Niedenfuer Elbows Aside Bad Memory, Saves Win at Shea

For a country boy from Washington state, this city is unforgettable. But there are no “I Love N.Y.” bumper stickers on the back of Tom Niedenfuer’s Chevy Blazer.

For Niedenfuer, Shea Stadium conjures up the memory of a career-threatening injury suffered almost exactly a year ago.

“I blew out my elbow here,” said Niedenfuer Friday night after saving Orel Hershiser’s fourth win in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the New York Mets before a crowd of 37,124.

“I’m thinking about every pitch in this town,” Niedenfuer said. “When they start talking Tommy John to you, you’d remember.”

After Niedenfuer blew out the elbow again last July, Dr. Frank Jobe told him that surgery, similar to the kind once performed on John, might be needed to reconstruct Niedenfuer’s elbow.

“He said there was a 95% chance,” Niedenfuer said. “If I came back last September and my elbow hurt at all, they were going to do it.”

Niedenfuer, who pitched in five games the last month of the season, said there was no pain, although he admits now that he was hedging on his pitches.

“Let’s just say I didn’t cut my hardest slider,” he said. “But I’ve come a long way in a year.”

He came out of the bullpen Friday to rescue Ken Howell, who had replaced Hershiser with the Dodgers ahead, 4-1, in the eighth and had put three of the four batters he faced on base. Mookie Wilson, who had four hits, led off with a double; one out later, Keith Hernandez walked on four pitches, and then Gary Carter lined a base hit to score Wilson.

Suddenly, the Mets, who have had so much trouble scoring that they lost a no-hitter against their minor-league team at Tidewater the night before, were threatening to wipe out a Dodger lead helped along by sixth-inning solo home runs by Greg Brock and Mike Scioscia off Met starter Ed Lynch.

That’s when Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, who had walked 82 blocks through the heart of midtown Manhattan the night before, took a shorter stroll to the mound and summoned Niedenfuer.

And that’s when Niedenfuer’s memory bank punched up a similar scene here last May 26, the occasion of Hershiser’s first big-league start. Hershiser remembered it, too.

“Yeah, I got a no-decision, and Buff got the loss and blew out his elbow,” said Hershiser, whose own tender elbow was responsible for his departure Friday night after seven innings and a yield of six hits.

It appeared that Hershiser, who already has six no-decisions this season, might be in line for another when George Foster, a dead-pull hitter, faced Niedenfuer and hit a pop fly near the line in right. Second baseman Mariano Duncan sprinted to chase it down, but upon his arrival, the ball hit his glove, ricocheted off his bare hand and fell safely, Hernandez scoring to make it 4-3. Duncan was charged--harshly--with an error.

“Golly, the guy went 100 yards in eight seconds flat,” said shortstop Bill Russell, himself the victim of a bad-hop single that accounted for the Mets’ only run off Hershiser.

“Mariano set a new world record going after that ball.”

Danny Heep came to the plate with a chance to atone for dropping Ken Landreaux’s third-inning line drive, an error that had scored Duncan with the Dodgers’ second run after Duncan had singled home R.J. Reynolds with the first.

But Niedenfuer, who said his fastball has been clocked as high as 97 m.p.h. this season, struck out Heep on three pitches and retired Howard Johnson on an easy fly to right.

Niedenfuer opened the ninth by walking pinch-hitter Rusty Staub but set down the last three batters to send the Mets to their third straight loss, the first time this season that the NL East leaders have lost three in a row.

And the Dodgers, after losing four of their first five games on this trip, have now won two straight.

“People have been counting us out since before spring training,” said Scioscia, who combined with Brock to give the Dodgers two homers in an inning for the first time since April 16.

“We haven’t been playing well at all, so it’s encouraging that we’re in the spot we’re in, even as bad as we’ve been playing. And we have the confidence to know we can be in it.”

How much confidence did Scioscia have Friday night? He took the subway home from the ballpark. “It was nice knowing you guys,” he said.

Dodger Notes The hype has begun in earnest for today’s nationally televised matchup of the Mets’ Dwight Gooden and the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela. “Duel in the Sun,” one headline proclaimed, “Dr. K vs. Senor Smoke.” Valenzuela, as usual, was taking it in stride. “I don’t read the papers,” he said with a shrug. “Same thing. He (Gooden) is a very good pitcher--everybody knows that.” . . . Steve Howe, on whether Valenzuela was more excited about this game: “If he’s pitching against Mary Potts, it doesn’t matter to him. Fernando has a great perspective. He just wants to win. If Gooden’s the best in the world, we might as well just throw our hats on the field, submit and say let’s go home.” . . . Said Manager Tom Lasorda: “I told Fernando, “There’s going to be 85 million people in the United States and 140 million Mexicans watching you pitch. Fernando said, ‘I better get a new hat, a new haircut and a new pair of pants.’ ” Added Lasorda: “If I wasn’t in uniform, I’d be looking for a ticket.” . . . Catcher Mike Scioscia: “He’s faced guys we should have gotten 10 runs off of and wound up winning, 1-0, or losing, 1-0. He’ll go out there like just another game.” . . . Comparative statistics: Valenzuela is 4-4, Gooden 6-2. Valenzuela has a 1.64 ERA, Gooden a 1.69. Valenzuela has five complete games, Gooden three. Valenzuela has 60 strikeouts, Gooden 66. Both pitchers have two shutouts. Valenzuela lost twice to Gooden last season, 2-0 and 5-1. . . . The Mets reported an advance sale of 27,000 tickets for today’s game and expect a crowd of about 40,000. They are averaging about 8,000 more fans for games in which Gooden pitches. . . . After watching Bob Welch throw on the side Thursday at Daytona Beach, Fla., Dodger Vice President Al Campanis returned home. Welch is scheduled to work five innings Sunday against St. Petersburg. . . . Mike Marshall, hitless in 16 trips since homering in Philadelphia last Sunday, was dropped to the No. 6 spot in the Dodger order, with Greg Brock batting No. 5. Marshall is now batting .243. . . . Steve Sax was benched for the second straight game. Sax, 25, has sprouted a few gray hairs. “That’s what this game will do to you,” he said. . . . Tom Niedenfuer shaved off his mustache. “New look,” he told Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register. “With all the trade rumors, maybe they won’t recognize me now.”