Marshall’s ‘Take-That’ Homer Defeats the Giants in 10th, 11-8

A wild, crazy and ultra controversial Dodger-Giant game did not go quietly Tuesday night after Mike Marshall hit a three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to ultimately give the Dodgers an 11-8 win.

No, what has to rank as one of the wackiest--and, potentially, one of the ugliest--games of this storied rivalry just continued on.

Marshall, who ended a frustrating offensive night by hitting a Scott Garrelts pitch over the left-field fence to break an 8-8 deadlock, fueled an already heated rivalry by pointing at Garrelts and the Giant bench as he was rounding the bases. Then, just after crossing home plate, Marshall pointed to the San Francisco dugout and waved his arms.

Giant Manager Roger Craig naturally took exception to the gestures and protested.

Alex Trevino, the next Dodger batter, was then the recipient of a brush-back pitch. That erupted into a bench-clearing shoving match that eventually involved some of the crowd near the Dodger dugout.

As the Dodgers went back to the dugout, some Candlestick Park fans doused Dodger players with beer. Several Dodgers, including rookie Tracy Woodson and assistant trainer Charlie Strasser, tried to go into the stands to fight the fans. At least one fan was arrested.

Marshall had been 0 for 5 before hitting the home run. The Giants decided to walk Pedro Guerrero with a runner on second to pitch to Marshall. The move backfired and Marshall made every effort to remind the Giants of that on his trip around the bases.

Marshall said after the game: “I regret my actions. A lot of it was just the circumstances. I had balls thrown at me (Monday night) and they were walking guys to pitch to me. That was the way I let it out and I apologized to (Giant Manager) Roger Craig for it. It was directed at only guy and that was Craig.

“I didn’t mean to cause a riot and get Alex thrown at. Looking back at it, I wish I hadn’t done it.”

Said Craig: “That was very uncalled for, what he did. That was a bush league thing to do. This is the big leagues. I don’t know where he’s been.”

Talking about the fans, Craig said, “The fans never would have done it (become unruly) if Marshall hadn’t have done what he did.”

Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda called Craig from his stadium office a half hour after the game ended to apologize for the incident.

Here at Candlestick Park, where the bizarre often is routine, you can see some unusual things, courtesy of the elements and the men playing among them.

But the manner in which the Dodgers turned a 5-2 lead into a 7-5 eighth-inning deficit, then first a 8-7 lead and then an 8-8 tie with the Giants in the ninth had nothing to do with the park or the weather, which once again was unusually mild.

No, the strange mingled with the familiar for both the Dodgers and Giants, who have played many testy games over the years.

Just when it looked that the Dodgers were going to leave behind several costly faux pas and pull out a stirring 8-7 win on Franklin Stubbs’ two-run home run in the ninth, the Giants struck back in the bottom of the ninth against reliever Ken Howell.

Pinch-hitter Harry Spilman singled home Randy Kutcher with two out in the ninth to tie it, 8-8, and send it to extra innings.

Stubbs, Mike Scioscia and Pedro Guerrero would have been the offensive heroes for the Dodgers had they been able to hold the tenuous one-run ninth-inning lead. It began when Pedro Guerrero opened the ninth with a double to left. Then, one out later, Mike Scioscia singled home Guerrero for his fourth hit of the night, slashing San Francisco’s lead to one run.

Out went Robinson and on came Garrelts. Stubbs almost homered on the first pitch, but the ball tailed just outside the right-field foul pole. Then, one strike later, Stubbs lined a shot to the right-center bleachers to give the Dodgers an 8-7 lead and stun the 31,512 at Candlestick.

There were so many lead changes and turning points that many of the Dodgers’ earlier indiscretions were forgotten. Such as their ineffective pitching, both starting and reliefing on this night.

But the surprising slugger for the second straight night for the Giants was veteran shortstop Chris Speier, that powerful offensive machine.

Speier, who shocked many with a home run Monday night, did it again in the sixth inning Tuesday night against reliever Brian Holton to tie the score, 5-5.

An inning later, Speier singled in another run off Matt Young, who earlier in the inning had given up a run after an infield single, a stolen base and then a throwing error by Scioscia followed by a passed ball by Scioscia.

Those runs in the bottom of the seventh gave the Giants a 7-5 lead for Robinson, the leader of a Giant relief corps that had an 0.87 earned-run average entering Tuesday’s game.

Four of the Giants’ first five runs came via the home run. Jeff Leonard nailed Dodger starter Tim Leary for two before Speier shocked Holton.

Giving up two home runs to Jeff Leonard, if not tolerable, is at least not highly unusual. But another Speier home run had to be tough for Lasorda to swallow.

It was anticipated that the Dodgers would have a much tougher time hitting Kelly Downs Tuesday night than the Giants would Leary.

Scratch that presumption.

Both teams were equally productive through five innings.

The Giants got to Leary as early as they could, Leonard hitting his first home run of the night with two-out in the first inning. It was about as well hit a ball as possible. With the wind blowing toward left field, Leonard lined a shot to right-center that easily cleared the fence.

After that slip, however, the Giants did not score again off Leary until the fifth, although they did advance a runner to second base twice.

But Leary, who previously had not had a relief outing lasting longer than three innings, was spent by the fifth. San Francisco nailed him for three runs on three very hard hits, the hardest being Leonard’s two-run home run to left field.

By the time Lasorda brought in Holton, the Dodgers’ three-run lead had been shrunk to 5-4.

There were indications that another Leonard home run might be coming in the fifth. Leary had given a leadoff double to Robbie Thompson that bounced off the left-field wall. One out later, Will Clark knocked in Thompson with a triple off the left-center fence that the speedy Ramsey could not reach.

As soon as Leonard made contact, there was no doubt that his shot was going to clear the fence.

So Leary, making his first start after loitering in the bullpen the first two weeks of the season, gave up four runs and six hits in 4 innings. As mediocre as that outing was, it surprisingly was better than what Downs showed.

Downs, a highly touted second-year pitcher who is Roger Craig’s star split-fingered pupil, had his first rough outing of the young season. In fact, Downs didn’t even make it out of the fifth before Craig gave him the hook.

He gave up nine hits and was fortunate the Dodgers did not score more than five runs off him.

Dodger Notes

Steve Sax, battling an 0-for-11 slump was given the night off by Manager Tom Lasorda. Lasorda believes that Sax, hitting .188 after 15 games, has been overanxious and trying too hard at the plate. So, Lasorda ordered Sax to stay out of the lineup Tuesday and also away from the batting cage before the game. Sax and hitting coach Manny Mota did workout at an underground batting cage at Candlestick. “Anxiety is the anathema of youth,” Lasorda said. “He needs the day off. Whether he likes it or not, I don’t know. You want him to sit there and not think about it. We haven’t had a day off since before the season, so he needs one. He tries so hard.” Lasorda said he is considering giving Sax tonight off as well. “We have an off day Thursday, so that would be three in a row,” Lasorda said. “That might be the best thing for him.” . . . Pitching coach Ron Perranoski jokingly says that, because of Rick Honeycutt’s pulled muscle in his rib cage and Alejandro Pena’s bout with the chicken pox, there are 9,000 pitching combinations for the next few games. Tonight is set, as Fernando Valenzuela opposes the Giants’ Mike Krukow.