four times against Mike Krukow. . . . Steve Howe received the biggest ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd during pregame introductions. At one point, Howe covered his head with both arms. Asked if he expected that reception, Howe said: “You never know what to expect, period. I know that all winter long there were a lot of people behind me, but with 50,000 people, anything goes. It was great. I appreciated it very much.” . . . Steve Sax said his sore right ankle was examined Friday by Dr. Frank Jobe. It still was not 100%. Asked if he was eager to return to the lineup--his replacement, Mariano Duncan, is hitting .313, including a looping double Friday--Sax said: “Yes, yes I am. I want to get in there.” And what if Duncan continues to play well? “That’ll be their decision when I’m available,” Sax said . . . Krukow’s complete game was the Giants’ first here since Aug. 15, 1983, when Fred Breining went nine. . . . Dodger reliever Bobby Castillo, on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder, will pitch batting practice for the first time tonight. Castillo is eligible to come off the list next Friday. . . . Tom Niedenfuer said he threw the split-fingered fastball, the pitch he has been working on all spring, twice Friday, both times for strikes. “I threw harder today than I did in Houston,” he said. “I felt good.” . . . The Dodgers have lost their last two home openers and also ruined the perfect record of anthem singer Jeffrey Osborne, who came into the game with a record of 17-0 on days that he sang the anthem (12-0 with the Lakers, 3-0 with the Raiders and 2-0 with the 49ers). . . . Rod Dedeaux, the USC baseball coach who was signed by the Dodgers 50 years ago, threw out the first ball.