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  Thursday, Jul. 20 10:10pm ET
Sheffield hits 33rd homer for Dodgers
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Welcome back, Davey.

Gary Sheffield and Shawn Green homered and pinch-hitter Jim Leyritz added a two-run single Thursday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers made manager Davey Johnson's return a winning one by beating the Colorado Rockies 6-3.

Johnson had missed the previous four games because of an irregular heart rhythm that caused him to be hospitalized for 3½ days. The Dodgers went 3-1 in Johnson's absence with bench coach Jim Tracy running the team.

Gary Sheffield
Gary Sheffield took over the major-league home run lead when he hit his 33rd off the Rockies' Masato Yoshii in the first inning.

"It was emotional for me," Sheffield said of Johnson's return. "To see him again just lit up my face. I gave him a hug in the training room. He's more important to this club than most people think."

Sheffield hit his major league-leading 33rd homer off Masato Yoshii (4-11) in the first to open the scoring, and Green hit his 14th with two aboard in the sixth to put the Dodgers ahead 4-3.

Leyritz singled with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth off Gabe White, the fourth Colorado pitcher of the inning, to give the Dodgers their final two runs.

"It was a lot better than being in the hospital, I'll tell you that," Johnson said with a smile. "I don't like hospitals.

"Tracy put some pressure on me. It didn't feel like a three-run win, it was a lot closer than that."

Johnson has been told he needs to live a healthier life. Among other things, he's been told to give up chewing tobacco.

"I had a few pieces of bubble gum, sunflower seeds," he said. "I didn't miss it."

Chan Ho Park (10-7) overcame wildness to earn the victory, his first since June 18. Park, who had lost his previous three starts after two no-decisions, allowed four hits and three runs in six innings while walking five, hitting a batter and striking out six.

Terry Adams then pitched two scoreless innings, and Mike Fetters blanked the Rockies in the ninth for his fourth save.

Yoshii, who lost his fourth straight start after winning three in a row, also went six innings and gave up seven hits and four runs.

Green hit a 2-0 pitch from Yoshii an estimated 439 feet over the center field fence after Mark Grudzielanek opened the sixth with a single and Sheffield drew a walk.

The Rockies had taken a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning when Brent Mayne hit a two-run homer, his fifth.

"It really felt good," said Green, who added a double and is finally starting to come out of a lengthy slump. "The last few games, I've been feeling a lot better. It's nice to see the results."

When asked what Johnson said after he hit his homer, Green replied: "I think he said 'Welcome back.' I said, 'You, too.' "

Park held the Rockies hitless until Todd Helton lined a one-out single in the fourth after Larry Walker had walked. Jeffrey Hammonds followed with an RBI double to tie the game 1-1.

Rockies manager Buddy Bell, whose team has lost 13 of its last 15 games, closed the Colorado clubhouse and spoke to reporters outside.

"We had a lot of opportunities," he said. "We weren't able to execute like we normally do. Good things are going to happen to this team, this team deserves better. I believe that good things come to those who deserve it."

Leyritz is now 6-for-17 with six RBI since joining the Dodgers on June 20.

"It was a nice little gift to give Davey," he said of his hit.

Game notes
Park retired the Rockies in order in the first with two strikeouts, ending a five-game streak in which Los Angeles opponents had scored in the opening inning. ... The Yoshii-Park matchup pitted pitchers from the Far East against each other. Yoshii is from Japan and Park is a native of Korea. ... Sheffield has hit safely in 11 straight games and has six homers in the Dodgers' eight games since the All-Star break. ... Dodgers outfielder Devon White, sidelined 2½ months due to a partial tear in his left rotator cuff, went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored for San Bernardino of the California League in his first game of a rehabilitation assignment. The Dodgers might activate White as soon as this weekend.
 


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Johnson rejoins Dodgers one day after leaving hospital


RECAPS
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Baltimore 9
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(2nd game)

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