Thursday, June 20, 2002
Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 2
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Kazuhisa Ishii followed up the worst outing of his rookie season with one of his best. And just for good measure, the 11-game winner drove in the first two runs of his major league career.
Ishii tied Atlanta's Tom Glavine for the second-most wins in the NL — one behind Curt Schilling — and Shawn Green hit a three-run homer Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-2.
Ishii (11-2) allowed four hits and two runs in 6 2-3 innings while walking four and striking out nine.
The 28-year-old left-hander gave up seven hits and five runs in three innings against the Anaheim Angels last Friday night, raising his ERA to 6.46 in three starts this month.
His ERA for the season now stands at 3.54.
“I think my timing in my other starts, maybe I was a little fast,” he said through an interpreter. “I was trying to stay back, I was able to do that, and things went well from there.”
Dodgers manager Jim Tracy called Ishii's outing steady, something he couldn't say in the Japanese pitcher's last several starts.
“He really didn't do anything tonight to set the situation up for the opposition,” Tracy said. “He made them earn everything.”
Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca said his team had a difficult time with Ishii's delivery.
“The hitters were coming back to the bench saying they had a tough time distinguishing between the fastball and the breaking ball,” Tosca said. “He showed a lot of deception, and we didn't have real good swings against him.”
Green hit the first pitch from Justin Miller (4-4) an estimated 440 feet into the right-center field seats against his former team after Dave Roberts and Paul Lo Duca opened the bottom of the first with singles.
The homer was Green's 18th in 26 games and 21st of the season.
“It was in the middle of the zone, I was able to get it in the air,” Green said. “I'm in a good streak, just trying to hit the ball hard, and hope it continues as long as possible.”
Green played for the Blue Jays from 1993-99. He was traded to the Dodgers in a four-player deal that also involved Raul Mondesi, who is hitless in seven at-bats in two games against Los Angeles.
Ishii capped the Dodgers' five-run first by hitting a two-out, bases-loaded single to drive in Brian Jordan and Dave Hansen, chasing Miller.
“The batting coach told me to hit it to the left side. I was looking for a pitch I could hit to that area and I was glad I did,” Ishii said.
When asked if he was a good hitter, Ishii smiled and replied in English: “So-so.”
Miller got only two outs, giving up five hits and all five runs. The 24-year-old right-hander, who grew up in nearby Torrance, said he a lot of different groups at the game, somewhere between 120 and 130 people.
“I checked the calendar to see when we were playing in LA,” Miller said. “This was the day I was waiting for all my life. I tried to take it as just another game.”
It didn't work out that way.
The Dodgers won for the 13th time in 20 games despite getting only one hit after the second inning.
The loss was the sixth in seven games for the Blue Jays.
Eric Gagne, the fifth Dodgers pitcher, worked a perfect ninth for his big league-leading 24th save in 25 chances, striking out two.
Toronto's Joe Lawrence hit his first big-league homer in the second, and Dave Berg's RBI double in the fifth cut the Dodgers' lead to 5-2.
Notes: The flags at Dodger Stadium flew at half-staff and a moment of silence was observed in memory of Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, who died Tuesday night. ... Blue Jays SS Chris Woodward, who left Tuesday night's game in the second inning because of tightness in his left groin, said he hopes to return to action in a couple days. ... Dodgers 3B Adrian Beltre, who started 68 of his team's first 69 games, was replaced in the lineup by Hansen. Beltre, who entered the game for defensive purposes in the eighth, has two hits in his last 24 at bats, dropping his batting average to .241. Manager Jim Tracy said Beltre will probably be back in the lineup Thursday night. ... Rick Fox, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers win their third straight NBA championship last week, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... The Blue Jays have been outscored 66-30 in the first inning this season. ... Ishii has four hits in 28 at-bats.
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Dodgers 5, Blue Jays 2 
