Hershiser Isn’t Overly Perturbed by Defeat

Some solace for Orel Hershiser.

Nobody accused him of cheating.

Never do when he gets bombed, he noted grimly.

Did he get bombed in Game 1 of the World Series on Saturday night?

Well, Moises Alou and Charles Johnson, batting consecutively in the fourth inning, detonated 783 feet worth of home runs.

And Hershiser, a premier postseason pitcher who had evoked memories of 1988 in consecutive starts against the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, tied a Series record for runs allowed.

In Fish-crazy South Florida, he was hooked after only 4 1/3 innings of the Marlins’ 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

It was the shortest of his five World Series starts, but it was long enough.

Hershiser gave up seven runs, tying a Series record now shared by five pitchers.

A bulging and boisterous crowd of 67,245 at Pro Player Stadium couldn’t have been happier.

Hershiser?

At 39, having made 18 postseason appearances and pitched for 14 years in the major leagues, the last six with a rebuilt shoulder, he understands the realities and responds with equanimity.

Disappointed by the results of Game 1? Yes. Driven to insomnia? No.

“People are surprised, I suppose, because I really haven’t had a bad outing in the postseason,” he said, “but when I pray before a game and think about the game, it’s not that I’m supposed to win or do well because it’s the postseason, but it’s that I’m thankful I’m here and still able to pitch and hopeful I do my best.

“I don’t go in with any arrogance or thinking that I own people just because I’ve been successful in the postseason, so I’m not totally surprised if I’m not successful every time.”

This was Hershiser’s second defeat in 10 postseason decisions. He gave up six hits and an uncharacteristic four walks.

Putting philosophy aside, he said:

“I felt great, my velocity was good and I loved the warm weather. I was able to get loose right away. I had bad location and made a couple of mistakes, maybe only one. Sometimes you get away with mistakes and sometimes you don’t. It was one game. We have a ways to go. It’s not over.”

The walks hurt Hershiser as he gave up one run in the third, four in the fourth and two in the fifth.

He stretched a string of shutout innings to 15 before yielding the first run.

That one mistake, he said, was a two-strike fastball that Alou hit off the left-field foul pole for a three-run homer, snapping a 1-1 tie.

“I was trying to get the ball down and toward the corner and I got it over the middle of the plate,” Hershiser said. “Some people say that giving up a two-strike hit is unforgivable. If I strike him out with that pitch, others would say I was being aggressive. It’s not a fun situation in which to give up a hit because you’re going to be second-guessed, but to me it was a mistake and nothing more.”

Hershiser had a 2-and-1 count on Johnson, the next batter, when Johnson walloped another fastball off the facade of the third deck, a 438-foot blast.

“I’d throw that pitch again,” Hershiser said. “He’s a big, strong guy and he got ahold of it.”

The longest he has given up?

“Heck no,” Hershiser said. “[Mark] McGwire hit one off the scoreboard in Cleveland. Budweiser [a board sponsor] appreciated that.”

Said Manager Mike Hargrove: “We thought he had real good stuff in the first couple of innings. We thought he had a real good sinker. He walked a couple of guys because his ball was sinking so well, but it didn’t last long.”

Hargrove thought Hershiser’s attempt to beat out a bunt with two out and a runner at second in the top of the fourth (he was thrown out by Livan Hernandez) may have led to those two home runs and his problems in the bottom of the fourth.

“I think he was still a little winded from running to first base,” the manager said. “I think that really did affect him. I think it took a while for him to recover.”

Hershiser frowned and disputed that.

“I wasn’t at all winded,” he said. “If I can’t run 90 feet after all the conditioning I do . . . well, it’s a real stretch to think that was why I gave up the two home runs.”

He acknowledged, however, that he hesitated and was late covering first on a Darren Daulton grounder that he thought was through the infield only to have second baseman Bip Roberts make a diving stop, get to his feet and see no one at the bag, first baseman Jim Thome also having made a diving attempt for the ball. Alou followed with his home run.

The Indians ultimately took it down to the game’s last out and emerged with 11 hits after batting only .193 in their American League championship series victory over the Orioles and .222 in the postseason.

Said Hershiser, who is scheduled to pitch Game 5: “I think we’ll get there. I don’t think it will be a sweep. I think I’ll get one more start this year and I’ll try to make it a good one.”

He knows this: That bit of gamesmanship Baltimore Manager Davey Johnson employed after Game 3 of the league championship series, accusing Hershiser of throwing a spitter in anticipation of his possible start in Game 7, was only that--gamesmanship.

“I guarantee none of the Marlins accused me of cheating tonight,” he said.