Marlins’ Anger Defeats Dodgers

The Dodgers, who spent the spring trying to defend their words, and the last few days trying to defend their actions, found themselves riling another team Sunday night and again suffered the consequences.

Gary Sheffield, angered by Dodger starter Pedro Astacio’s actions, hit a game-winning, three-run homer in the seventh inning of the Florida Marlins’ 5-4 victory over the Dodgers at Joe Robbie Stadium, and celebrated by running around the bases with a clenched fist.

“That’s probably as emotional as I’ve gotten in baseball,” Sheffield said. “We haven’t been on ESPN a lot, so I thought I’d do something so they can watch it all week.”

Sheffield became upset earlier in the game when Astacio errantly hit Greg Colbrunn in the head in the second inning, and became livid after watching Astacio punch the air and dance off the mound in the sixth inning.

Said Sheffield: “I said, ‘We’re going to get him. We’re going to do something about that.’ ”

Sheffield’s opportunity came in the seventh inning with one run in, two outs, and reliever Darren Hall on the mound. The Dodgers had taken a 4-0 lead in the top of the sixth on Eric Karros’ three-run homer, but it was Karros’ throwing error that kept the seventh inning alive.

Hall, who yielded five runs in the Dodgers’ loss Friday night, fell behind in the count, 2 and 1, to Sheffield. Then Sheffield hit a slider 419 feet, over the center-field fence, for a three-run homer. Sheffield trotted down the first-base line, watched the ball fall over the fence, jumped, and pumped his fist into the air. He rounded second and kept pumping, not wanting the moment to end.

It was Sheffield’s eighth home run of the season, his sixth in the last nine games, and his fourth against the Dodgers. It completed the Marlins’ first three-game sweep of the Dodgers in franchise history, and left the Dodgers wondering if perhaps Marlin starter Kevin Brown will pay the price later in the season.

“He still has to hit in this league,” Dodger second baseman Delino DeShields said. “Guys are going to remember, you know.”

The latest feud arose in the second inning when Astacio threw an inside 0-and-1 pitch to Colbrunn that sailed toward the left side of his helmet. Colbrunn’s head ached, but he was too angry to leave the game. He took a step toward Astacio and yelled at him. It was the second consecutive start that Astacio hit Colbrunn.

When the Dodgers batted in the top of the third, Astacio came to the plate.

Brown fired a fastball behind Astacio’s head, and before home-plate umpire Jim Quick could issue a warning, Colbrunn was running in from first base ready to fight. The benches slowly cleared, there was talking back and forth, but no one was ejected. Quick simply issued a warning that the next close pitch would prompt an ejection.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda argued that Brown should have been ejected. Lasorda still was fuming when the game ended.

Brown, who retired the first 12 batters and lasted seven innings, refused to discuss the incident. Astacio said that the pitch that hit Colbrunn merely got away.

While Lasorda seethed, the Dodger players said that Brown was justified trying to at least brush Astacio off the plate, just not the head. It’s part of baseball, they said.

But they say Brown should have thrown at the lower part of Astacio’s body, not at his head.

“‘If I got hit and my pitcher didn’t protect me,” Dodger center fielder Brett Butler said, “then there’s something wrong with that. I guarantee you his teammates felt better about Kevin Brown today than they did before.

“In my opinion, if [Brown] wanted to hit him, he would have hit him. I guarantee you he didn’t throw a 92-mph fastball trying to hit him in the head. I don’t know for sure, only he knows that for sure, but to me that’s the way to handle it.”