Dodger Notebook : A Texas-Sized Rally in Ninth Gives Lasorda the Last Laugh

This was no routine spring game in Pompano Beach on Friday. This was the rubber match between Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda and his protege, Texas Manager Bobby Valentine.

With the TV cameras rolling, naturally both men played it for all it was worth.

“I take particular pleasure in beating Dodger blue,” said former Dodger Valentine. “I want to watch (Lasorda) crying in his beer--or his linguine, one of the two.”

Lasorda: “I want to see tears rolling down his face.”

Early on, it appeared that the pleasure would be Valentine’s, as a series of soft hits and Pete O’Brien’s home run gave Texas a 5-0 lead off Orel Hershiser, while Mike Mason of the Rangers pitched five no-hit innings against the Dodgers.

But down, 6-3, in the ninth, the Dodgers scored six runs off Ranger reliever Mickey Mahler for a 9-6 victory, with Mariano Duncan breaking a 6-6 tie with a two-run triple, his ninth three-bagger of the spring.

The final indignity was Mahler balking Duncan home for the final run, bringing out Valentine for a futile dispute with plate umpire Ken Kaiser.

Kaiser listened longer to Valentine than he had to Dodger second baseman Steve Sax, who was ejected in the eighth inning after being called out on a third strike while he was out of the batter’s box.

Sax, who had objected to the previous pitch, was ordered into the box by Kaiser, who then instructed Mahler to pitch. But Sax stepped out again when third-base coach Joe Amalfitano called to him, and wasn’t in the box when Mahler struck him out.

Dodger Notes Ed Vande Berg pitched two strong innings for the Dodgers, allowing one hit and striking out three. . . . Mike Scioscia had two doubles for the Dodgers. . . . Pedro Guerrero, who originally had been on the list to make the trip to Pompano Beach, was the only regular who did not go. . . . Dodger trainer Bill Buhler underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.