The Aftermath : Strawberry’s Nemesis Is No-Show, but Gets Support of Some Fans

Dodger outfielder Darryl Strawberry did not look toward the first row of seats in the right-field corner of Dodger Stadium when he took the field before the Dodgers’ game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night, so a fan gave him a seating update.

“Don’t worry Darryl,” a spectator in the fifth row said. “He’s not here tonight.”

With that information, Strawberry turned and faced the seating section and smiled when he saw two empty first-row seats.

Missing was Dr. Mark Perez, the season-ticket holder who took the spotlight Tuesday when he out-battled Strawberry for Gerald Perry’s game-winning home run in the Dodgers’ home-opener, a 9-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I don’t blame him,” said Ray Allende, a season-ticket holder who sat behind Perez last season. “He probably won’t show up until the heat drops down a little bit.”

From his Section B, front-row seat, Perez became the talk of the town as the Dodger fan in the peach-colored shirt who cost the team a victory.

On Wednesday, however, some of the same fans who booed, threw trash and forced Perez to move from his seat on Tuesday came to his defense.

“I just think that he got caught up in the moment,” said Allende. “Most Dodger fans if they were thinking, would have stayed back and waited for the ball to drop. I’m just kind of glad that it wasn’t me because they got on him real hard the last couple of innings.”

Perez didn’t attend Wednesday night’s game. But Andrew Levinson, who owns season tickets next to Perez, said that the blame should fall on Strawberry.

“It definitely was not fan interference,” Levinson said. “After watching replays, it clearly shows that Strawberry had a chance to for the ball but he missed it before it even got to (Perez).”

Mike Cohen, another season ticket-holder who was within arms-length of Perry’s home run ball, also backed Perez.

“He was within his right to take the ball, but once Strawberry made a big deal at out of it, the fans really got on him,” Cohen said. “He didn’t do anything wrong. Strawberry is just a crybaby.”