Hershiser, Mets Blast Expos

For Orel Hershiser, it was just like 1988: throwing shutout innings with little rest.

Only this time, he was doing it as a 40-year-old in 99-degree heat.

"This was kind of special," Hershiser said Tuesday night after starting with one day of rest for the first time in his career and leading the New York Mets over the Montreal Expos 10-0.

With some of the fans chanting "Bulldog," Hershiser once again heard the nickname he first earned by making five starts and a relief appearance in a 16-day span of the 1988 postseason. He threw nothing but strikes for five innings and let the Expos get themselves out on a steamy night.

Brian McRae homered and drove in three runs and Edgardo Alfonzo had two hits and two RBIs for New York. The Mets have won 21 of 29 games.

But Hershiser (9-5) was the story. He allowed three hits and no walks to earn his 199th career win, and 100th since undergoing major reconstructive shoulder surgery that almost ended his career in 1990.

"I remember asking Dr. (Frank) Jobe if he could fix me up enough to get me to 100," Hershiser said. "This is more special to me than 200 will be."

Hershiser struck out four and reached a three-ball count only once. He threw 45 of 59 pitches for strikes, just seven more pitches than he threw Sunday, when Atlanta knocked him out with six runs in 2 2-3 innings.

"As (Robin) Ventura handed me the ball before the first batter, he said `Here's your mulligan,' " Hershiser recalled. "I threw 111 pitches and 7 2-3 innings. It just took three days to do it. I got one win and one no-decision."

On Monday, the Mets decided to bring back Hershiser early to give Masato Yoshii's sore knee an extra day of rest and keep rookie Octavio Dotel from pitching against the Yankees on Sunday.

The short rest may have even helped Hershiser's sinking fastball, whiche used to get nine of the 15 outs on the ground.

"He kept the ball down and didn't overthrow," catcher Mike Piazza said. "He had really good movement. He was really juiced up."

Hershiser was supposed to throw in the bullpen anyway Tuesday. But pitching against major league hitters is supposed to be harder.

"He threw good strikes on the corner," Montreal manager Felipe Alou said. "It looked like he could have gone a few more innings."

Hershiser, who completed 15 starts on the way to the NL Cy Young Award in 1988, has averaged six innings a start the last 5 1/2 years. Only twice in that span has he started on less than four days' rest, allowing nine runs in 9 2-3 innings.

But in the 1988 postseason, Hershiser started three times on three days' rest and once on two days' rest for the Dodgers. He even made a relief appearance the day after a start.

Hershiser saved Game 4 of the NL championship series against the Mets, and after two days off, he pitched a five-hit shutout in Game 7 to send Los Angeles to the World Series.

Then, on three days' rest, he pitched a three-hit shutout against Oakland in Game 2 of the World Series. He closed out the Dodgers' last World Series title with a four-hit, 5-2 win on three days' rest in Game 5.

"It was harder in October," Hershiser said. "It is not easy to get loose in that weather. You're pitching strictly on adrenaline."

The Mets scored three runs in the first off Carl Pavano (6-7) on run-scoring singles by Piazza and Ventura and an RBI fielder's choice by McRae.

McRae added a two-run homer in the third and Alfonzo hit a two-run double in the sixth.

Jason Isringhausen pitched three innings for the save in his first career relief appearance.

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