Dodgers Out-Muscle Pirates : Baseball: Gross, Pittsburgh’s Leyland are focus of brawl as L.A. rolls to 13-4 victory.

If there is one Dodger player you wouldn’t want to offend in a dark alley, it would be Kevin Gross. As strong as a bull, this is a guy who once tackled Kirk Gibson and single-handedly restrained him while he was charging pitcher Pasqual Perez.

Gibson couldn’t believe it.

So surely, Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Jim Leyland couldn’t have known Gross’ strength when Leyland came swinging at him Tuesday night, setting off a bench-clearing brawl. Neither could Leyland have known how well the Dodgers swing their bats after a brawl. But he and a crowd 36,133 at Dodger Stadium sure found out.

The Dodgers turned a scoreless game into a 13-4 victory over the Pirates to win their sixth consecutive game. Along the way, Mike Piazza went four for five, including his 25th home run of the season, setting an L.A. Dodger record for home runs by a rookie. Eric Karros hit two home runs--giving him 17--and drove in six runs.

It was Piazza’s third four-hit game of the season, his last coming June 15 in Colorado, the last time the Dodgers were involved in a brawl. The Dodgers’ record is now 2-1 in games in which they brawl.

Tuesday’s incident between the Pirates and Dodgers also continued the bad blood that has existed between these two teams since the 1991 season, when the late Tim Crews hit Gary Redus in the eye with a pitch.

But when Gross hit Kevin Young in the in the back to lead off the third inning, it seemed innocent enough. It was Young’s first trip to the plate.

Apparently home plate umpire Mike Winters didn’t think much of it either, because he didn’t issue a warning to the pitchers that the next time they threw at a a batter they would be ejected.

But in the bottom of the third inning, Pirate starter Bob Walk’s first pitch to Gross hit him on the knee. Winters didn’t hesitate to throw Walk out for retaliating. Leyland ran out to argue and, as he heated up, so did Winters, who ejected Leyland, too.

But Leyland didn’t return to the dugout. As he stood close to the pitcher’s mound, Gross, who had been standing on first base, decided to walk back to the dugout to get his jacket. He was in front of home plate when Leyland yelled to him, “Why don’t you throw the . . . ball over the . . . plate.” Gross looked over his shoulder and yelled a response; Leyland charged Gross and threw a punch.

Both benches emptied and the game was delayed for about 12 minutes before Gross took his place back at first base and reliever Mark Petrovsek faced Brett Butler. Butler’s single to center started a five-run rally, including Karros’ three-run homer into the left field pavilion.

Leyland must not have realized that the Dodgers are good after brawls, too. The last time this happened, June 15, the Dodgers trailed the Rockies, 3-2, when the first of two brawls broke out in the seventh inning. They came back to win that game, 12-4.

Gross, who showed restraint in the seventh inning when reliever Joel Johnston brushed him back twice, lasted eight-plus innings, giving up three earned runs and six hits to improve to 9-11.

* BIG INNING: The Padres score 13 runs on nine hits in first inning and beat the Cardinals, 17-4. C4