Byline: Steve Dilbeck Staff Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - He was supposed to be back in Las Vegas, building a bar and getting his second career under way, not spoiling the Giants' little lovefest with their new ballpark.
Yet there was Kevin Elster on Tuesday, the all-time party spoiler, rocketing three home runs to lead the Dodgers to a 6-5 victory over the Giants in the debut of Pacific Bell Park.
Elster was the last guy the Giants figured would add to their long Dodgers misery, a No. 8 hitter who sat out all of last season. A 35-year- old shortstop who didn't decide to try one last swing at the majors until January, getting a late nonroster invite with the Dodgers.
Elster had never hit three home runs in a single game at any professional level.
``After the third home run, I think I was the most shocked guy in the ballpark,'' Elster said.
``The last time was Little League.''
Elster hit Pac Bell Park's first home run in the third off Kirk Rueter, added a two-run shot off Rueter in the fifth and a final solo shot off reliever Felix Rodriguez in the eighth.
He finished with four RBI, plenty of stunned looks among the dotcom crowd of 40,920 and a newfound appreciation for those in early retirement.
``It was just a remarkable day,'' said Dodgers manager Davey Johnson.
Elster had some help along the way - Chan Ho Park pitched six effective-enough innings to earn his second victory, Jeff Shaw survived a shaky ninth to earn his second save, Geronimo Berroa filled in for the injured Eric Karros at first with two hits and an RBI, Devon White had three hits and Gary Sheffield shook off his sore ankle to start in left.
But the guy who left San Francisco weeping in its Brie and sourdough was Elster. A guy released by the Texas Rangers in the middle of the 1998 season, who went home a career .228 hitter and figured it was time to move past this baseball thing.
``In my mind, I was retired,'' Elster said.
Elster returned to his home in Henderson, Nev., and started making plans to build a bar off the Las Vegas strip. He lifted weights but stayed away from playing baseball.
Then he started to get that itch. Johnson had been his manager while he was with the New York Mets. He was raised in Huntington Beach. He saw the Dodgers trying to build a championship.
``It seemed like a real nice, full circle,'' Elster said. ``When I decided to come back and play for Davey, I didn't want to doit unless I could contribute. A day like today makes me feel like I can, and hopefully kick-starts the rest of the season.''
The Giants actually started the scoring Tuesday when Barry Bonds doubled in Bill Mueller. Elster's first home run in the third tied it, but the Giants took back the lead on a Bonds' solo homer in the bottom of the inning.
Then Elster put the Dodgers on top for good with his two-run homer in the fifth. Shawn Green's bloop RBI single gave L.A. a 4-2 lead.
Park, the closest thing the Dodgers may have to a stopper with Kevin Brown nursing a broken pinkie finger, allowed three runs in six innings, surrendering one more run in the sixth a wild pitch.
``Chan Ho pitched well,'' Johnson said. ``He was consistent the whole game.
``That's a big key for us.''
After Berroa's RBI single in the sixth, Elster gave the Dodgers one more run to work with when he drilled a 3-2 pitch from Rodriguez out in the eighth for his third home run.
``You get production like that from the bottom of your order and it helps everyone else relax,'' Sheffield said. ``We feel like we don't have to do everything all the time.''
POWER SOURCE
Kevin Elster joined some elite company with his three home runs against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. A look at the Dodgers who have had three or more homers in a game:
HRs..Player.........Opponent............Year
4....Gil Hodges.....vs. Boston Braves...1950
3....Don Demeter....vs. San Francisco...1959*
3....Jimmy Wynn.....at San Diego........1974
3....Davey Lopes....at Chicago..........1974
3....Cory Snyder....at Pittsburgh.......1994
3....Mike Piazza....at Colorado.........1996
3....Kevin Elster...at San Francisco....2000
* 11-inning game
CAPTION(S):
2 photos, box
Photo:
(1 -- color) Kevin Elster hits the third of his three home runs on Tuesday in the Dodgers' 6-5 victory over the Giants at Pacific Bell Park.
Eric Risberg/Associated Press
(2 -- color) no caption (Kevin Elster)
Box: POWER SOURCE (see text)
