Dodgers: 20 years ago today

By Matt McHale
Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- In the seven years since their last championship season, the Dodgers have been very pretty and pretty homely, with equal parts of charm and chaos. But never have they been within one game of getting back to the World Series.

In this most unlikely of seasons, where a Brian Holton has shared the spotlight with a Kirk Gibson and the game's finest pitcher has volunteered for bullpen duty, that is exactly where they stand today.

Monday afternoon's 7-4 victory over the New York Mets in Game 5 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, gives them the chance to move on by taking just one of the final two games at Dodger Stadium.

It also presented another look at a club never considered the physical equal of the mighty Mets, yet possessing the inherent qualities to overcome ailing hamstrings and a tired pitching staff.

"We won the division in '83, were picked to win in '84 and stunk," said Mike Marshall, who contributed three hits, including a double and RBI triple. ''We won in '85, were picked to win in '86 and stunk. This is the best team I've played on. We have a comeback ability, a togetherness that I don't think those teams had. I think those teams were happy just to be here. This team wants to win."

Winning that final game will not be easy, as pointed out by many Dodgers, too wise to discuss a showdown with the American League champion Oakland Athletics. It's hard to pinch yourself and make predictions at the same time.

"We haven't done anything, yet," said Steve Sax, one of just two members of the current club to play in the 1981 series. "We've accomplished so much overall, yet nothing when you think of the final goal."

The victory, in front of 52,069 at Shea Stadium, should have ended all suspicion that the Dodgers didn't belong. New York dropped two of three in a park where it had the league's best home record.

Gibson's deciding three-run homer off Sid Fernandez in the fifth inning was his second game-winner in a day; his 12th-inning homer in Game 4 came at 12:27 a.m. And though he is doubtful for tonight's game after aggravating his strained left hamstring stealing second in the ninth inning, his presence in this series after a 1 for 11 start has been immeasurable. The post-game cortisone injection Gibson received won't deaden his role with the club.

"Gibby is the reason we're here," right-hander Tim Belcher said after winning his second game in the series. "I think he has redefined the term impact player."

But when manager Tom Lasorda was asked what made him most proud of the Dodgers' 3-2 advantage in the series, he pointed to Holton.

"Sunday night he came on after a double and a triple and they never scored again," Lasorda said. "If that guy on third scores, it's a 5-2 game and Mike Scioscia's two-run homer in the ninth means nothing. Today, he was our short man and shut them down completely. He gets lost in some of the big names on our pitching staff, but he doesn't get lost around me. The guy is a bleeping hero."

There were plenty of heroes left over, beginning with Belcher, who evened the series with a victory in Game 2. Monday's win gave the Dodgers the series lead, and his seven innings enabled the bullpen to catch its breath after Sunday's harrowing, 5-4 win.

The Dodgers, playing without the suspended Jay Howell, used three relievers in the 12th inning, including Orel Hershiser, who pitched the day before.

Howell, whose suspension for having pine tar on his glove in Game 3 was reduced to two days by league president Bart Giamatti Monday, will be available tonight.

With Alejandro Pena unavailable after pitching three scoreless innings Sunday, the Dodgers needed at least seven innings from Belcher and got them. They also needed a new short man and found him in Holton.

"We were concerned about a letdown today," Gibson said. "Last night was a very emotional game because obviously it was very important for us to get back to Los Angeles. The game took a lot out of all of us and we wanted to make sure we didn't have a letdown. I don't know why we win and I don't think you guys (the media) do either."

Belcher retired the first nine batters he faced and made only one critical mistake - allowing a three-run homer to center fielder Len Dykstra in the fifth.

It cut into the Dodgers 6-0 lead, but in a strange way boosted Belcher's confidence. All he had to see was Dykstra's slow trot around the bases and curtain call from the dugout to get recharged.

"I think it's time for a new pitch on him," Belcher said. "I'm not saying I'm going to drill him, but it may be time to move him off the plate. What he did was horsebleep. He hits me too well not to do something. He just hangs over the plate and I can't have that."

Belcher said his biggest test came the next inning, when the Mets hoped to keep the momentum with Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds due up in the order. Belcher retired them in order and held them hitless in nine at-bats overall.

"That inning really took a lot out of me," Belcher said. "I really wanted those guys badly. If I got them that inning, I knew I could win the game."

Belcher had an easy seventh, but allowed a double to Dykstra and an RBI single to Gregg Jefferies to open the eighth and cut the Dodgers' lead to 6-4.

Lasorda turn to left-hander Ricky Horton for the reason the Dodgers acquired him from the Chicago White Sox: pitching to Hernandez and Strawberry.

"It was not very loose on the bench today. When we gave up the home run to Dykstra, (pitching coach Ron) Perranoski was very upset," said reserve catcher Rick Dempsey, who contributed two doubles, including a two-run shot in the fourth that just landed inside the left-field foul line. "That's a situation, leading by six, where you want to get ahead of the hitter and challenge him. Dykstra met the challenge."

Holton won seven games and had a 1.70 ERA during the regular season, primarily as a long reliever. But without Howell, he knew he could wind up a closer.

"I was pretty nervous this morning," Holton said. "Make that real nervous."

His first batter, McReynolds, hit a slow roller between short and third that hit Jefferies as he tried to advance. McReynolds was credited with a hit, but the Dodgers had the second out of the inning.

"I'm not sure we would have gotten anyone the way the ball was hit," third baseman Jeff Hamilton said. "He took a big swing and nubbed the ball. It was spinning like a top, but we caught a break. They would have had the bases loaded with one out. (Gary) Carter then flied out and I knew we had dodged a bullet."

Hershiser, who retired McReynolds to preserve Sunday's victory, was loose in the bullpen, but Lasorda was knew he would need his ace for Game 7. Holton
went out to pitch the ninth and retired the Mets in order.