The most incredible aspect of Atlanta center...

The most incredible aspect of Atlanta center fielder Marquis Grissom’s performance this season is that he has played the last two months with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder, requiring four cortisone shots.

Yet it hasn’t hampered him a bit . He batted .308, hit 23 homers, drove in 74 runs, and scored 106 runs.

He also happened to make the play of the game when he made a spectacular catch on Eric Karros’ line drive in the ninth inning, falling on his shoulder after making the catch.

“It feels better today,” Grissom said. “It didn’t feel so good yesterday. I just have to watch what I do. But hey, it’s that time of year. You do what you can do.”

Said Karros: “If Grissom doesn’t make that play, we’re not talking about not hitting [John] Smoltz, we’re talking about how we beat Smoltz.”

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The most stunning aspect of the first game of the playoffs was the small crowd, embarrassing Dodger and baseball officials.

Although the Dodgers sold 47,428 tickets, there were only about 40,000 fans in the stands, leaving about 12,000 empty seats.

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Dodger catcher Mike Piazza had a marvelous defensive game, throwing out three of the five runners trying to steal. Piazza, who often is hampered by the pitching staff’s inability to hold runners on, threw out only 28 of 180 baserunners this season.

“I don’t know if it was a strategy on their part necessarily,” Piazza said of the stolen-base attempts, “I just did the best I could with pretty good results today.”

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Dodger center fielder Chad Curtis still had difficulty believing he was standing on the field with his team about to participate in the first round of the National League playoffs.

“I’m normally packing my bags getting ready for the off-season,” Curtis said. “I never thought this was possible.”

Curtis has never played on a winning team in his life. He has been stuck playing for the Angels and Tigers during his five-year career. Those teams finished a combined 117 games out of first place.

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Dodger starter Hideo Nomo, who lobbed a baseball into a crowd of Japanese photographers during the Dodgers’ workout Monday, insists that it was done good-naturedly. Several Japanese photographers disagreed. The Dodgers say that no disciplinary action is needed.

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Ismael Valdes, who will start tonight for the Dodgers in Game 2, said he is nervous and anticipated a sleepless night.

But Valdes said that’s not unusual.

“When you look at me,” Valdes said, “I always have puffy eyes before my starts.

“I’m nervous. It’s a big responsibility. Once the game starts I’ll be OK, but before the game, it’s kind of a nightmare.”