Finally, a Win in His Park : Dodgers: Pitcher goes eight strong innings against the Cubs in 4-3 victory. Sosa gets two RBIs but no homers.

Dodger Manager Davey Johnson sent a message.

Chan Ho Park got it and delivered.

Johnson gave the struggling young pitcher a chance to work through a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs, letting Park experience a late-inning, make-or-break situation for one of the few times this season.

Park responded by getting the final two outs in the inning after a run had scored, preserving the lead in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory that marked his first win of the season at Dodger Stadium.

He got Jeff Reed to foul out and struck out Jose Nieves swinging to close the inning, punctuating his accomplishment by pumping his right fist and yelling while his teammates and a crowd of 46,129 celebrated with him.

Closer Jeff Shaw survived a scary moment with two out and a runner on first in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Gary Gaetti hit a towering fly ball to left, but Trenidad Hubbard caught the ball on the warning track to complete Shaw’s 28th save and the victory for Park (8-10).

Chicago right fielder Sammy Sosa singled in four at-bats and had two runs batted in, but the major league home run leader hasn’t hit a ball out of the park in the first two games of the series. Eric Karros was credited with a solo shot--his team-leading 28th homer of the season--in the second when the ball popped out of Sosa’s glove and over the wall in the right-field corner.

Gary Sheffield continued his torrid hitting with his 22nd homer--a two-out, two-run blast in the third against Cub starter Andrew Lorraine (1-3) that gave Park a 4-2 lead and a needed confidence boost.

Finally, Park felt at home again at Chavez Ravine.

“It has been a long time,” said Park, winless in his first 12 starts at Dodger Stadium this season. “I thought about that every game, that I had no [victories] at Dodger Stadium.

“Every game I thought, ‘You better win this game.’ This was a pretty good one. This makes me feel real happy.”

With good reason.

Park displayed the form that Dodger officials haven’t seen often enough this season, improving to 1-6 with a 5.50 earned-run average at Dodger Stadium. Park, who pitched into the eighth for the first time in 26 starts, was in command through the seventh after overcoming a shaky two-run first against the Cubs.

He gave up seven hits and three runs (two earned). Park worked efficiently, also a rarity this season, throwing 65 strikes in 103 pitches while striking out six with two walks.

Johnson didn’t have anyone warming up to start the eighth, sending Park an important message.

“I certainly did,” Johnson said of making a statement to Park. “A lot of times when a pitcher is throwing a great ballgame, I don’t want to let him get beat in the eighth. I just felt this was a time he could get out of it, and I wanted him to know that.”

Lance Johnson had a leadoff single and Mark Grace singled with one out to put runners on first and second with Sosa coming up for the Cubs, quickly stirring activity in the bullpen. Sosa singled through the hole at short and Johnson scored to cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3.

Then pinch-hitter Glenallen Hill singled to short to load the bases. Park has been a magnet for grand slams this season, and things did not look good for him or the Dodgers.

But the Dodger bullpen hasn’t provided much relief recently, so Johnson stuck with Park. Reed fouled out to third baseman Adrian Beltre and Nieves struck out on a 1-and-2 count.

“That was probably the hardest ball Chan Ho threw all day,” catcher Paul LoDuca said of the third strike against Nieves. “I mean, Chan Ho really reached back and got something special on that one.

“Davey totally made the right decision to leave him in because he hadn’t lost anything, he just left a couple [of pitches] over the plate. That was the Chan Ho we all know. It was just real impressive.”

Johnson agreed.

“I was real proud of Chan Ho, real proud of how he pitched out of that jam,” Johnson said. “I had my bullpen warming up, but I had confidence that Chan Ho could do it.”

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