BACK TO ATLANTA FOR BUTLER : BROKEN HAND SENDS OUTFIELDER HOME.

Byline: Tim Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Brett Butler left the Dodgers again this morning.

He was bound for his home near Atlanta, for more uncertainty, for more recovery. He said he will return in about a week, when the Dodgers open their series in San Diego.

His left hand and forearm were in a cast that won't come off for at least three weeks. A minimum of two weeks of rehabilitation will follow. On that schedule, manager Bill Russell said, it is ``unlikely'' that Butler can play again this season.

The fastball that bore in on him Tuesday night broke the bone just below the pinkie knuckle, or the fifth metacarpal. Dr. Frank Jobe called it ``a boxer's fracture,'' or the kind of break fighters get from throwing punches.

Butler got a fighter's injury.

``Miracles have happened before,'' Butler said Wednesday. ``We'll see what happens from there.

``God makes perfect sense. It's a matter of finding where it is.''

Butler arrived at Dodger Stadium in jeans and a golf shirt, once again in street clothes while the rest of his teammates were in uniform. He had been examined Wednesday afternoon by Dr. Norm Zemel, a specialist who confirmed the break found in Tuesday night's x-rays. Zemel will examine Butler in approximately three weeks, or a few days after the regular season ends.

If Butler is to play this season, the Dodgers probably will have to reach the World Series, and even then he might not be sound enough physically.

``I don't see him coming back,'' said Russell, who was equally dubious during Butler's cancer recovery. ``He's going to be out too long, even if we get to the World Series.

``At this point, it's asking a lot to . . . put him back in the lineup at that time.''

The last time Butler left Dodger Stadium like this was on May 1. What followed was his remarkable battle with throat cancer that included radical surgery and six weeks of radiation treatments. That episode ended with his emotional return to the Dodgers' lineup Friday night, a game he said he would never forget.

Four nights later, his comeback ended on the wrong end of a fastball thrown by Cincinnati Reds pitcher Giovanni Carrara.

According to Jobe, neither the cancer nor the resulting radiation contributed to the injury. In fact, Jobe said, Butler's post-radiation work to stimulate his immune system could aid in the recovery process. However, he said, first the bone in his hand must heal, and that will require a minimum of three weeks.

``It's possible he could come back, but I wouldn't want to plan on him coming back,'' Jobe said. ``(But), you never want to count out anything, because he's liable to do anything.''

Butler was on the Dodgers' bench Wednesday night. He presented the lineup card to the umpires, and took advantage of the occasion by arguing about the pitch that hit him. Umpire Bill Hohn said Butler attempted to bunt the pitch that hit him, and therefore it was a strike. Butler claimed he tried to pull the bat back, and therefore should have been awarded first base. Butler laughed and Hohn shrugged.

Butler then spent the game positioning outfielders and reading the opposing pitcher, before he and his wife, Eveline, left together to see their four children.

``There's a little sadness there, obviously,'' Butler said. ``But, again, there's the excitement of seeing my kids that I haven't seen in three weeks. It goes back to priorities. They need to see me.''

The postseason retirement Butler had settled on over the past few days has softened. He fought back through cancer in part to play baseball one more time, to finish his career on the field and not in some doctor's office. When he returned after four months, he confided in his closest friends that this would be his final season.

He said repeatedly that his comeback allowed him to leave the game on his own terms.

And as he and Eveline drove home from Centinela Hospital Medical Center late Tuesday night, Butler turned to her and said, ``You know, Eveline, this isn't exactly my terms.''

Also: Mike Piazza's first-inning double extended his career-high hitting streak to 18 games. . . . When Raul Mondesi grounded out to start the second inning, it ended a string of seven hits in seven at-bats.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1--color) Dodgers center fielder Brett Butler br oke the bone below the pinkie knuckle Tuesday, ending his comeback from throat cancer.

(2--color) At a press conference Wednesday, Butler spoke about the odds of returning to the team this year.

Associated Press