Johnson Says He Won’t Treat Gooden the Way That Lasorda Does Valenzuela

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda apparently had a strong influence on the New York Mets’ critical 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday night.

Met Manager Davey Johnson implied that his controversial decision to remove Dwight Gooden after the ninth inning of a game that the Mets lost in the 10th stemmed from a reluctance to risk injury to a valuable young arm, as he apparently thinks Lasorda has done with Fernando Valenzuela.

Gooden allowed only two hits from the fourth through the ninth innings of the 3-3 tie. He struck out 10, including 5 of the last 6 batters he faced. He told reporters later that he could have pitched another inning, then stalked off to the showers. Johnson used a pinch-hitter for him with two out and no one on in the 10th. Jesse Orosco yielded a game-winning homer to Luis Aguayo in the bottom of the 10th.

Johnson said he had to keep in mind that Gooden was working on three days’ rest and might be need in Sunday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I didn’t want to Tommy Lasorda him,” Johnson told Newsday. “I wasn’t going to leave him out there until he won or lost. He has to come back on three days’ (rest). I don’t think it has really helped Valenzuela for him to continue pitching in the 9th and 10th innings. I don’t want to do that to a young arm. I know Billy Martin did it (with the Oakland A’s). Lasorda does it. I feel uncomfortable with it. I think Dwight understood.”

Said Lasorda Thursday: “That’s his decision. . . . I can say something about him, but I’m not going to. I don’t do those kinds of things.”