Chan-Ho Earned 11th Victory, ``Grateful Bats!``

Park Chan-Ho (28, LA Dodgers) won the victory, supported by the offensive outburst.

Park allowed 5 runs (1 ER) with nine hits including two homers during his 7 inning starting game with Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium yesterday, but he earned his 11th victory (6 losses) thanks to the offensive line which scored 10 runs until the third inning. Park earned his third straight victory, since he shut out the Milwaukee Brewers with no base-on-balls on 19th.

Park confronted the most expensive ML pitcher Mike Hampton whose guarantee is $121 million for 8 years. Most had expected that this game would be a tense pitchers battle, but Mike Hampton was knocked out by the formidable offensive outburst of the Dodgers who moved up to the first place in ML West recording 8 wins and 2 losses in the recent 10 games.

After the Dodgers scored the first run of the game in the first inning, it added five runs with Shawn Green`s homer in the second, which rather early forecasted the Dodgers` win.

Relaxed from 6-0 lead, Park lost 4 runs allowing the back-to-back homers to Cirillo (three run) and Helton (solo) in the top of the third inning. But Park could continue the stable pitching till the seventh, thanks to the Dodgers` hitters who immediately struck back adding four more runs in the third. The four runs that Park allowed in the third were recorded as unearned because they were recorded as the fielder`s error.

With this victory, Park not only recorded three wins with no loss in four matches with Mike Hampton, but also showed his offensive ability with a hit, a walk and two runs off of Hampton. The Dodgers` 10-6 victory (61 wins 44 losses), its third straight win, widened to 1.5 game differential from the ailing Arizona Diamondbacks (59 wins 45 losses) with the third straight loss.

Shawn Green, who has played as the best `Dowoomi`(helper) for this season, led the team`s victory with three hits (out of five batters) and three RBI. Green has consecutively hit homers in the recent four games in which Park started, and he became the firs left hitter who shot 30 home runs in a season since the Dodgers changed its franchise in 1958.

Park will seek for his 12th victory in a home game with Chicago Cups at the Dodger Stadium at 11: 10 am on August 4th (Korean Time).

Kim Sang-Soo ssoo@donga.com