EX-DODGERS BEAT CURRENT ONES : NEW YORK 3, DODGERS 1.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

Sixteen months ago the new regime put its stamp on the Dodgers' organization by trading away perhaps the best offensive catcher to play the game since . . . it was invented.

As much as Pedro Martinez being dealt for Delino DeShields, the Dodgers' willingness to part with Mike Piazza has been blamed for the demise of the franchise under Fox's guidance.

Public perception remains that the day the Dodgers traded Mike Piazza was the day the organization went south.

More than half the 33,954 at Dodger Stadium served another reminder. They cheered Piazza wildly when he crushed a two-run homer off Kevin Brown in the sixth inning to help the New York Mets to a 3-1 win over the hometown Dodgers on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.

It was Piazza's 34th homer. He has 106 RBI. Both would lead the Dodgers. He entered the night hitting .316, which would be second among Dodgers regulars.

``That's a tremendous honor,'' Piazza said of the vociferous response from the crowd. ``It's awesome. I was in awe. It's nice to know they appreciate the effort you made when you were here, and to me, that's very emotional.''

In a season that seems to never end but always get worse, watching Piazza deliver a clutch hit in the midst of a pennant race in his old stomping grounds isn't exactly what the Dodgers had in mind.

Watching him do it off the $105 million man, who last lost July 5, only drives home the point of what type of season it's been.

Add to that onetime Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser pitching eight innings of one-run ball for the Mets and the pain increases. He allowed two hits, struck out one and didn't walk a batter.

Oh, and just to rub a shaker full of salt into any wounds the Dodgers may be licking, Roger Cedeno - whom the Dodgers traded during the offseason along with Gold Glove catcher Charles Johnson for catcher Todd Hundley - robbed Gary Sheffield of a seventh-inning homer with a leaping catch above the right-field wall. It was the 10th out in a string of 15 straight that Hershiser (13-10) recorded before leaving after the eighth.

``The battle was to concentrate on the right things, pitch execution, not facing Kevin Brown in your old stomping grounds on a beautiful L.A. night,'' Hershiser said. ``The fight was to stay focused on the job and not the deja vu. I figured I was going out there against the best guy in baseball. I have to give up two or less runs to win.''

To finish off the evening, the Mets went to newly anointed closer Armando Benitez. He pitched the ninth for his 19th save. And to round out just what type of hand the Dodgers had on both sides in this defeat, Benitez was acquired from Baltimore for Johnson.

``It's always nice to come back, but reality hits you when Kevin Brown throws one 94 mph right past you,'' said Piazza, who struck out twice and grounded out. ``Then, forget about reflecting.''

The only leftover from the Piazza-to-Florida deal for the Dodgers is Sheffield, who, of course, was overshadowed. Sheffield hit his 24th homer of the season with two outs in the first to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.

Lately, that's been enough for Brown, but this time it didn't hold. Brown last lost more than two months ago and he was coming off back-to-back complete games in which he allowed one run.

Not only had Brown won seven straight decisions to make a 20-win season again possible, but the Dodgers had won eight of his last 10 starts.

In fact, Brown (16-7) was 6-0 with a 1.68 ERA in his past nine starts, punctuated by his two-hit shutout of Chicago in his last start.

This one was going that way as well, until John Olerud reached on Mark Grudzielanek's error and Piazza followed by drilling a fastball into the left-field bleachers to give the Mets a 2-1 lead.

``We made that one little error and (Brown) threw that one a little too good to Piazza and he crushed it,'' Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. ``He just made it too good. That's where the big guy likes it.''

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PHOTOFormer Dodgers made life painful for current Dodgers on Thursday. The Mets' Orel Hershiser held the Dodgers to two hits in eight innings, while Roger Cedeno, above, made the catch on this play to rob Gary Sheffield of a home run in a 3-1 New York win.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press