Orosco Is Getting to Be an Old Story

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Feb. 23, 2002 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

VERO BEACH, Fla. — Few baseball players can make 39-year-old Terry Mulholland feel young, but if the Dodger pitcher feels the effects of advancing age, all he needs to do is look a few locker stalls down at teammate Jesse Orosco, the reliever who will turn 45 on April 21.

“He’ll be able to collect a pension and still draw a salary,” Mulholland said. “What’s up with that?”

Many think Orosco wants to pitch until he’s 50. The left-hander says that’s not true, but don’t be shocked if he does. Orosco, who made his major league debut for the New York Mets in 1979, has 22 seasons and two World Series championships (1986 Mets, 1988 Dodgers) on his resume, and he has an excellent chance of winning a Dodger bullpen spot this spring.

“My age is just a number,” Orosco said. “It seems like I’m ancient because of my age and service time, but I don’t feel like it. I still have that fire to compete.”

This spring, he has the health to go with it. Orosco was recovering from elbow surgery in 2001 and failed to make the team when it broke camp. The Dodgers released him and then re-signed him to a minor league contract on April 24. After 10 games at triple-A Las Vegas, Orosco was recalled and went 0-1 with a 3.94 earned-run average in 35 games as the Dodgers’ primary left-handed relief specialist.

“It’s obvious his arm is stronger than it was at this time last year,” Dodger Manager Jim Tracy said. “He wasn’t there yet [physically] in spring training, but he pitched very effectively for us down the stretch. We’re going to try to stretch him out here so he can pitch to right-handers as well as lefties.”

Orosco attributes his longevity to consistent mechanics and work habits. Known best for recording the final out of the Mets’ World Series-clinching Game 7 victory over Boston in 1986 and then hurling his glove in the air, Orosco is one of those rare athletes who can appear on ESPN Classic and ESPN on the same night.

“He’s like a fine wine,” Dodger reliever Paul Quantrill said. “He gets better with age.”

The Dodgers are contemplating a bid for South Korean reliever Jin Pil-Jung, a 29-year-old right-hander who was posted by the Doosan Bears on Thursday. The Angels, Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers are also interested in Jung, who has a 64-47 career record and 2.92 ERA in seven Korean seasons.

The 30 major league teams have until 2 p.m. (PST) Tuesday to submit offers to the commissioner’s office. The amount of the highest bid will be forwarded to the Korean Series-champion Bears, who will decide to accept or reject it.

If accepted, the team with the winning bid will have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Jung, a projected set-up man who has a 91-mph fastball and a slider but does not possess the kind of dominant out pitch that could elevate him to a closer role in the U.S. Jung went 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 23 saves last season.

Two Japanese players, Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and Dodger pitcher Kazuhisa Ishii, have gone through the posting process since it was put in place in 2000, but Jung is not expected to command nearly as high a bid as Suzuki ($13.1 million) or Ishii ($11.26 million).

Ishii attracted a huge audience for his first serious bullpen workout in Dodgertown on Friday, but the crowd consisted of more than Japanese reporters and photographers. By the end of Ishii’s 67-pitch session, a large contingent of Dodgers, including Kevin Brown, Darren Dreifort and Hideo Nomo, were checking out the new left-hander.

“He’s just trying to get through some jet lag and God knows how many time zones, but his fastball had some pop to it and his breaking ball was sharp,” said Chad Kreuter, who caught Ishii on Friday. “He reminds me of [former Angel pitcher] Mark Langston because of his arm slot and the rotation of the ball.”

Ishii threw fastballs, curves and split-fingered fastballs, but did not throw a slider, his best pitch.

“If that’s his best pitch,” Kreuter said, “I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

Right-hander Andy Ashby, recovering from surgery to repair a torn flexor muscle in his pitching elbow, felt no ill effects from his bullpen workout Thursday, but Tracy said he is pushing back Ashby’s first live batting practice session to Sunday “because I want to err on the side of caution.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Career Longevity

Jesse Orosco is one of 25 players who have played in at least four different decades:

FIVE DECADES

Nick Altrock 1898-1933

Minnie Minoso 1949-1980

FOUR DECADES

Dan Brouthers 1879-1904

Bill Buckner 1969-1990

Eddie Collins 1906-1930

Rick Dempsey 1969-1992

Carlton Fisk 1969-1993