BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJOR LEAGUES : Gooden Looks Good in Final Tuneup

Dwight Gooden pitched six scoreless innings for the Tidewater Tides against the Durham Bulls at Port St. Lucie, Fla., in his final tuneup before starting the New York Mets’ home opener April 10.

Gooden, who has made a rapid recovery from rotator-cuff surgery last September, gave up four hits, struck out five and walked none.

“I had the best curveball I’ve had so far,” Gooden said. “I think I’m ready.”

The Mets plan to start Gooden on Friday against Montreal if the weather in New York is not too cold or damp.

Against Durham, Gooden made 72 pitches, 45 strikes and 27 balls.

Baseball was back in New York on Saturday, and the Mets were even talking about it.

Pat Kelly and Bernie Williams had run-scoring singles in a two-run fifth inning to help the Yankees beat the Mets, 6-4, at Yankee Stadium.

The Mets had stopped speaking with reporters in Florida because of what they viewed was unfair treatment.

“We thought it was effective,” Bobby Bonilla said. “It accomplished a lot. It gave us a chance to get our privacy back.”

The Atlanta Braves’ Nick Esasky hasn’t played in the major leagues in nearly two years since suffering from vertigo. He might never play at that level again.

Esasky, who has has been working out every day with the Braves and playing in minor league games, wants to play somewhere in the organization. He hopes he can make it all the way back.

Esasky, 32, was stricken with spells of dizziness and lightheadedness during the spring of 1990, only months after signing a three-year, $5.6-million contract with the Braves. The first baseman played in only nine games, batting .171.

“Everything was perfect until then, and it all was taken away from me,” said Esasky, who had hit 30 home runs and driven in 108 runs for the Boston Red Sox the year before.

After tests and more than a year of treatment and exercises to improve hand-eye coordination, he has gone as far as he can.

“I’m looking halfway decent,” Esasky said. “Things don’t look foreign and I’ve hit the ball hard a couple of times and I’ve gotten a few hits. I don’t know what the Braves’ plans are for me, but I want to start somewhere. I’d like to break spring camp here, start on a rehabilitation schedule and get ready to go back up.”

Relief pitcher Shawn Hillegas rejected a waiver claim by the Toronto Blue Jays, making him a free agent but costing him a guaranteed $295,000 contract. Hillegas was put on waivers by the Cleveland Indians this week.

The Blue Jays were interested in Hillegas as an interim replacement for reliever Ken Dayley, who is expected to come off the disabled list this month.

If Hillegas had accepted a job with the Blue Jays, he would have been guaranteed the $295,000 contract he had with the Indians. Had Hillegas gone unclaimed, he would have received $72,940 from the Indians in termination pay.

Hillegas is free to make a deal with any team in the majors, and several clubs have said they were looking for pitchers. Hillegas pitched in 51 games last season for Cleveland and had seven saves.

Relief pitcher Curt Young, who had an earned-run average of 0.56 in 16 innings this spring, has accepted assignment to the Kansas City Royals’ triple-A Omaha team.

Another left-hander, Jerry Don Gleaton, was offered an Omaha assignment, but has not decided whether to accept it. Gleaton hopes to find a job with another major league team.

The two left-handed spots in the bullpen will be taken by Mike Magnante and Neal Heaton, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Kirk Gibson.