DODGERS : Hershiser’s Fate Is a Windy Pity

A routine exhibition turned into Stu Miller Day at Ft. Lauderdale Stadium on Saturday as hurricane-force winds nearly blew the socks off the Dodgers and New York Yankees.

Among the elements missing were electrical power to operate the scoreboard and someone to toss out the first hot dog wrapper.

The game, an 11-4 victory for the Yankees, only remotely resembled baseball as pitchers threw fastballs and caution to the wind.

Maybe it was boot-camp training for summer nights at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

Maybe it was crazy.

During the third inning, Dodger starter Orel Hershiser was almost blown off the mound, evoking memories of Stu Miller, who was blown off the pitching rubber and called for a balk during the 1961 All-Star game at Candlestick.

But Brett Butler, a former Giant and Candlestick survivor, said the wind never whipped “The Stick” as viciously as it tore through Ft. Lauderdale.

“We should have never played,” Butler said. “That was worse than Candlestick. The wind took the dirt off the infield. It was like playing in Bedrock. It was colder in Candlestick, but it was nothing like this.”

The storm from a night before knocked out power to the stadium.

There was no playing of the national anthem.

But the game blew on.

During the fourth inning, play was halted briefly after a sheet of a soft-drink advertisement tore away from the left-field fence.

The wind almost rendered irrelevant the pitching line on Hershiser, who gave up six earned runs in three innings.

Hershiser fared well until the barn door blew off. Of the six hits he gave up during a six-run third inning, only two were struck well.

The inning began with consecutive pop flies to left that were wind-slammed to the ground in front of outfielder Eric Davis.

Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Kevin Maas drove a ball into the jet stream and over the fence in right field for a grand slam.

Hershiser had not given up a run in nine previous innings this spring before the third, but no one was discouraged by his performance.

“Hershiser threw the ball very well,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said.

In fact, he had only pitched boldly, not badly.

Former Angel pitcher Jim Abbott started for the Yankees and was effective, giving up two unearned runs in four innings. Abbott struck out five and walked one and has not yielded an earned run in seven innings this spring.

Abbott said he has no regrets about turning down a four-year, $16-million deal from the Angels, which prompted his trade to the Yankees on Dec. 9.

“At times I said, ‘That is a lot of money, maybe we should sign,’ ” Abbott said. “But every time we said that, we took a look at what was going on the team. One day I was close to signing, and the next day they lost Bryan Harvey to expansion. It was like, next year if I get hurt, would I get dumped, too?

“But I’m really not dwelling on that. I’m happy here.”

The Dodgers return to Vero Beach today for a 10:05 a.m. (PST) game against the New York Mets at Holman Stadium. Tom Candiotti is scheduled to start for the Dodgers. The game will be televised by Channel 5.