Martinez Strikes Out 18, Ties Koufax : Baseball: Youngest Dodger gives up only three hits in 6-0 victory over Atlanta. He leads major leagues with 87 strikeouts.

Like punch-drunk boxers, the Atlanta Brave hitters swung. And missed. And swung. And missed.

They could barely lay a bat on Ramon Martinez, who struck out a Dodger record-tying 18 Monday in a 6-0 victory that even had the sound of greatness.

“There were a couple of pitches where he let it go and boof! the ball was in the catcher’s glove,” third baseman Mike Sharperson said. “I never saw it.”

Throwing as fast as 96 m.p.h., Martinez, the youngest Dodger at 22, tied a club record set twice by Sandy Koufax, most recently on April 24, 1962. Martinez fell one short of the National League record of 19, shared by Steve Carlton for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969 and Tom Seaver for the New York Mets in 1970.

The Boston Red Sox’ Roger Clemens holds the major league record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game with 20 against the Seattle Mariners in 1986. But at least one expert thought this was more impressive.

“I think he threw harder than Clemens,” said Atlanta third baseman Jim Presley, who played for the Seattle team that Clemens embarrassed. “This guy was on all night. The only pitch he missed with was a slider, and we still swung and missed at those.”

Martinez reached 18 strikeouts in front of 22,098 at Dodger Stadium with two outs in the eighth. Then Greg Olson ended the eighth and what would be Martinez’s best chance to reach 19 by bouncing a two-strike pitch to first base.

“I looked at the scoreboard, I saw where he tied Koufax, and all I could tell myself was, great, here we go, I’m going to become the answer to a trivia question,” Olson said afterward.

In the ninth, with Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda leading the team in dugout cheers, Martinez could not find one more strikeout pitch. It was the only inning in which he had no strikeouts.

Pinch-hitter Tommy Gregg popped to second baseman Juan Samuel with one strike. Oddibe McDowell grounded to diving first baseman Mickey Hatcher on the first pitch. And two baserunners later, Presley ended the game with a one-strike grounder to shortstop.

One of those baserunners, Ron Gant, was Martinez’s final chance to break the record, as he fell behind 1-and-2. But Gant survived to a full count and then singled up the middle.

“I was throwing as hard as I was in the beginning, I was doing everything I could do . . . he just hit it,” Martinez said of Gant. “I still got the complete game and the shutout and we won. And I am with a superstar like Sandy Koufax. I feel honored.”

Said catcher Mike Scioscia: “I was trying to get him one more. We just couldn’t do it.”

Scioscia downplayed his role in the record, saying, “Ramon could have thrown against a brick wall tonight.”

After the game, going against his tradition of throwing the baseball in the stands after complete games, Martinez tucked the ball in his glove.

“I save this ball,” Martinez said, describing his 123-pitch, 83-strike effort. “Tonight in the bullpen before the game, I feel it. I have everything. Fastball, changeup, everything. I feel relaxed and I just go throw. That’s all I do is throw.”

Of Martinez’s 18 strikeouts, 12 were swinging and six were called by home plate umpire Dutch Rennert. Only one of those called victims, Presley in the fourth inning, dared complain. Martinez walked only one, Jeff Treadway in the ninth.

Martinez struck out the side twice. He had five consecutive strikeouts twice. His first six outs were strikeouts. He struck out McDowell, Presley, Dave Justice and Jeff Blauser three times each.

“Everybody that went up (to the plate) took a right turn,” said Russ Nixon, the Braves’ manager. “He made us look absolutely awful.”

And made his Dodger teammates look twice.

“The thing that impressed me was his location,” said Samuel, who hit a two-run homer and a single. “Mike Scioscia would put the glove outside, and that is where he would put the ball. He was painting it. He was not missing.”

Martinez’s previous career high was 12 strikeouts, against Atlanta Sept. 15. On Monday he had 12 strikeouts by 9 p.m., departing the field with that total after the fifth inning, accompanied by the first of many standing ovations.

