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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Welcome back, Davey.
Gary Sheffield and Shawn Green homered and pinch-hitter Jim
Leyritz added a two-run single Thursday night as the Los Angeles
Dodgers made manager Davey Johnson's return a winning one by
beating the Colorado Rockies 6-3.
Johnson had missed the previous four games because of an
irregular heart rhythm that caused him to be hospitalized for 3½ days. The Dodgers went 3-1 in Johnson's absence with bench coach
Jim Tracy running the team.
|  | | Gary Sheffield took over the major-league home run lead when he hit his 33rd off the Rockies' Masato Yoshii in the first inning. |
"It was emotional for me," Sheffield said of Johnson's return.
"To see him again just lit up my face. I gave him a hug in the
training room. He's more important to this club than most people
think."
Sheffield hit his major league-leading 33rd homer off Masato
Yoshii (4-11) in the first to open the scoring, and Green hit his
14th with two aboard in the sixth to put the Dodgers ahead 4-3.
Leyritz singled with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth
off Gabe White, the fourth Colorado pitcher of the inning, to give
the Dodgers their final two runs.
"It was a lot better than being in the hospital, I'll tell you
that," Johnson said with a smile. "I don't like hospitals.
"Tracy put some pressure on me. It didn't feel like a three-run
win, it was a lot closer than that."
Johnson has been told he needs to live a healthier life. Among
other things, he's been told to give up chewing tobacco.
"I had a few pieces of bubble gum, sunflower seeds," he said.
"I didn't miss it."
Chan Ho Park (10-7) overcame wildness to earn the victory, his
first since June 18. Park, who had lost his previous three starts
after two no-decisions, allowed four hits and three runs in six
innings while walking five, hitting a batter and striking out six.
Terry Adams then pitched two scoreless innings, and Mike Fetters
blanked the Rockies in the ninth for his fourth save.
Yoshii, who lost his fourth straight start after winning three
in a row, also went six innings and gave up seven hits and four
runs.
Green hit a 2-0 pitch from Yoshii an estimated 439 feet over the
center field fence after Mark Grudzielanek opened the sixth with a
single and Sheffield drew a walk.
The Rockies had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning when
Brent Mayne hit a two-run homer, his fifth.
"It really felt good," said Green, who added a double and is
finally starting to come out of a lengthy slump. "The last few
games, I've been feeling a lot better. It's nice to see the
results."
When asked what Johnson said after he hit his homer, Green
replied: "I think he said 'Welcome back.' I said, 'You, too.' "
Park held the Rockies hitless until Todd Helton lined a one-out
single in the fourth after Larry Walker had walked. Jeffrey
Hammonds followed with an RBI double to tie the game 1-1.
Rockies manager Buddy Bell, whose team has lost 13 of its last
15 games, closed the Colorado clubhouse and spoke to reporters
outside.
"We had a lot of opportunities," he said. "We weren't able to
execute like we normally do. Good things are going to happen to
this team, this team deserves better. I believe that good things
come to those who deserve it."
Leyritz is now 6-for-17 with six RBI since joining the Dodgers
on June 20.
"It was a nice little gift to give Davey," he said of his
hit.
Game notes
Park retired the Rockies in order in the first with two
strikeouts, ending a five-game streak in which Los Angeles
opponents had scored in the opening inning. ... The Yoshii-Park
matchup pitted pitchers from the Far East against each other.
Yoshii is from Japan and Park is a native of Korea. ... Sheffield
has hit safely in 11 straight games and has six homers in the
Dodgers' eight games since the All-Star break. ... Dodgers
outfielder Devon White, sidelined 2½ months due to a partial tear
in his left rotator cuff, went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs
scored for San Bernardino of the California League in his first
game of a rehabilitation assignment. The Dodgers might activate
White as soon as this weekend.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Colorado Clubhouse
Los Angeles Clubhouse
Johnson rejoins Dodgers one day after leaving hospital
RECAPS
Detroit 5
NY Yankees 3
Minnesota 5
Chi. White Sox 1
Boston 11
Baltimore 7
Baltimore 9
Boston 4
(2nd game)
Oakland 5
Seattle 4
Kansas City 10
Cleveland 6
Toronto 6
Tampa Bay 5
Anaheim 6
Texas 1
Montreal 4
NY Mets 1
Pittsburgh 9
Milwaukee 2
Philadelphia 3
Chicago Cubs 2
Atlanta 5
Florida 3
Florida 6
Atlanta 1
(2nd game)
Arizona 3
St. Louis 2
San Francisco 7
San Diego 3
Houston 6
Cincinnati 2
Los Angeles 6
Colorado 3
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