4 Dodgers Named to All-Star Team

It will be announced today that four Dodgers have been named to the National League team for Tuesday night’s 60th All-Star game at Anaheim Stadium. According to team sources, they are pitchers Orel Hershiser and Jay Howell, second baseman Willie Randolph and catcher Mike Scioscia.

With Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda managing the National League team because the Dodgers won the pennant in 1988, this year’s game will have the most Dodger representatives--five--since 1982. Just to keep things blue, Dodger coaches Joe Amalfitano, Mark Cresse and Bill Russell will serve as batting practice pitchers for the National League.

“(National League President) Bill White has a lot to do with the selections, but I make sure and let him know my picks, too,” said Lasorda, who would not confirm the individual Dodger selections because they weren’t due to be announced until today.

Said Randolph: “This is a credit to some of the great individual performances we are getting this year. No matter what else, we still have some of the best players in the game.”

For Randolph, the selection was special, this being his first year in the National League after he made the American League team for five seasons as a member of the New York Yankees. Before this season, 40 players had the made the team in both leagues.

It is also special for Scioscia, who is on the team for the first time in his 10-year career.

This will be the third appearance for both Hershiser and Howell.

“The team is always first, but everybody also has little personal goals, and this was one of mine at the beginning of the year,” said Randolph, batting .289 after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss here. With just three errors in 80 games, his fine fielding has also helped the Dodgers lead the National League with 86 double plays.

“I know that there are a lot of good second baseman in the league, a lot of established players, and I came in new,” Randolph said. “That’s what makes this so nice. I’m glad to be recognized.”

Although Scioscia would not comment on his selection before today’s announcement, earlier this week he said he doubted if he would be recognized.

“I don’t feel I’m having a good offensive year, and historically, defense and other things have not been a factor in the selections, so I’m not expecting to get picked,” said Scioscia, who is hitting .246 in 70 games with 20 runs batted in.

Defense and intangibles must have been a factor this year, as Scioscia has thrown out 37% of would-be base-stealers (19 of 52)--not to mention his handling of the league’s best pitching staff.

“I thought I was going good last year at the halfway point, but I wasn’t picked, so I just don’t want to think about it,” Sciosciaa said earlier. “If what I do gets overlooked, it gets overlooked. The All-Star game would be an honor, but I’ve got two World Series rings and they mean more to me than anything.”

Howell, with a 0.78 earned-run average and 15 saves, has bad memories from his last All-Star appearance, in Oakland in 1987, when he was a member of the host A’s.

During the pregame introductions he became one of the few home team players in All-Star history to be booed by his own crowd.

“Yeah, that was me, I was the one,” Howell said a couple of weeks ago. “I don’t think many people have forgotten that. It wasn’t as bad as it seemed, because there were a lot of Giant fans there, and they always hate us. And I was just coming off a tough game on Sunday.

“But it was still weird.”

Howell wound up giving up two runs in the game’s final two innings and was the losing pitcher, the start of problems caused by bone chips in his elbow. A month after the game, he underwent elbow surgery and was done for the season.

“But heck, if they want to pick me again, I’ll show up,” Howell had said with a smile.

Hershiser, meanwhile, is going into the game well rested, as he made his final start before the All-Star break in Wednesday night’s no-decision game against St. Louis. He is 9-7 with a 2.42 ERA and leads the league with four shutouts. However, he hasn’t won in his last two starts, lasting six innings in each, giving up a total of six runs and 14 hits.

“I would be starting for us on Thursday after the break . . . so I don’t know if I could pitch more than an inning in the All-Star game, if at all,” Hershiser said.