Here We Go Again: A Giants Fan's 2002 Journal

by David Malbuff

For the sixth consecutive season, the San Francisco Giants head into the season's final two weeks with a shot at the World Series. While the Giants' playoff experiences of late have been unhappy ones, this regular-season record of consistency is truly remarkable. Only the Yankees, Braves, Mariners, and, perhaps, the Astros have been year-in year-out contenders over this time. While it would be an upset of considerable proportion were the Giants actually to reach the Fall Classic, let alone win it, nonetheless we fans of the team must acknowledge that we're living through a golden age not seen since those glory days of the mid-'60s, that era of Mays, McCovey, and Marichal.

ESPN analyst Peter Gammons noted recently that over the past half-decade the Giants have played fewer than a dozen meaningless games. In 1999 they dropped off the radar along about this time, done in by injuries and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Last year they went into the final weekend still in contention, but again Arizona refused to lose. In '97 and '00, of course, they won the division. And in 1998 they forced a one-game playoff for the wild card (which could certainly happen again this year). So the Giants have reached the postseason in two of the past five years (officially, the '98 playoff was the 163rd game of the regular season, but to us fans it was a playoff game), and in the other years have hung tough late. This is a credit to the ballclub, and a major stress-inducer to us fans. There's never time to relax!

And this year is no different. Arizona holds a seven-game lead with 13 to play, and the Snakes seem likely to capture their third division crown in four years. But as in '98, the Giants are leading the wild-card chase as we head into the home stretch. The hated Dodgers are but one game back. Houston, not out of it yet, trails by five and a half. And those final 13 games include seven against these very rivals: four big ones in LA beginning tonight, and three at home against the Astros to finish the season.

The wild card, eh? On the Giants newsgroup, one wiseacre already has posted a slightly altered version of Russ Hodges' famous radio call from 1951: "The Giants win the wild card! The Giants win the wild card!" Not to be outdone, another responded with "We're Number Two! We're Number Two!" Yet for all the silliness of this NBA-style playoff format and the unavoidable violence it does to baseball's long season, we must admit that one good thing about the wild card is that it sure beats the alternative.

If they make it, can they win? Can the Giants hang with Arizona and the mighty Braves? Heck, can they hang with the Cardinals, the likely Central champs? Can they even outlast LA and Houston? Who are these guys, and how do they compare with Giant teams of recent past, especially those star-crossed champions of 2000?

Well, Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent lead the offense, and, as the song goes, you know that can't be bad. Kent, after a poor start -- physically, spiritually, and emotionally -- has batted over .400 since June, has set a career high with 34 homers, and for the sixth straight year has driven in over 100 runs. No other second baseman in baseball history has done that. It's become another MVP-type season for the taciturn one -- except by comparison to Bonds, who is, as Bill James once said about Babe Ruth, off on his own planet as usual. Hard as it is to imagine Barry outdoing his epochal 73-homer campaign of a year ago, the fact remains that he is doing just that. Bonds is 38 years old, he is leading the major leagues with a .372 average, his 43 homers exceed his 42 strikeouts, he is about to break his own season record for walks, he's already broken -- no, shattered -- McCovey's record for intentional walks, and... well, actually, one single number really tells the tale. That number is .578, and it is Barry Bonds' on-base percentage. Not even Ted Williams ever approached a .600 OBP, and for Bonds to rack up a season like this immediately after a season like last year (73 homers, .863 slugging average, 177 walks, all records) is unprecedented. Nothing like this has ever happened before, and it's likely to be some time before it ever happens again.

