There were times last year when Wilson Alvarez feared he had nothing remaining in his strong left arm.
“I was basically done,” he said. “November, December, I was done. But there was something inside me that said, `You can’t quit like this. You have to do something good before you’re done.”‘
His latest good deed was his best as a Dodger, and it came at a time they needed it most.
Alvarez pitched his first complete-game shutout in more than six years Friday, giving up four hits and striking out seven in a 6-0 victory over San Diego before 51,013 at Dodger Stadium.
Alvarez (5-1) was signed to a minor-league contract in January and began the season with Triple-A Las Vegas, but his 119-pitch victory Friday was a prime major-league effort.
The Dodgers remained 3 1/2 games behind Florida in the scramble for the National League wild-card berth and moved within two games of Philadelphia.
“Wilson was tremendous, like he’s been the last couple of months,” said Shawn Green, whose first-inning home run off Kevin Jarvis (4-8) was the 250th of his career and his league-leading 13th run batted in during September. “He led us to the win.”
Alvarez, 33, helped by improving his record in his last seven starts, since Aug. 9, to 4-0 with a 1.18 ERA.
Overall, with the Dodgers, his ERA is 2.16.
Alvarez previously pitched a complete game on June 25, 1999, with Tampa Bay against the Toronto Blue Jays.
His last complete-game shutout was June 18, 1997, against the Cubs, while a member of the White Sox.
