ASTACIO FLIRTS WITH NO-HITTER IN NEW YORK : DODGERS 5, N.Y. METS 2.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

He doesn't even have his own booth in the Dodgers' International House of Pitchers.

The other Dominican pitcher is more famous.

The young flamethrower from Korea gets more attention even though he is not a full-time starter. The kid from Mexico, the one with the nickname, ``Rocket,'' is ahead of him in the rotation. The guy from Japan is a sensation on two continents.

Pedro Astacio has another seven-inning outing, and the yawns are barely stifled.

Not Wednesday.

By taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning of the Dodgers' 5-2 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium, Astacio gave people a reason to talk.

``He's a horse,'' pitching coach Dave Wallace said. ``He really is.''

Astacio pitched into the eighth inning in seven of his last 15 starts last season. He made it to the seventh in 12 of the last 16.

In his first start in nearly two weeks, Astacio took a tidy 81 pitches to get through seven innings. His 83rd pitch was a changeup meant for the outside corner. When the ball sailed directly over the middle of the plate, Carlos Baerga pulled it down the right-field line. The ball landed a foot fair and bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double.

Astacio, who was pulled immediately after Baerga's hit, joined Hideo Nomo and Tom Candiotti at 2-0. But Baerga ended the chance of a Dodgers no-hitter being thrown for the third-consecutive year. Fellow Dominican and staff ace Ramon Martinez did it in 1995 and Japanese superstar Nomo threw one last season. Astacio would have become more notable than Ismael Valdes. He would have diverted attention from pseudo-starter Chan Ho Park.

``He's just as important, just as valuable as all the rest of them,'' Dodgers manager Bill Russell said of Astacio. ``You saw what he was capable of doing today.''

The Dodgers, who won 3 of 4 on this road trip, also saw what Brett Butler was capable of - even at 39 years old and less than a year removed from cancer surgery. Butler went 5 for 5 with two runs scored. His five singles equaled a career high he has matched four times.

For the first time in the regular season, the Dodgers saw a home run from rookie Wilton Guerrero. His third-inning shot, which scored Butler and gave the Dodgers a 3-1 lead, was measured at 375 feet, a mere three feet beyond the fence.

Eric Karros' seventh-inning home run to left field, for a 5-1 lead, was a little farther - 470 feet before it caromed off the jumbo video screen.

Karros' home run did not draw near as big a reaction from the Shea Stadium crowd of 13,759 as Astacio's at-bat did the next inning. When the pitcher walked to the plate, some in the stands stood to cheer. The fans above the Dodgers dugout had been razzing him for a few innings.

``They were telling me, `You know you have a no-hitter,' '' Astacio said. ``They were trying to play with my mind.''

Astacio had not started since April 4. Three days after his first start of the season, a five-inning no-decision in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Pirates, he was needed for emergency duty. He pitched three innings of one-hit relief in the Dodgers' 3-2 win over the Mets. This past Sunday, so he would not go eight days between game action, he pitched a scoreless ninth in the Dodgers' 14-5 victory at Pittsburgh.

The rust showed early Wednesday. Astacio walked leadoff batter Lance Johnson and then balked him to second. Johnson went to third base on a grounder by John Olerud and scored on Bernard Gilkey's sacrifice fly.

``In the first couple innings I didn't have a good feel,'' Astacio said. ``In the third inning, I came back and threw the ball in good location.''

Until that fateful changeup to Baerga, which Astacio said he knew was going to be hit hard as soon as it was halfway to the plate.

``It was a bad pitch,'' he said. ``They never miss when you throw the ball in the middle.''

Two batters after Astacio gave way to Darren Dreifort, the tying run was at the plate.

Dreifort walked Alex Ochoa and Carl Everett to load the bases. Mark Guthrie came in and had pinch hitter Edgardo Alfonzo send a fly ball to left field that scored Baerga. Another fly ball to left field and a brilliant strikeout of Olerud, in which he sent Olerud fishing on a 3-2 curve, ended the threat. Todd Worrell pitched a perfect ninth inning for his fourth save in five chances.

But it was Astacio's day.

``He goes seven innings. He gives you a chance to win,'' Wallace said. ``I don't know what else you could ask for from your starter.''

BY THE NUMBERS

83: Pitches that Astacio made before giving up his first hit, a double to the Mets' Carlos Baerga with no outs in the eighth inning.

0: Pitches that Dodgers manager Bill Russell allowed Astacio to throw after giving up the hit.

13,759:Fans at Shea Stadium for the game (being waved to by Astacio at right), one night after 53,957 saw the Mets-Dodgers game that honored Jackie Robinson.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: (color) no caption (Pedro Astacio)

Associated Press

Box: by the NUMBERS (see text)