Home Finale a Treat for Fans, Players

If you treat ‘em nice . . . they will come.

That was the theme Sunday when the Dodgers closed their home season with a 10-7 victory over the San Diego Padres before 46,177.

The Dodgers, while far from an on-the-field success (74-82), demonstrated again their artful public relations. At all 11 entrances to the stadium Sunday, uniformed Dodgers personally greeted startled fans, shaking hands and schmoozing.

“I was afraid I might get lynched,” said Manager Davey Johnson, talking about the club asking him to greet fans.

“But the fans were great. Not one person said anything unkind to me.”

The crowd boosted the Dodgers’ home attendance to 3,095,345, their 14th 3-million-plus season.

As for the game, the Dodgers did more of what they do best--hit home runs.

Blasts by Gary Sheffield (31st), Raul Mondesi (32nd) and Eric Karros (34th) were the difference, boosting the Dodgers into sole possession of third place in the National League West with six road games remaining.

Karros’ two-run shot in the seventh was his 211th, tying him with Steve Garvey for second on the Dodger homer list. Ron Cey leads with 228.

Karros also has 112 RBIs.

Moreover, the Dodgers have 182 home runs in 156 games. Nine more and they’ll tie the 1977 Los Angeles Dodger record of 191. They’ve hit 17 in their last 11 games.

The global reach of the Dodgers’ scouting department had Johnson talking about another promising young pitcher afterward.

Jeff Williams, 27, from Canberra, Australia, started and had a solid 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs but only two hits.

That got Johnson on Australian television to brag about his newest prospect:

“I liked the games he pitched in spring training and I like him now. He’s got a good arm and he’s not afraid. Jeff’s like all Australians--brave and fearless.”

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Karros returned to the field after the game to give away prizes to fans. Before returning to the clubhouse, Karros surprised everyone by giving his jersey to 8-year-old Shannon Sukalski of Moorpark.

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Obvious question for the bespectacled Eric Gagne, who had his fourth straight impressive pitching outing Saturday night, a two-hit, seven-inning stint in a 3-2 loss to the Padres:

How come you don’t wear contacts?

“Too many hockey scars on my eyes from hockey,” said Gagne, from Montreal.

“That, and a little astigmatism.”

By contractual agreement, there won’t be any added hockey scars. He’s forbidden to play the sport while under contract with the Dodgers.

“I was just OK as a hockey player,” he said. “I knew baseball was my sport when I went to Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma.”

When the Dodgers signed the French-speaking Gagne out of junior college in 1995, he spoke no English. Four years later, he’s not only fluent, his English is nearly unaccented. He can even say “astigmatism.”

“I just picked it up from teammates in Oklahoma and in the minors,” he said.

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Manager Davey Johnson, speaking of Gagne’s outing Saturday:

“He’s had four very good outings now. His fastball was clocking 93 mph last night. He’s got great change of speeds, and that’s the name of the game.

“No, I don’t want him learning any new pitches. I like him just the way he is.”

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Trenidad Hubbard broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth Sunday with a two-run single. He is now hitting .480 (12 for 25) with runners on base. . . . Eric Young sat out a second straight game Sunday because of a twisted ankle. . . . Sheffield’s 30th home run Saturday night gave him three 30-home run seasons. His career high is 42, at Florida in 1997. He joins Karros and Mondesi with more than 30 this season. . . . In the unlikely event Todd Hundley were to hit six home runs in the remaining six games, the Dodgers would have four 30-home run men for the third time in franchise history. . .. . Karros tied Davey Lopes for seventh place on the all-time L.A. Dodger hit list Saturday with his 1,204th, a single. The L.A. Dodger leader: Willie Davis, 2,091.