WORLD SERIES: ATLANTA BRAVES vs. CLEVELAND INDIANS : BASEBALL / ROSS NEWHAN : This Week, Everyone’s a Slugger

ATLANTA — Alan Embree, the Cleveland Indians’ rookie pitcher, is definitely envious. He sheepishly holds up the new bat on which Louisville Slugger has printed his name on the barrel.

In the next locker, Orel Hershiser smiles and displays the Louisville Slugger carrying his signature. Hershiser is big-timing Embree and his printed model.

“It’s a real status symbol,” he says of his signature model. “Very few pitchers in the big leagues have their own model, but I’ve had a contract with Louisville Slugger for a few years now.

“You know how it is when you win a batting title.”

A batting title?

Well, Hershiser did win a Silver Slugger award as the major leagues’ hitting leader among pitchers in 1993, when he batted .356--26 for 73--the highest single-season batting average by a Dodger pitcher since the move from Brooklyn and the highest by a Dodger pitcher since Don Newcombe batted .359 in 1955.

“It’s been almost two years,” Hershiser said. “I don’t think that will do me much good tomorrow night. I don’t think I face the best pitcher in baseball with any kind of offensive momentum.”

In a classic matchup of pitchers who operate more with brains than brawn, Hershiser pits his 7-0 postseason record against Greg Maddux of the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the World Series tonight.

Besides Albert Belle and Carlos Baerga, Kenny Lofton and Jim Thome, Maddux must cope with Hershiser and his signature-model bat.

But he doesn’t have to deal with left-handed hitting first baseman Paul Sorrento, as a starter anyway. Sorrento hit 25 homers and drove in 79 runs during the regular season.

It is lunacy, but the American and National Leagues operate under different playing rules, so the Indians cannot use the designated hitter in Games 1 and 2 in Atlanta, nor 6 and 7, if those games are necessary.

Eddie Murray, normally Cleveland’s designated hitter, will play first base here, benching the platoon of Sorrento and Herbert Perry until Games 3-5 in Cleveland, and forcing Hershiser and other Cleveland pitchers to bat in the Atlanta games.

“We have a team constructed in part with the DH in mind,” Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove said. “This takes a key component, a valuable hitter, out of it. It does the same to Atlanta, but they go this way all year.

“It’s screwy, real screwy. I never liked the idea [of the leagues using different rules], but I’ve never been asked my opinion.

“I mean, you come up to baseball’s premier event and ask one team to change the way it’s gone about it all year. If that’s not screwy, what is?”

The switch-hitting Murray batted .323 with 21 homers and 82 RBIs this year. At 39, he appeared in 113 games, but only 18 in the field.

Hargrove, however, said Murray regularly takes ground balls and has no concerns about his ability to handle a position at which he used to be a Gold Glove performer.

What does Hargrove expect of his pitchers at the plate?

“Good athletes have a way of making good things happen,” he said. “But I’ve watched them swing the last few days and don’t know what to expect.”

There could be changes in time. The 1998 expansion could leave each league with 15 teams, forcing interleague play--but only if the American gives up the designated hitter.

Cleveland General Manager John Hart said common sense dictates that both leagues use the same rules, but he strongly supports the DH.

“I’m a proponent of offensive baseball,” he said. “We outdrew everyone at home and on the road, primarily because we hit 220 home runs. People don’t come to see the pitcher hit or the manager pull a double switch.

“They come to see nine legitimate hitters. They come to see star players like Eddie Murray and Paul Molitor continue to hit.”

Hershiser carries a .214 average for 672 at-bats. Signature bat in hand, he said:

“I think it’s great the DH keeps a lot of outstanding hitters in the game, but I think the pitcher hitting, with the managerial strategy that goes along with it, is part of the complete game of baseball.

“I take pride in my hitting. Not striking out. Getting the bunt down to advance the runner. Keeping the defense from charging because I can fake the bunt and slash. We call that ‘the butcher boy.’ It took me years to convince Tommy [Lasorda] I could do it. I don’t think I can convince Hargrove in one night. I’ll have to be lucky to get any hits against Maddux. I’ll feel good if I can make contact.”

The Indians would all feel better if the rules by which they have played 153 games this year applied to all of the next seven.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TODAY’S GAME

* Cleveland (Hershiser 16-6) at Atlanta (Maddux 19-2) 4:20 p.m.

SCHEDULE

Sunday

* Cleveland at Atlanta, 4:20 p.m.

Tuesday

* Atlanta at Cleveland, 5:20 p.m.

Wednesday

* Atlanta at Cleveland, 5:20 p.m.

Oct. 26*

* Atlanta at Cleveland, 5:20 p.m.

Oct. 28*

* Cleveland at Atlanta, 4:20 p.m.

Oct. 29*

* Cleveland at Atlanta, 4:20 p.m.

* if necessary