Going Out on Top?

On any other night, Odalis Perez and Eric Gagne would have been the story at Dodger Stadium.

Perez erased a career of frustration against the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks by shutting them out for eight innings Wednesday night in a 1-0 Dodger victory.

And Perez, who gave up five hits and had been 0-4 lifetime against Arizona with a 6.38 earned-run average, added an exclamation point by accounting for the only run with a two-out fifth-inning home run, his first in the majors.

Gagne came on in the ninth and, despite giving up a single and walk, struck out the side for his 45th save, breaking Todd Worrell’s single-season Dodger record set in 1996.

But, of course, this wasn’t just any night at Dodger Stadium.

It was a night of uncertainty along with elation, of tension along with the triumph, of hesitancy along with the history.

None of that was evident in the stands. A crowd of 41,115 came out and exhibited no bitterness or anger. The only clenched fists the fans exhibited were to hit the beach balls bouncing around the seats.

Their only outburts were cheers when Perez rounded the bases, more cheers when Gagne clinched the victory with a 97-mph fastball that blew past Erubiel Durazo and some scattered boos when Dodger Shawn Green was thrown out stealing to close out the sixth inning.

Even in the clubhouse, the Dodgers tried to act as if it was business as usual, their 77th victory in their 133rd game, leaving them 2 1/2 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants, also winners Wednesday, in the wild-card race and seven games behind Arizona.

Wasn’t it a strange night? Dodger Manager Jim Tracy was asked.

“No, not really,” he said. “It was a very special night for Odalis Perez.”

As the Dodgers began packing for a trip that might be over before it begins, for games in Houston that might never be played, reporters surrounded catcher Paul Lo Duca, the Dodgers’ player representative.

“It was just like a normal game,” he insisted. “I tip my hat to the guys. It’s not something we can control. It is in [the negotiators] hands now.”

For the eight innings the game was in Perez’s hands, he was brilliant, striking out four and not allowing a walk. In improving to 12-8, Perez threw 109 pitches, 77 strikes.

“He won the game by himself,” Lo Duca said. “It was Odalis 1, them 0. You could tell from the beginning he had great stuff.”

No argument from Perez.

“Tonight I had everything working,” he said, “my fastball especially.”

The home run came with two out in the fifth inning against starter and loser Rick Helling (8-9 and 0-6 lifetime against the Dodgers). Perez came up to the plate for his 110th major league at-bat with no home runs over five seasons, four of those with the Atlanta Braves. He hit Helling’s first pitch into the right-field stands.

With a chance to nail down the victory and his place in the record books, Gagne gave up a leadoff single to Junior Spivey, then struck out Luis Gonzalez and Matt Williams on six pitches.

But, with the crowd poised to erupt, Gagne walked Steve Finley, the potential winning run.

Out came Dodger pitching coach Jim Colborn to settle down Gagne.

Up came Durazo.

Down went Durazo.

Down went Worrell to second on the Dodgers’ all-time save list.

“It’s kind of weird to see a little Canadian in the record books,” said Gagne, who is from Montreal. “You don’t see it that often. At the beginning of the year, I was just hoping to make the team. I had no idea where I’d be.”

Over in the Arizona clubhouse, the strike was Topic A.

“When we take a stand, we take one together,” said Diamondback outfielder David Dellucci. “It’s not 15 teams on one side, 15 on the other. We are all in the same boat. It would be disheartening to miss a World Series for a strike, but we have to make a stand.”

Said Perez: “I’m praying there is no strike because I know this team has everything. We just need to keep playing.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

*--* Bullpen’s Best Eric Gagne became the single-season Dodger save leader with his 45th save on Wednesday: Player Saves Season Eric Gagne 45 2002 Todd Worrell 44 1996 Jeff Shaw 43 2001 Todd Worrell 35 1997 Jeff Shaw 34 1999 Todd Worrell 32 1995 Jay Howell 28 1989 Jeff Shaw 27 2000 Jeff Shaw 25 1998 Jim Gott 25 1993 Jim Brewer 24 1970

*--*