He now leads the major leagues with 87 strikeouts in 69 innings. He is 6-3 with a 3.17 ERA.

“Early in the game, the Braves’ third base coach, Roy Majtyka, told the umpire (Jim Quick), ‘Well, I guess there won’t be much action over here tonight,” Sharperson said. “Martinez was that impressive.”

The Dodgers scored three runs each in the fourth and sixth innings. Their runs in the fourth were their first off Tom Glavine since Sept. 12, 1988.

Hubie Brooks started the inning with a single over second base, then Mickey Hatcher fought off a 1-and-2 pitch for a double to right field. Scioscia hit a grounder to score one run, and then Samuel hit an 0-and-2 pitch over the right field wall for his fourth homer.

Martinez had an RBI ground single and Jose Gonzalez added a two-run single in the sixth.

The setting was right for strikeouts. In four previous career appearances against the Braves, Martinez had thrown two shutouts and combined for another shutout, giving up only one run in 28 innings with 31 strikeouts.

Add the fact that three members of the Braves’ starting lineup--Olson, Presley and Justice--had never faced him. The Braves’ offense also ranked 10th in the National League in hitting, and fifth in strikeouts with 295.

Dodger Notes

Fay Vincent, baseball commissioner, visited Dodger Stadium Monday during a West Coast tour. Vincent said one of baseball’s problems is the lack of black fans. “The black community is not involved like it was some time ago, we have to do a better job at that,” Vincent said. “Baseball was the first institution to desegregate without the force of law when Jackie Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947, but that was a long time ago. We are going to do work in the inner cities to get more fields, more coaching, that sort of thing.”

Kirk Gibson took 10 minutes of batting practice Monday before deciding his left knee needed a rest after consecutive weekend starts, his first games in nearly a year. . . . Eddie Murray missed his fifth consecutive start Monday because of a strained left hamstring, but he said he is feeling better. . . . Mickey Hatcher was feeling better after suffering a twisted knee in an accident at his home. Hatcher said that he had made both of his weekend starts despite the sore knee. He had one hit in eight at-bats during that time. “It’s feeling fine now, but I was worried for a while,” said Hatcher, who suffered a torn hamstring last season while chasing vandals outside his house. “I thought, ‘Oh, no, another weird injury.’ ”

Baseball’s free agent draft, which began Monday, brought back memories for Chris Gwynn, who was the Dodgers’ top pick in the 1985 draft. Gwynn was the 10th player chosen overall, but was not informed of his selection until 2 1/2 hours after the start of the draft. “The Dodgers either didn’t have my phone number, or had the wrong phone number,” said Gwynn, a student at San Diego State at the time. “My college coach finally called me and told me.” Gwynn said that because he was being bothered by so many scouts, he gave the Major League Scouting Bureau a wrong number. . . . Dodger batboy Thomas Lee, who has benefited from Tom Lasorda’s pitching instructions, said he was drafted in the 13th round by Kansas City. . . . The Dodgers’ top picks the past two seasons, pitchers Bill Bene and Kiki Jones, are sidelined because of shoulder pain.

Jeff Hamilton, who was supposed to sidelined as long as six weeks after shoulder surgery May 4, said that his shoulder has not regained strength as quickly as he had hoped. It could be another week before he starts throwing, and another two weeks after that before he is ready to play.

STRIKEOUT VICTIMS

Players that Dodgers’ pitcher Ramon Martinez struck out in game against Atlanta: Dave Justice: 3 Jim Presley: 3 Oddibe McDowell: 3 Jeff Blauser: 3 Dale Murphy: 2 Ron Grant: 2 Tom Glavine: 1 Jeff Treadway: 1

TOP DODGER PERFORMANCES

No Pitcher Date Team 18 Sandy Koufax Aug.31, 1959 Giants xx Sandy Koufax Apr.24, 1962 Cubs xx R. Martinez June 4, 1990 Braves 16 Sandy Koufax June 22, 1959 Phillies xx Sandy Koufax May 26, 1962 Phillies xx Nap Rucker July 24, 1909 Pirates