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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Gary Sheffield made peace with the fans at
Dodger Stadium on Monday. All it took was one swing.
|  | | Gary Sheffield thanks the crowd after homering in the sixth, the Dodgers' only run in their Opening Day win over Milwaukee. |
Sheffield hit Jamey Wright's second pitch of the sixth inning
about 440 feet over the center-field fence as the Los Angeles
Dodgers opened the season with a 1-0 victory over the Milwaukee
Brewers.
Chan Ho Park, making his first Opening-Day start as a
replacement for the injured Kevin Brown, struck out seven in seven
innings and allowed five hits.
Park, who finished last season with 25 consecutive scoreless
innings, got the win to make first-year manager Jim Tracy's debut a
success.
But the story was Sheffield, who was loudly booed by the sellout
crowd of 53,154 at Dodger Stadium before the game and prior to his
first three at-bats.
"I hope all is forgiven," he said afterward. "I'm not upset.
I understand the fans' reaction, no matter what it may be. The
bottom line is we need the fan support to get to the World Series.
"It's just good to win, that's the bottom line."
Sheffield, who criticized management and demanded a trade when
his request for a contract extension was denied, was coaxed out of
the dugout for a curtain call following the home run.
"A fitting ending for him, and also quite a statement by the
fans of Los Angeles and what they're all about," Tracy said. "It
just did my heart good to see them respond like that. I take my cap
off to every one of them."
Sheffield was 2-for-2 with two walks, and also made a fine
running catch in the first on Geoff Jenkins' slicing fly ball in
the left-field corner.
"Awesome, that's all you can say," said Mike Fetters, who
allowed one hit in the eighth while striking out the side. "He's
our franchise guy. He's not the enemy. Hopefully, the fans will
warm up to him again."
Jeff Shaw finished with a perfect ninth for the save, and Tracy,
hired to succeed Davey Johnson as manager of the Dodgers five
months ago, was a winner.
"It's a very gratifying feeling, I've got to tell you," he
said.
Park, one of baseball's top pitchers in the second half of last
season, when he went 9-4 with a 2.23 ERA, came out after throwing
96 pitches.
"I was a little nervous, a little excited," he said. "I had a
good curve, good changeup. I had a plan with every pitch. I had
good focus, especially with men on base."
Of Sheffield, Park said: "I knew he was going to do something
for us. He's the man."
Wright said he tried to throw a sinker low and away to Sheffield
in the sixth.
"It just wasn't a very good pitch," Wright said. "He doesn't
miss those balls that are belt-high, right down the middle.
"I know he's the type of player who's going to rise to the
occasion when something like that happens," Wright added,
referring to the boos. "That's why he's a marquee player, he's
going to make something happen."
Dodgers catcher Chad Kreuter said Park wasn't at his best, but
as it turned out, it didn't matter.
"On a scale of 1-to-10, I'd give him a 6½ or a 7," Kreuter
said. "I think you're going to see a much better Chan Ho, the
sky's the limit for him. He's becoming a fierce competitor out on
the mound. He didn't have all his pitches today, but he competed."
Wright was a hard-luck loser, giving up five hits in seven
innings.
"It's just a shame he had to lose that game," said Milwaukee's
Tyler Houston, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. "We didn't
do too well against Park. I don't think Brown would have done any
better."
Game notes
Former Dodgers great Maury Wills, the organization's
baserunning and bunting instructor, threw out the ceremonial pitch.
... Both clubs will help another pair of teams kick off their
seasons Tuesday – the Brewers play at Houston, while the Dodgers
entertain Arizona. Randy Johnson, winner of the NL Cy Young Award
the last two years, is to pitch for the Diamondbacks. ... Brewers
manager Davey Lopes, who played for the Dodgers from 1972-81, said
opening the season against his former team was no big deal. "It's
just another team I'm facing because it's been so long," he said.
... The Dodgers are 24-20 in season-openers since moving from
Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. The Brewers are 16-15-1 on opening
day. ... New Dodgers hitting instructor Jack Clark, who beat Los
Angeles in the sixth and final game of the 1985 NL playoffs with a
three-run homer while playing for St. Louis, was booed when
introduced before the game. He smiled and tipped his cap.
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RECAPS
Chi. White Sox 7
Cleveland 4
NY Yankees 7
Kansas City 3
Baltimore 2
Boston 1
Seattle 5
Oakland 4
Atlanta 10
Cincinnati 4
Montreal 5
Chicago Cubs 4
Colorado 8
St. Louis 0
Philadelphia 6
Florida 5
San Francisco 3
San Diego 2
Los Angeles 1
Milwaukee 0
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