Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993 TAG: 9308310108
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Bentley was a left-hander for the New York Giants whose .406 batting average in 1923 is the highest ever for a National League pitcher. Johnson, Washington's "Big Train," has the highest batting for a major league pitcher, .440 with the old Senators of the American League in 1925. Hershiser is bidding to shatter those marks with a .424 average and about six starts remaining.
"I think we're looking at a maximum of about 18 at-bats left, and everybody's going to start calculating how many hits I need to break them," Hershiser said. "If I continue to hold it up there where it's at, the story is going to gain some momentum. But if I have a couple of 0-for-3s, and the average dips way down, I think the story will die very quickly."
Hershiser's fourth double of the season in Sunday's 8-3 victory by the Dodgers over the St. Louis Cardinals gave him 25 hits in 59 at-bats. The 25 hits are the most by a Dodgers pitcher since Don Drysdale's 39 in 1965, when he hit .300.
Hershiser has had two hits in a game on six occasions, along with a six-game hitting streak that included three consecutive two-hit performances.
"He doesn't ever overswing and he just tries to make contact," said Dodgers coach Manny Mota, one of the best contact hitters of his generation and baseball's career pinch-hit leader. "He's smart, he goes to the plate every time with an idea and he knows what to do with the bat. He's a good hitter compared to the others."
Hershiser entered this season with a .196 career average, including a career-high 19 hits in 1987. In 1988, he tied Art Nehf's 1924 record for most hits by a pitcher in a World Series game with three.
He has struck out only five times in 67 plate appearances this season and has seven sacrifice bunts. He also has bunted for a hit on occasion.
"If it's a strike, I'm swinging at it early in the count," he said. "I don't want to go deep into the count, because I know I'm not a good enough hitter to think I can foul a few pitches off and wait for a good one. I'm going to hit the first good one I see."
Many in Hershiser's fraternity have been decent hitters, including Wes Ferrell, who holds the record for most home runs by a pitcher with 38. Others who have distinguished themselves at the plate include Bob Lemon, Don Newcombe, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn and Earl Wilson.
But for the most part, pitchers are usually considered easy outs.
"The hardest part is that we don't get to see a big-league breaking ball very often," Hershiser said. "So, even if you have a great swing and a great eye, you're still going to have a lot of trouble hitting. But I think we do the best job with the practice we get."
Every day before the Dodgers regulars take batting practice, the pitchers get in the cage and the spirited competition can get boisterous.
"Anytime you get pitchers with bats in their hands, it gets very heated," Hershiser said. "That's probably the most fun that we have during the day because our job is to get people out.
"I try to work on my swing. I don't try to hit the ball out of the park. I just try to make contact and hit line drives. Some of the relievers are just having fun because they don't get more than two or three at-bats a season, so they try to go for the home runs a lot."
This is one of the first years in recent memory the Dodgers pitchers haven't organized a competition for most hits during the season, the highest average, etc.
"I don't know why," Hershiser said, grinning. "Maybe they got the scouting report on me."
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB