Hershiser’s Quiet One-Hitter Lifts Dodgers to 1 1/2-Game Lead

When Orel Hershiser came to the plate in the seventh inning Tuesday night, he received a smattering of applause from the Dodger Stadium crowd of 33,013.

If the fans were tuned in to the fact that Orel Hershiser IV was on the verge of his second one-hitter of the season, this one in a 6-0 Dodger win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, they were keeping it to themselves.

If this had been the Mets’ Dwight Gooden in Shea Stadium, someone mentioned to Hershiser afterward, the place would have looked like a rock concert, with everybody on their feet.

“I’m not Dwight Gooden,” Hershiser said. “I’m not Nolan Ryan or Fernando Valenzuela. I’m just Orel Hershiser.

“I don’t think of myself as one of those guys who sells tickets or brings people into the ballpark. People didn’t come here to see Orel Hershiser; they came to see the Dodgers.”

The day may come--and that day may not be far off--when that changes. St. Louis Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog may have kidded Hershiser about naming his son Orel V a couple of weeks ago, but the Hershiser baby will be able to tell some stories about his old man one of these days.

Jason Thompson’s opposite-field single to left leading off the second inning was the only Pirate hit. It came early enough to eliminate the suspense, but it did nothing to lessen the extent of Hershiser’s artistry.

The Pirates hit only four more balls to the outfield, and two of those came from the game’s last two batters--Bill Madlock and Tony Pena--after Hershiser’s back had stiffened.

Hershiser, who pitched his first one-hitter against the San Diego Padres on April 26 and also has a two-hitter and three-hitter among his 10 wins in 13 decisions this season, struck out seven Pirates and was in trouble only in the second as the Dodgers increased their lead to 1 1/2 games over San Diego in the National League West.

After Thompson’s single, Hershiser walked Madlock on a full count, and after an infield out he intentionally walked Sammy Khalifa to load the bases for opposing pitcher Rick Reuschel, who struck out on three pitches.

Thompson walked in the fourth but was erased immediately when shortstop Mariano Duncan went into the hole to turn Madlock’s ground ball into a double play, Steve Sax making a strong relay.

“One of the better double plays we’ve turned this season,” Hershiser said.

Hershiser retired the next 13 batters in a row--with Johnny Ray’s drive to right fielder Mike Marshall near the track in the sixth the only time the Pirates came close to a hit--until he walked pinch-hitter Lee Mazzilli on a full count with two out in the eighth.

After Steve Kemp popped to short starting the ninth, Hershiser issued his fifth and sixth walks of the night, to Ray and Thompson, prompting a visit from pitching coach Ron Perranoski and trainer Charlie Strasser, checking to make sure Hershiser’s back was OK.

“I may have kept them (the Pirates) off-balance with my wildness,” Hershiser said with a smile afterward. “I think they were surprised when I threw a strike.”

Hershiser’s modesty was as off-the-mark as his occasional wildness.

“I think that’s the best game we’ve had thrown against us all year,” said Chuck Tanner of the Pirates, who has the distinction of managing the only team in baseball that hasn’t won as many as three games in a row this season.

The Dodgers increasing their lead over second-place San Diego, which lost its third game in a row, made the night much more invigorating, Hershiser said.

“I’m just so excited to come out to the ballpark now,” he said. “I’ve never been in a pennant race. Ever since I was drafted by the Dodgers in 1979, all I’ve ever heard about is the Dodger tradition. This is fantastic.”

Reuschel, who a year ago this time was pitching Class-A ball in the Cubs’ organization after being released by the New York Yankees, has been perhaps the comeback story of the year in the National League this season after winning 8 of his first 10 decisions with the Pirates.

But the Dodgers became the first team to score more than four runs against Reuschel this season when Steve Sax hit a bad-hop, bases-loaded single with two out in the fourth, and Hershiser followed with an 0-and-2 single to right for another run.

“I’m a guess hitter,” Hershiser said after correctly anticipating a breaking ball. “A hitter of my stature has to guess.”

The Dodgers, who had a dozen hits on the night, took the guesswork out of this one in the fifth when the first of Pedro Guerrero’s two doubles drove home Ken Landreaux (three hits) and knocked out Reuschel. Greg Brock singled off Rod Scurry to score Guerrero with the fifth run.

In the seventh, Guerrero doubled and scored on Mike Scioscia’s double.

“Everybody in the world knows what Pete Guerrero’s been doing, but guys like Landreaux, Brock and Sax also have been hitting,” said Hershiser, who admitted to checking the scoreboard to see how the Padres were faring against the Cubs.

Hershiser said Thompson hit “a sinker away, a good pitch” for his base hit, which fell to the right of left fielder Guerrero, who was playing Thompson to pull.

Someone asked Hershiser when the no-hitter will come.

“I’ll answer that question,” he said. “I don’t know. But every time I go out there, I think of throwing a perfect game.”

Maybe that will earn him more than just a round of applause.

Dodger Notes

The Dodgers, who have held nights for the departed Steve Garvey, Ron Cey and Dusty Baker, will get around to another ex-Dodger on Thursday night: Davey Lopes, four seasons removed from Los Angeles and now with the Chicago Cubs, will be honored before the game. Lopes, who was traded to Oakland after the 1981 season for second baseman Lance Hudson, is bidding to become the oldest player to steal more than 50 bases in a season. Lopes, 39, has stolen 35 bases in 37 attempts this season after coming to the Cubs at the end of the ’84 season. And where, you ask, is Hudson? Playing center field and batting .273, at last report, for the Class-A Miami Marlins, haven for baseball’s reject. . . . Dave Anderson, who figured to return to the starting lineup Tuesday night, was treated for back spasms instead. “I was in reverse, and they put me back in neutral,” said Anderson, who hasn’t started since last Saturday, when he struck out three times, bunted into a double play and committed an error. “I’ll be all right tomorrow,” he said. “It’s been a very frustrating year so far, in a lot of ways.” . . . Similarly frustrated is reliever Bobby Castillo, whose earned-run average climbed to a team-high 6.19 after he gave up a three-run home run to Pirate rookie Sammy Khalifa Monday night. “My arm feels fine, but I feel badly that I’m not contributing the way I’d like to,” said Castillo, who has a history of rotator-cuff problems. “When they do call on me I’m letting the boys down, which is probably the worst part of it.” Part of the problem, Castillo said, is a lack of regular work--he was a starter in Minnesota. “But I’m not making any excuses,” Castillo said. Asked if he were concerned that the Dodgers might give up on him, he said: “That’s not my decision. They’re going to do what they’re going to do. I can’t worry about that. If it comes to that, I’ll take whatever comes, but it’s going to be tough. I like it here, but sometimes what you like is not the best for you.” . . . In case you hadn’t noticed: R.J. Reynolds, who is currently on the disabled list, is wearing No. 29. He gave up his former number, 23, to Enos Cabell, the number Cabell has worn throughout his career. . . . At least one player, Tom Niedenfuer, has made plane reservations back to Los Angeles on Aug. 6, the date the players’ union has set for a strike. “Just a precaution,” Niedenfuer said. “Nobody wants to get stuck in Atlanta that day.”