BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS

‘This Is Just the Beginning,’ Says Mondesi

Dodger center fielder Raul Mondesi looked up at the scoreboard, shook his head, and quickly trotted off the field, realizing how close his heroics came to being wasted.

Mondesi, the National League’s rookie of the year, stole the show Tuesday night in the Dodgers’ 8-7 opening-night victory over the Florida Marlins in Joe Robbie Stadium.

He hit a home run to center in his first at-bat off John Burkett. He doubled in the fifth inning off Terry Mathews. He homered again in the seventh inning off John Johnstone.

Final damage: Three for four, a career-high two homers, a career-tying high four RBIs.

“He’s going to be the best player in the game,” Dodger first baseman Eric Karros said. “You can talk about Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, or anyone else, but no one has Mondy’s talent. It’s ridiculous. He’s one of those guys who come along every 20 to 30 years.”

The Dodgers, who had an 8-3 lead entering the ninth inning before Rudy Seanez got the final out, needed every one of Mondesi’s heroics, including his second homer that reached the second deck.

“If that one didn’t hit the seats,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said, “it would have gone 500 feet.”

Said Mondesi: “I never had a night like this in my life. Maybe all my hard work paid off. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.”

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Yes, that was Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino roaming the Dodger clubhouse before the game as a special guest of Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda.

Marino, wearing a Dodger cap, posed for pictures with Lasorda, autographed infielder Jeff Treadway’s cap and told the players that he’s a die-hard Dodger fan.

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How long has it been since Dodger third baseman Tim Wallach has not been in the opening-day lineup?

Try 14 years. Wallach last sat out an opener in 1981, his rookie season in Montreal.

“Of course at that time, I was just happy to make the team,” he said.

Wallach, hampered by bulging disks in his lower back, hopes to be back in the lineup this weekend. In the meantime, Dave Hansen will play third.

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Opening-day sentiments from rookie outfielder Todd Hollandsworth: “I didn’t think I’d be that excited about opening day, but then I went to the bathroom, and thought, ‘Wow, I just used my first big league bathroom.’ I guess that’s when it hit me.”

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Apparently, word doesn’t travel too fast in South Florida. The Dodger roster in the game program still included Brett Butler and Cory Snyder. . . . The Dodgers set an early precedent, taking Ashley out of the game in the bottom of the sixth for defensive reasons. He was replaced by Hollandsworth. . . . The opening-day lineup of eight home-grown players was the most for the Dodgers since 1975. . . . Marlin left fielder Jeff Conine used the ESPN opportunity to tell his parents that they would soon become grandparents.