[0] ZEILE STUNS ANGELS; NINTH-INNING HOMER GIVES DODGERS VICTORY : DODGERS 4, ANGELS 3.

Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer

When the Angels resided there for four years in the early 1960s, they couldn't bring themselves to use the stadium's real name, so they called the place Chavez Ravine.

They were fooling themselves, as the Dodgers demonstrated Tuesday night in the historic first regular-season meeting of the Dodgers and Angels.

It is still, as before, Dodger Stadium. And the Angels' civic inferiority complex grows ever deeper.

This was affirmed in stirring - and somewhat shocking - fashion as the Dodgers' beleaguered offense fought back in the ninth inning against the Angels' best relief pitcher to claim a 4-3 victory before 41,428 fans.

In the ninth, Wilton Guerrero, excerpting the Kirk Gibson Guide to Breakneck Baseball, raced home from second base on a Troy Percival wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3. And Todd Zeile followed with a two-out, game-winning, solo home run to left as the Dodgers made a sharp break from form and won in their last gasp.

Twenty-nine times previously this season they had trailed entering the ninth inning. Twenty-eight of those times they had failed to overcome the deficit and expired in defeat.

Not this time, though. And what a dramatic way to pull it out.

``I felt a lot of relief after Wilton crossed the plate,'' said Zeile, who earlier had homered against former Dodgers minor-leaguer Mike James. ``I knew they were going to throw a fastball at me the next pitch.''

The inning had begun ignominiously. Guerrero committed the blunder of failing to run out a flared line drive and wound up standing sheepishly at first base when the ball was ruled fair by third-base umpire Jeff Nelson. Guerrero moved to second on Brett Butler's sacrifice bunt - but was still in desperate need of atonement.

Percival gave him the opportunity. The hard-throwing Angels right-hander stumbled while delivering a curve to Zeile, and the ball found the dirt perhaps four feet wide of catcher Chad Kreuter before bouncing clear to the backstop.

``As soon as I saw the pitch go, I knew I was going home,'' said Guerrero, who slid in safely as Kreuter's throw was rushed, wild and late.

``By scoring, he got a chance to make up for his mistake,'' said Dodgers manager Bill Russell, who couldn't recall any Dodger scoring from second on a wild pitch since Gibson torched the Cincinnati Reds in 1988.

Percival, who blew only his second save in seven opportunities this season, said, ``I threw a bad pitch. The guy scored. The home run was a byproduct.''

Undoubtedly. After watching the curveball get away, Zeile said he knew that Percival wouldn't risk another.

``I was expecting a fastball all the way,'' the Dodgers third baseman said.

On the very next pitch, he got one - as a bonus, it was out over the plate, and fat. After Zeile connected, the ball landed well beyond the left-field wall and sent Dodgers pouring out of their dugout. They're not the least bit accustomed to this kind of finish.

``This is what this team needs,'' said Russell, who had seen the Dodgers (33-35) drop three of their first four interleague encounters.

The victory helped mask the frustration of another flurry of missed opportunities. The Dodgers had prime opportunities to overtake the Angels in the sixth and eighth innings. But, conforming to a familiar pattern, they stranded five runners over those two innings while coming up short.

In the sixth, against Angels starter Chuck Finley, the Dodgers loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Zeile, Mike Piazza and Eric Karros. (Zeile was held at third on Karros' hit to right - a wise choice given the strength of Tim Salmon's arm and Zeile's lack of footspeed.)

But Finley struck out Raul Mondesi and Billy Ashley on wicked curveballs, then retired Greg Gagne on a fielder's choice grounder.

In the eighth, after Zeile's first home run pulled the Dodgers to within 3-2, Piazza and Karros followed with singles. But Mondesi's fielder's-choice bunt against Pep Harris was followed by two strikeouts - Mike Holtz getting Nelson Liriano looking and Percival fooling Karim Garcia with a changeup.

To that point, the Angels had gotten into prime position to win by taking a 3-1 lead after 5-1/2 innings. Their big hit was the two-run double of Garret Anderson off Chan Ho Park in the sixth inning.

But soon thereafter, the Angels were forced to dip into their bullpen, which has been reliable through much of the season. That unit couldn't deliver this time, though.

Not in Chavez Ravine.

Or whatever they call the place.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Dodgers shortstop Greg Gagne forces Gary DiSarcina at second base on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Chuck Finley, who reached first and eventually scored for Angels.

(2) Angels outfielder Tony Phillips temporarily lost this pop fly but recovered to record a first-inning out during Dodgers' 4-3 win Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Terri Thuente / Daily News