Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 13, 1993 TAG: 9303130152
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: VERO BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
HERSHISER FEELS LIKE HE'S FINALLY HIMSELF AGAIN
Orel Hershiser knows the kind of season he had in 1988. The way he's feeling now, nearly three years reconstructive surgery on his pitching shoulder, he hopes for something close to a repeat."The expectations are still there and that seems fair because I'm the same person in the same body," said Hershiser, now the senior member in length of service with the Los Angeles Dodgers. "But in another way, it's unfair because everybody dreams of having one year like 1988 was for me. I think there's a pre-surgery Orel and a post-surgery Orel. I'd rather be compared right now with the person who was preparing for 1988, the guy who was working hard in 1985 and `86 and `87. That's the kind of person I'm starting to feel like."
Hershiser was a unanimous winner of the NL Cy Young Award in 1988, going 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA and 15 complete games - eight of them shutouts. But that doesn't come close to describing the kind of season it was.
Hershiser finished the year with a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Then, he earned Most Valuable Player honors in both the NL playoffs and World Series as the Dodgers won both.
Hershiser dropped to 15-15 in 1989, but his ERA was a sparkling 2.31 and he says he believes there was very little difference for him in terms of performance from the previous year.
Then came trouble. In the first month of the 1990 season, Hershiser struggled. Finally, it was determined he had severe damage to his right shoulder and Dr. Frank Jobe operated on April 27, reconstructing the anterior capsule and tightening the ligaments.
It was the first time this type of surgery was performed on a pitcher, and the outlook, although optimistic, to some degree was also uncertain.
Thirteen months later, Hershiser pitched again in the major leagues, and he wound up going 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA in 1991. Last year, with a last-place team, he was 10-15 with a 3.67 ERA.
So far this spring, Hershiser has been terrific in two outings, allowing just four hits in seven shutout innings with no walks and eight strikeouts.
"I'm feeling better and better all the time," he said. "It's always been better and better. I'm throwing the ball a lot better than I anticipated. I've gained a little more velocity, I've gained a lot of movement. It's getting more and more natural and more and more consistent. I'm way better than I was in August and September of last year.
Keywords:
BASEBALL