Dodgers’ Longest Day Ends in Defeat as Mets Win It in the 14th, 4-3

The Dodgers played their longest game of the season Sunday afternoon.

How long was it? Well, before finally falling to the New York Mets, 4-3, on Mookie Wilson’s home run off Carlos Diaz in the 14th inning, Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda had reached back to the future, sending up the Dodgers of 1986 and beyond in an unsuccessful effort to salvage the rubber game of a possible National League playoff preview.

Lasorda, who used 24 players in all, auditioned nine pinch-hitters and one pinch-runner in the 4 hours 58 minutes it took to play this one. The last two pinch-hitters, Stu Pederson and Ralph Bryant, were making their major league debuts at the plate, and received standing ovations from what remained of a crowd of 43,838, even though they both bounced out in a 1-2-3 14th against the fifth Met pitcher and winner, Doug Sisk.

“We tried to use everybody we could,” said Lasorda, given the chance to play roster roulette by Mike Marshall’s 440-foot, two-run home run off Met ace reliever Jesse Orosco that tied the score in the eighth.

Pedro Guerrero was not among the available bodies. The official reason for his absence is that he suffered a bruise on his left hand when he banged it against the box-seat railing down the left-field line on Saturday.

Guerrero says he doesn’t know what’s wrong with his hand. All he knows is that it’s getting worse.

“They haven’t said anything to me,” said Guerrero, adding that there was “no way” he could have swung a bat Sunday. “But the swelling is getting worse and worse.

“This morning, it wasn’t this big, and now I can barely move it.”

Nobody on either side was moving too fast by the time second baseman Wally Backman fielded Greg Brock’s grounder and threw to first baseman Keith Hernandez for the game’s final out.

“Exhausted,” said Hernandez, even though by now the Mets should be accustomed to marathons. They played 13 innings against the Dodgers on Friday, and went 6:10--with two rain delays--in an 18-inning game with Atlanta earlier this season that ended at 3:55 a.m.

“We needed this game more than L.A. did,” Hernandez said. “I don’t think anybody can catch L.A., but we needed this game.

“This was a hard-fought series. Hopefully, it’s a prelude of Oct. 9.”

But before getting to the playoffs, the Mets must first make up a half-game on the Eastern Division-leading Cardinals, who go to New York for a three-game showdown that starts Tuesday.

“This was an intense series and it’s just the regular season,” said Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser, who came away with a no-decision despite giving up just one earned run, a second-inning home run by Gary Carter that bounced off the top of left-fielder Bill Russell’s glove and into the Dodger bullpen.

“Think what it will be like if we meet in the playoffs,” Hershiser said.

The Mets’ other two runs off Hershiser were scored in the eighth on his wild pitch and errors by shortstop Mariano Duncan and Dave Anderson. Anderson was playing third in place of Bill Madlock, who came out of the game with a strained quadriceps muscle in his left leg suffered when he stole second base in the second inning.

But the Dodgers, held to just three hits and an unearned run by former teammate Sid Fernandez through the first seven innings, struck back in the eighth, Orosco facilitating matters by walking leadoff man Duncan despite his 2 for 40 slump.

One out later, Marshall hit a 1-1 fastball halfway up the center-field pavilion just to the right of the flagpole for his 19th home run of the season.

From the ninth on, the Mets had runners in scoring position but couldn’t break through against Hershiser or relievers Ken Howell--who worked the 10th and 11th--and Diaz, who struck out Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry in the 12th and Howard Johnson and Rafael Santana in the 13th to escape trouble.

But in the 14th, Wilson--who had shoulder surgery and was making his first start since June 28--hit Diaz’s first pitch over the fence in left.

“A hanging changeup,” said Diaz, adding that he threw only three changeups in all in three innings of work.

“Next time,” he said, “I’ll only throw two, or hang it higher.”

Diaz, a former Met, came to the Dodgers with Bob Bailor in the Fernandez trade. He and Wilson are still close friends.

“If you’re going to give it up you might as well give it up to your friends,” Diaz said with a resigned smile.

Relations between the teams had been anything but friendly the day before, when Duncan touched off a sixth-inning brawl. Home-plate umpire John Kibler issued a warning to both sides before Sunday’s game, which was played without incident.

The three-game series, which took 36 innings and 11 hours 56 minutes to complete, ended with professions of mutual respect.

“We’re in first place, and although a lot of people are surprised and don’t think we belong there, we earned it,” Marshall said. “The Mets, the Cardinals and us are the standout teams in the National League.

“It should be a close battle and I’m glad it’s like that. The Mets know we can play with them and we know they can play with us. We’re a lot alike. They have a lot of different ways they can beat you--pitching, power, their bullpen.”

Hernandez concurred to a point. “We both live on our pitching,” he said. “We have striking similarities and striking differences.”

Asked to enumerate the differences, Hernandez said: “I’m too tired to think. But it’s not like we’re clone teams.”

For New York and L.A., it’s never been any other way.

Dodger notes

Despite a strained quadriceps muscle in his left leg, Bill Madlock said he expects to play tonight in Atlanta. The team flew out after the game and wasn’t expected to arrive at their Atlanta hotel until nearly 3 a.m. . . . After his 16th no-decision of the season, Orel Hershiser remains 9-0 at Dodger Stadium. Sandy Koufax, who went 14-3 in 1965, holds the one-season record for most wins at Dodger Stadium. He also holds the record for best winning percentage, when he went 11-1 in 1963 for a .917 percentage. . . . Stu Pederson grounded out to first in his first big-league at-bat, then tripped over the bag. Ralph Bryant fouled off eight pitches before grounding to second on a full count in his first at-bat. . . . None of the Dodgers’ nine pinch-hitters got a hit Sunday. . . . The Mets used 18 players and outhit the Dodgers, 12 to 6. . . . In 21 starts this season, ex-Dodger Sid Fernandez has given up more than three runs just twice. . . . Half of the Dodgers’ 18 extra-inning games have occurred in games in which Hershiser has pitched. . . . The Mets’ five stolen bases Sunday were the most stolen by any team against the Dodgers this season. . . . Postfight report: According to one Met player, Ed Lynch’s words to Mariano Duncan after the Dodger rookie had struck out were: “Sit down, Ty Cobb.” . . . Dwight Gooden, who drew Fernando Valenzuela in his last start, hardly gets a breather in his next start. He’ll face the Cardinals’ John Tudor, who leads the majors in shutouts with eight, on Wednesday night in New York. . . . Darryl Strawberry’s home run Saturday was his first ever at Dodger Stadium, the only National League park Strawberry had not homered in.