DODGERS WIN FANS, LOSE GAME : OAKLAND 5, DODGERS 4.

Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer

They cheered Mike Piazza's home runs in batting practice. They cheered his three singles in the game.

They cheered Hideo Nomo's every strikeout. They booed when he was taken out of the game in the sixth inning.

Since it is the fans Major League Baseball is trying to excite with interleague play, then Thursday night at the Oakland Coliseum appeared to be a success.

The folks in Oakland, many of them evidently Dodgers fans, got to see a National League team. The Dodgers got to see what American League baseball is about.

When Nomo lost control in the sixth inning, walking three batters and hitting another, the A's took a lead they never relinquished and went on to win 5-4.

A crowd of 28,201, more than 13,000 above the average turnout at A's games this season, cheered plays by both teams all night.

It was no World Series atmosphere, but there were plenty of ``interleague moments'' before the game.

Dodgers shortstop Greg Gagne, who spent 13 years in the American League with the Twins and Royals, walked into the clubhouse to a warm welcome.

``Hey stranger,'' visiting clubhouse manager Mike Thalmblum said, embracing Gagne.

The Dodgers later walked out to the field to red, white and blue bunting, a la the World Series, and a mass of blue shirts and hats in the stands.

The group of fans that clamored around as Mike Piazza signed autographs for 10 minutes was full of people in Dodgers regalia.

Fans in Los Angeles might be excited to see how Oakland's Mark McGwire does at Dodger Stadium, but those in Oakland seemed just as curious about Piazza.

After the Dodgers catcher, who made his debut as a designated hitter Thursday, bombed three balls to the bleachers high above the center field wall in his first round of batting practice, the crowd cheered loudly as he rounded first base.

The field was crowded pregame with Japanese media. Lately, the media throng that follows Nomo has thinned. But due to the large Japanese population in the Bay Area, it seemed like the old days.

As many teams in the National League have done, the A's unveiled their retired ``42'' in honor of Jackie Robinson with the Dodgers in town.

Back in the clubhouse, bench coach Mike Scioscia posted the lineup card. It had a ``2'' (for catcher) next to Piazza's name and Tom Prince's name. Scioscia removed the sheet of paper, and wrote ``DH'' over the ``2'' next to Piazza's name.

Todd Zeile, who spent 29 regular-season games and nine postseason games in the American League last year, said he was excited about the game. But he downplayed any shock the players might face, just because they had not faced each other.

``So much scouting and stuff goes on now, you can know as much about teams on paper as you could want to know,'' he said. ``A lot of guys have been on both sides.''

Brett Butler, who called himself a ``traditionalist'' and therefore against interleague play, agreed with Zeile.

``When I broke in, each league was different,'' Butler said. ``The National League was more manipulative, faster-paced, more running. The American League was sit around and wait for the bomb. Now, because of players switching back and forth, it's not like that. It's kind of like it's all intertwined.''Gagne searched hard for an answer to what was different between the two leagues.

``In the National League I hit eighth, and in the American League I hit ninth,'' he finally said, smiling.

Sure enough, Gagne batted ninth Thursday, as Prince batted eighth.

As his team warmed up behind him, Dodgers manager Bill Russell lamented the use of the designated hitter.

``For a few games it'll be OK,'' Russell said. ``Being in the National League my whole career, I really think that it takes the strategy away from the game. Tonight, I just sit back and let them play.''

Just before the game started, Dodgers third base coach Joe Amalfitano sat at the end of the visitor's dugout and recalled the last time the Dodgers played the A's. It was here for the fifth game of the 1988 World Series, which he Dodgers won to clinch the title.

``The last time I sat here was before the ninth inning, the last inning of the '88 World Series,'' he said. ``Then I went out and coached third base. Then things got kind of exciting.''

Thursday's events lacked that energy.

Nomo, after striking out McGwire and Jose Canseco, gave up a home run to Matt Stairs in the second inning. It was the only hit he allowed.

The Dodgers scored a run in the fifth and another in the sixth. But after recording his eighth strikeout to start the bottom of the sixth, Nomo walked Rafael Bournigal and Geronimo Berroa and hit McGwire. He walked Canseco to bring in Bournigal.

Russell replaced Nomo with Mark Guthrie, who gave up an RBI single to Stairs and a two-run double to Brent Mayne.

The Dodgers scored twice in the seventh but sent just six batters to the plate in the final two innings.

HISTORY IS MADE

A look at some of Thursday's interleague firsts:

FIRST PITCH: Ball from Texas' Darren Oliver to San Francisco's Darryl Hamilton at 7:11 p.m. CDT.

FIRST FINAL SCORE: San Francisco 4, Texas 3.

FIRST HIT: Hamilton, first inning, single to right field.

FIRST HOME RUN: San Francisco's Stan Javier in the third inning.

FIRST STRIKEOUT: Mark Gardner struck out Texas' Ivan Rodriguez.

FIRST WALK: Texas' Will Clark, off Gardner.

FIRST HIT BY PITCH: San Francisco's Barry Bonds.

FIRST NL DESIGNATED HITTER: Glenallen Hill, who fouled out.

ON DECK

Today marks the first full schedule of interleague games. Some highlights:

BALTIMORE AT ATLANTA: 10-game winner Jimmy Key faces four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux.

BOSTON AT N.Y. METS: Rematch of the 1986 World Series.

TORONTO AT PHILADELPHIA: Rematch of the 1993 World Series.

COLORADO AT SEATTLE: Hard-throwing Randy Johnson vs. power-hitting Larry Walker.

CAPTION(S):

Box, 2 Photos

Box: Interleague intrigue (see text)

Photo: (1) Mark McGwire of Oakland scores ahead of tag by Tom Prince as A's defeated Dodgers 5-4 in interleague game.

(2 -- color) The Texas Rangers' Will Clark, the former San Francisco first baseman, visits with the Giants' J.T. Snow in the fourth inning of their game in Arlington, Texas

Associated Press