It Was Feet First, Feat Second for These Fans

I left the game early Friday night.

But it was only to fetch the word processor from my car in the top of the ninth inning so I could write something about the no-hitter that Montreal’s Mark Gardner was attempting to pitch.

This being Dodger Stadium, though, hundreds of fans were leaving the ballpark.

“It’s too late for him,” explained a father, carrying his young son on his shoulders in the parking lot. “Besides, it will fun listening to Vin Scully on my car radio if there is a no-hitter.”

Gardner and the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser and Kevin Gross combined to retire 25 consecutive batters during one stretch. Thirteen Expos and 12 Dodgers went down after Ivan Calderon walked with two out in the top of the fourth and before Kal Daniels walked to lead off the bottom of the eighth.

Pregame note from the Montreal statistics sheet: “Both teams’ starting pitchers tonight and one of the two teams’ radar gun operators have been surgically repaired by Dr. Frank Jobe . . . Gardner 11/16/90; Hershiser 4/27/90; Moises Alou (radar) 4/10/91; Mike Brito (radar) no.”

Pitcher’s dilemma: How do you react after you have pitched nine innings of no-hit ball and the score is 0-0?

Gardner played it straight. He walked into the dugout after retiring Brett Butler and showed no emotion. However, when he was lifted in the 10th inning after giving up singles by Lenny Harris and Eddie Murray, Gardner tipped his hat to the crowd.

Several Expos patted their hard-luck teammate on the shoulder in the dugout and he exchanged a high-five or two.

Final words from Dodger publicist Jay Lucas on the press box microphone: “Darryl Strawberry has just extended his hitting streak to 12 games.”