Piazza Disputes Fan’s Letter

Dodger catcher Mike Piazza angrily denied that he told a fan that it would cost $50 for his autograph as a 12-year-old boy claimed in a recent letter to The Times.

“I wouldn’t even joke about something like that,” Piazza said. “Come on, why would I say something like that? I never said anything like that in my life.

“If someone wants to rip me, go ahead, but don’t just print lies about me. That’s unprofessional and unethical. I don’t understand it.”

Piazza, who said that the tendinitis in his right knee continues to be painful, proved again that it has had little effect on his hitting. He hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning off Pittsburgh starter John Hope, his seventh of the season.

“I’m kind of dragging right now, but I’m trying to get through it,” said Piazza, who’s batting .354.

Piazza has started 32 games this season, the most of any major league catcher. But backup catcher Carlos Hernandez has been bothered by a muscle strain in his left side. The Dodgers are tentatively planning to give Piazza a day off on Wednesday, preceding their scheduled day off Thursday.

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While the Pirates were kicking themselves for not beating Hideo Nomo, saying his fastball was clocked at about 86-90 mph on the speed gun--5 mph slower than usual--Pirate left fielder Al Martin said it looked like the Nomo of old to him.

Sure, Nomo had only five strikeouts compared to the 30 strikeouts against the Pirates in two starts last season, but Martin still was baffled. He was hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts.

“We just don’t mix,” Martin said. “I don’t need to be in there against him. I need to be as far away as you can get. I’d rather see Randy Johnson than him.

“I never see the ball. He hit me with a pitch last year and I never saw it. Then all of a sudden, I felt pain. That’s pretty scary.”

Martin is batting .111 against Nomo with five strikeouts in nine at-bats.

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Ramon Martinez said he needs one more rehabilitative start before rejoining the Dodger rotation May 14 against the Montreal Expos.

Martinez, who has been on the disabled list since April 6 because of a torn right groin muscle, said he had no trouble in his first rehabilitative start at double-A San Antonio. The biggest obstacle simply was overcoming his fear.

“I was scared when I first went out there [Saturday],” Martinez said. “I didn’t know how I’d feel. I was pitching real careful. Then, in the third inning, I said, ‘Hey, I’m OK. I’m going to be fine.’ ”