He is not called "The Bulldog" for nothing.

At age 41, Orel Hershiser made a triumphant return to Dodger Stadium, scattering six hits over six innings as Los Angeles routed the Reds, 8-1, in their home opener.

After going 6-3 on their first road trip, the Dodgers became the last National League club to open at home. But the wait was well worth it for Hershiser (1-0), the staff ace and World Series MVP on Los Angeles' last championship team in 1988.

"Yeah, it's a thrill and it's a thrill to get it over with," Hershiser said. "We've got a marathon ahead."

He went 23-8 in 1988 and broke Don Drysdale's record by tossing 59 consecutive scoreless innings from August 30 to the end of the season, which was capped by a Cy Young Award.

Re-signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in the offseason, the righthander was not quite that dominant today but allowed only a leadoff homer to Aaron Boone in the third inning. He walked two and struck out two.

"I expect great things out of him every time," Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said. "He rises to the occasion. He's pitched in a lot of Opening Days here, but today was still something special."

"It was like a playoff game for me. It was a sellout crowd, the bunting was out and it was Mr. Daly's first game," added Hershiser, referring to Robert Daly, the Dodgers' new managing partner.

Hershiser, who won 134 games for the Dodgers from 1983-94, rebounded from a shaky outing in his first start of the season. He gave up four runs and seven hits over five innings at Montreal on April 5, receiving a no-decision.

Hershiser made one start at Dodger Stadium last year with the New York Mets, surrendering one run and just two hits over eight innings in a 3-1 victory on September 9.

After Gary Sheffield homered in the first to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead, Boone tied it in the third. But the Dodgers went up 2-1 in the bottom half on Sheffield's RBI single and broke it open with six runs in the seventh.

Shawn Greene and Eric Karros each had two-run doubles while Devon White and Adrian Beltre added RBI singles in the inning.

Rookie Rob Bell (0-1) suffered the loss, yielding two runs -- one earned -- and four hits over 5 1/3 innings before the Reds' bullpen collapsed in the seventh.

Bell kept the Reds in the game, but Cincinnati manager Jack Mckeon was forced to use three pitchers in the seventh. Scott Sullivan gave up four runs on just one hit while recording only two outs, while Dennys Reyes yielded two runs without retiring a batter. Manny Aybar finally recorded the final out of the inning.

"I think Bell did a good job again," Mckeon said. "It looked like he ran out of gas a little bit in the sixth, but he just continues to impress. He will get better as time goes on."

"I felt like I was close to getting the nasty stuff going," Bell added. "I thought my stuff was getting better in the fifth and sixth. I feel like I'm getting real close."

The Reds had a chance to take the lead in the top of the seventh, but Ken Griffy Jr. struck out with the bases loaded for the final out.

"I swung at a pitch out of the zone," Griffey said. "Anytime you leave runners on, it's frustrating."

Hershiser worked out of jams in the second and third. Dante Bichette and Dimitri Young led off the second with singles, but Eddie Taubensee grounded into a double play and Hal Morris tapped back to the mound.

After giving up the homer to Boone in the third, Hershisher escaped a first-and-third threat by getting Bichette to foul to first for the final out.

"Was I in control? No," Hershiser said. "This thing could have exploded in my face at any time out there."

Sheffield, who is battling an ankle sprain, went 3-for-3, extending his hitting streak to 10 games at the start of the season and to 16 games, dating to the end of last year. He has eight homers during that span.

Green, who belted his first National League homer on Thursday in San Francisco, collected two hits to stretch his hitting streak to nine games.

"This starts with an attitude," Sheffield said. "We have a quiet confidence right now."

Pokey Reese had four of the Reds' nine hits. Cincinnati slipped to 1-3 on its six-game road trip.