Only Piazza Slams Are the Ones He Hits

Gone are the boos. Faded is the bitterness. Forgotten is the controversy.

After all, how long can the fans hold a grudge?

Through one grand slam? Probably. Through two grand slams? Perhaps. Through three grand slams in a single month? No way.

Catcher Mike Piazza heard nothing but cheers from the Dodger Stadium crowd of 36,674 after smashing his third grand slam in April to bust open Friday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, spark a nine-run second inning and lead his club to a 12-4 victory, tying a major league record for grand slams in the process.

With outfielder Roger Cedeno activated before Friday night’s game and in the lineup in center field, batting second, and first baseman Eric Karros activated after the game, the Dodgers hope their feeble offense finally may become formidable.

While the team had come into the game having scored just 77 runs, third fewest in the National League, there was nothing feeble about Piazza, who remains a constant force in the lineup in good times and bad.

But that fact seemed to have been lost on some fans who had been booing him since the start of the season because of a contract dispute that pitted him against Dodger management and created the possibility that he will become a free agent at season’s end.

None of that mattered when Piazza came to bat in the second inning against Kerry Wood, the Chicago starter who had recorded his first major league victory against the Dodgers last week in Chicago.

With Wood, young, fast and wild on the mound, it can be all or nothing. A week ago, Wood, who had struck out 14 in 9 2/3 innings heading into Friday’s game, had it all.

Friday, in his third major league start, he had nothing.

After retiring the Dodgers in order in the first inning, Wood gave up a leadoff single to Todd Zeile in the second. Then, Wood’s control momentarily deserted him when he fired a pitch at Raul Mondesi that the right fielder had to fend off with his left hand. An angry Mondesi glared at Wood before making his way to first.

Wood appeared unfazed, retiring the next two batters. But then he lost his control again. And this time, there was no retrieving it.

Wood walked the next four batters, Young and Cedeno getting their free passes with the bases loaded to force in a pair of runs.

At one point, Wood threw 12 straight balls and 17 in 19 pitches.

Up came Piazza. It is bad enough pitching to the Dodger catcher when the pitcher has his control. When the pitcher is struggling, the result can be disastrous, as Wood learned.

Piazza swung at the next pitch and hit it down the right-field line, the ball sailing into the stands a few seats to the left of the foul-pole in fair territory.

“He obviously was wild,” Piazza said. “The first pitch almost hit me and I knew he needed to throw a strike. I dropped my bat on the ball and drove it to right field.”

Piazza’s blow tied a National League set by two former Dodgers among others. Eric Davis hit three grand slams in a single month for the Cincinnati Reds in 1987, and four American Leaguers also accomplished the feat, the last being Mike Blowers, who did it for the Seattle Mariners in 1995. Piazza also tied a Dodger season mark, equaling the three grand slams hit by Kal Daniels in 1990.

Wood (1-2) was gone after that pitch, but the Dodgers were just warming up.

“One of those nights when I didn’t have it,” Wood said. “I tried to find it, but I couldn’t. I was not mentally in the game.”

In piling up 10 hits, the Dodgers were led by Zeile, who accounted for three of them.

Ismael Valdes (2-3) got the victory. And Piazza got the cheers.

Who knows? If Piazza keeps hitting those grand slams, he might even impress Dodger management enough to re-sign him.