Hershiser Blanks Oakland, 6-0

LOS ANGELES--Orel Hershiser did it all, holding Oakland's big bashers to three hits and getting three himself last night as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Athletics, 6-0, and took a stunning 2-0 lead in the World Series.

Hershiser's super season, which ended with a record 59 consecutive shutout innings, got even better with his most incredible performance of the year. He became the first pitcher to get three hits--including two doubles--in a World Series game since 1924 and the first ever to throw shutouts in both the playoffs and the World Series. He even threw in a fine fielding play.

The Dodger Bulldog, who has worked almost half his team's innings in the postseason, now has allowed just three earned runs in his last 92 innings.

Mike Marshall contributed a three-run homer and a triple as the Dodgers again did everything right against the heavily favored Athletics. This time, Los Angeles didn't need miracle man Kirk Gibson, who won the series' opener with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth but did not play last night because of hamstring and ligament damage.

Gibson's status remained day-to-day going into Game 3 tomorrow night in Oakland when Bob Welch opposes Los Angeles' John Tudor. Of 38 teams that have won the first two games in the World Series, 28 have gone on to win the championship.

Orel Surgery

Baseball's most dominant pitcher showed baseball's winningest team something it hadn't seen. Only Dave Parker could solve Hershiser, getting three singles, but twice Mark McGwire followed by grounding into double plays.

Hershiser struck out eight, walked two and allowed only three runners to get as far as second base. He threw just 104 pitches despite working on three days' rest since winning the final game of the National League playoffs against the New York Mets.

The Athletics, the second-highest scoring team in the majors this year, managed to get just six balls out of the infield.

Hershiser's one-out single to center field in the third inning touched off a five-run outburst, capped by Marshall's home run.

Hershiser's double to right in the fourth made it 6-0 and finished A's hurler Storm Davis. He also doubled to left field in the sixth, matching his season total for two-base hits.