Hershiser Continues to Set Them Down : Baseball: He goes six-plus innings for Class-A Bakersfield and gives up his first run since he began rehabilitation.

BAKERSFIELD — Orel Hershiser gave up an earned run Saturday night and actually felt pretty good about it.

“I’m happy to just get that out of the way,” said Hershiser, who worked into the seventh inning and was the winning pitcher in the Bakersfield Dodgers’ 5-3 victory over Salinas. “I didn’t need any scoreless streak. The rehab is enough pressure.”

Hershiser wore a huge ice pack on his right shoulder and an equally huge smile when he met the media in the tiny Class-A clubhouse afterward. He said he needs one or two more starts in the minor leagues before he returns to the Dodgers.

“I feel like I’m getting closer, but I still need some more outings,” he said.

Hershiser broke new ground in his comeback, one year and 21 days since his shoulder underwent a major surgical overhaul.

He threw more than 80 pitches--83 total, of which 58 were strikes and 25 balls.

He walked off the mound in the seventh inning after giving up a run-scoring double to Hideyuki Yasuda. The ball was hit down the left-field line just inside third base and scored Jim Bishop, who had reached on an error.

By then, Hershiser knew he had enough and pulled himself from the game, which hardly dampened the enthusiasm of Dodger Vice President Fred Claire and pitching coach Ron Perranoski, who watched from box seats behind home plate.

“He obviously is much closer to Dodger Stadium, no question about it,” Claire said.

And when might he get there?

“It’s always been locked in his right shoulder, that’s where the timetable is,” Claire said.

Through three innings, Hershiser did not allow a ball to be hit out of the infield by Salinas, the second-weakest hitting team in the California League. After giving up a soft single to center in the fourth, Hershiser seemed to begin to tire.

In the first four innings, Hershiser threw 38 strikes and nine balls. The rest of the way, he threw 20 strikes and 16 balls.

However, Hershiser said his fatigue was a “good fatigue” and Dodger physical therapist Pat Screnar agreed.

“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Screnar said. “He recuperated between innings beautifully.”

It was Hershiser’s third start in his 30-day rehabilitation assignment that began May 8 when he pitched five innings for Bakersfield against Reno.

As Hershiser warmed up before the game in the home team’s bullpen, it seemed as if the novelty might be wearing off.

Hershiser produced his third sellout in a row Saturday night when 3,911 turned up in Sam Lynn Park, which seats 3,800, but only a hundred fans were turned away.

More than 3,000 had been turned away in his previous game here, when 4,048 overflowed the stands.

Hershiser would not say where he would pitch next, although he is scheduled to go again Thursday night. After that, who knows?

“I don’t feel any pressure to come back,” he said. “It really doesn’t matter if I come back May 28 or June 8. That week doesn’t matter. If I come back too soon and it shortens my career, I’ve made a real big mistake.”

The Comeback Trail

A look at Orel Hershiser’s pitching during his 30-day rehabilitation assignment.

May 8 vs. Class-A Reno

IP H R ER BB SO Ball Strike 5 2 0 0 0 3 12 32

May 13 at Triple-A Phoenix

IP H R ER BB SO Ball Strike 5 5 0 0 0 5 24 44

May 18 vs. Class-A Salinas

IP H R ER BB SO Ball Strike 6 3 2 1 1 3 25 58