Now, the Dodgers Have Their Own Tough Dominican

Found: One more tough Dominican.

He’s Mariano Duncan. He arrived at his shortstop position Thursday, hardly had any time to get settled and then this blur--everyone thinks it was Vince Coleman--came running toward him, trying to steal second base. Since it’s his job to take the catcher’s throw, he did so. Coleman, sliding in, gave him a high five with his cleats, cutting Duncan just below the left knee.

First blood.

He played on, however. In his first at-bat, the original tough Dominican, Joaquin Andujar, knocked him down with an inside pitch. Duncan rolled around in the dirt a while, but again, made it to his feet.

“I see a ball like that, and I say ‘Oh my gosh,’ ” Duncan said.

And, oh my gosh, he was batting again in the third inning, and fouled a ball off his right foot. He hopped around on his left foot, but that was hard to do because his left knee was hurting him. Tommy Lasorda, his manager, came out to see how he was.

Duncan said Lasorda told him he should probably come out of the game.

“I say, ‘No Tommy, I’m all right. I want to play two, three more innings.’ ”

Two innings later, he was batting again. He swung and hit a ball down the right-field line, and it twisted away from the outfielder.

“In my mind, I say triple,” Duncan said.

His body said double.

As he pulled up at second, his hands met his hips. Out came Lasorda, and oh my gosh, out came Duncan.

Tough, but not stupid.

“I go out because the score is 6-1, and I don’t want to look like (Pedro) Guerrero (another tough Dominican). . . . I remember when Guerrero had problem with his wrist, but he kept playing and have problem, problem, problem. And, now, he don’t feel good.

“I don’t feel too good, but I tell you something. I’m all right. I don’t know how I’ll feel tomorrow, but I’m thinking of Saturday and Sunday. I will play.”