L.A. Feasts on Catfish, Yankees: 6-1

I'll give an autographed picture of Minnie Minoso to every person who remembers when Jim "Catfish" Hunter was a good pitcher. And I'll give Minnie Minoso to the first person who tells me that Hunter, even in the midst of his five consecutive 20-win seasons, had a Ross Grimsley penchant for giving up the gopher ball. Well, kids, he did it again last night as the Dodgers tied up the World Series at one game apiece.

The Dodgers breezed past the listless Yankees, 6-1, on a barrage of home runs and the finest pitching Burt Hooton has ever unleashed on anybody. The boys in blue hit homers in each of the first three innings off Hunter as they powered their way to an insurmountable 5-0 lead.

While L.A. took batting practice off the Three point Five Million Dollar Man, Hooton gave up only five hits, none coming after the fifth inning. No Yankee had more than one hit and the quartet of Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Chris Chambliss and Graig Nettles only managed two safeties between them. Some Murderers' Row.

The Dodgers who teed off against Hunter were Ron Cey, Steve Yeager and Reggie ("I'm older and more mature now") Smith. Cey's blast came with Smith on board and gave the Dodgers the same 2-0 lead they had at the end of the first half inning last night. Ah, but last night's script, as boring as any Merv Griffin Show, had quite a different finale than the eve before.

After Hooton retired the first three Yankees in record time, the Dodgers made it 3-0 on a Yeager four-bagger to left. Hunter, obviously unperturbed, stayed around long enough to serve up a pizza to Smith in the third. Reggie's blast, hit well over 400 feet to deadaway center, came with Bill Russell on base and put the Dodgers safely in front, 5-0.

Yankee manager Billy Martin mercifully relieved Hunter with Dick Tidrow, who did something Hunter found amazingly difficult: end the inning.

Three stanzas and six strikeouts into the game, the Yankees managed to score in the fourth. With Willie Randolph on third and Munson on first, Jackson hit a smash to Steve Garvey who neatly converted it into a 3-6-3 double play as Randolph scampered across the plate. Then 5-1. That was as close as the Pinstripers ever got.

Hooton was simply too tough. Mixing up the famous "knuckle-curve" with a very effective fastball, the ex-Cubbie showed a great deal of control (remember that word, Catfish?) as he struck out eight while issuing only one free pass. He pitched five perfect innings and gave up nothing more than a single to anyone.

The Dodgers added another tally in the ninth as Garvey powered a Sparky Lyle pitch (doesn't he ever get tired?) into the left-field stands. Lyle, it should be noted, came in after the third Yankee hurler, rookie Ken Clay, pitched three perfect innings of relief. Clay and Tidrow actually held the Dodgers scoreless for 5-2/3 innings.

The Yankees and Dodgers resume play in Los Angeles' Chavez Ravine park on Friday night. Probable starters are Mike Torrez and Tommy John. And if that game is anything like last night's, who cares?