The rest of the team has been barely adequate at the plate, but adding Bonds and Kent to the mix puts the Giants near the top of the league in runs and hits and so forth. Rich Aurilia has dropped off badly from his sensational numbers of a year ago, probably due to lingering injury. Reggie Sanders, signed away from Arizona as a free agent to simultaneously weaken the Snakes and fill the Giants "Ellis Burks" hole, has also disappointed, with only 78 RBIs in 468 at-bats behind Bonds and Kent. J.T. Snow nearly lost his job to Damon Minor earlier; he's bounced back slightly since, improving his numbers with men on base and drawing more walks. The positives are Benito Santiago, enjoying his best season in a decade at age 36, and Kenny Lofton, picked up at midseason to give the club a real leadoff hitter. No one else in the lineup scares anybody, though infielder David Bell, acquired in a preseason trade, is an improvement over Bill Mueller (who has, incidentally, returned to the club as a lefty-hitting utilityman).

Jason Schmidt, who signed a big contract before the season, has emerged as the ace of the pitching staff. His durability is our only concern; his stuff sure ain't. He's the one Giants pitcher capable of throwing a five-hit, 12-strikeout, complete-game shutout against a good team. He starts tonight at Dodger Stadium. Russ Ortiz and Kirk Rueter have generally been strong second-tier starters, though we admit we expected more from Ortiz at this point in his career. Livan Hernandez pitches his usual 200-plus innings, allows more hits than any pitcher in the league, walks almost nobody, loses a lot of games (15), wins some (11) and, we hope, will crank up his intensity for the playoffs. Fifth starter Ryan Jensen, who started well, has struggled late and may be spelled by rookie Kurt Ainsworth down the stretch. The big guy in the bullpen, Robb Nen, has been suffering through a bad patch since he saved his 300th career game; that patch needs to end now if the Giants are going to win. Left-handed relief is a team weakness, but the righties -- Jay Witasick, Tim Worrell, and, lately, Felix Rodriguez -- have been good.

The Giants' biggest weakness is the bench, where almost nobody has contributed. Even with Aurilia and Snow slumping (or, in J.T.'s case, likely washed up), the Giants' lineup compares with anyone's, even the Yankees', and is better than the Diamondbacks'. Schmidt and Rueter are not Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson (nor Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte), but they're not schlumps by comparison either. But the Yankees and Diamondbacks seem to have guys on the bench -- the Steve Finleys, the Shane Spencers -- the 23rd, 24th, and 25th, guys who can come up with a key hit or catch late in a tight game. The Giants trot out Shawon Dunston, certainly the worst player in the major leagues, or unproven players, like Minor and Pedro Feliz, who aren't suited to the role. (The one Giant who is, Marvin Benard, is hurt and probably won't make the playoff roster.) Additionally, Dusty Baker's in-game decision-making is not on a par with Bobby Cox's or Tony LaRussa's, or even Bob Brenly's. The Giants consistently have lost games late, games they ought to have won. This does not bode well down the stretch.

At the same time, the Giants went into Arizona two weeks ago and beat Johnson and Schilling back-to-back. They have taken five of their last seven from the Diamondbacks. That they can handle Arizona and Atlanta in a short series, they have already proven. That they will, when it counts, given the chance, remains to be seen.

Tuesday, September 17

Giants           85 65 - Absolutely must win two of four. 
LA               85 65 - Absolutely must win three of four.
Houston          80 70 5 Absolutely must win 12 of 12.

Last Night: LA beat the Giants, 7-6, behind Hideo Nomo's pitching and Brian Jordan's grand slam. Houston was idle.

Tonight: Giants at LA again; 7:05 p.m. (PDT) at Chavez Ravine. Ryan Jensen gets the nod against Omar Daal, the former Diamondback, who's pitched very well in two starts against the Giants this year. Houston faces the lowly Brewers at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Last Night: Once again, a Giants "ace" proved not up to the occasion when opening a critical series in LA. There was Vida Blue in '78, Rick Reuschel in '88, and then there was Schmidt last night. The big righty hadn't pitched this poorly since a Fourth of July loss at Arizona, and he picked a fine time to do it. The big blow was Brian Jordan's grand slam, which wiped out a 3-0 Giant lead. The Giants trailed the rest of the way.

Notes: Following this West Coast race from the East Coast is not new to us -- we did it in '69, in '71, and in '82 -- but we are a bit out of practice. ESPN Sports Center and the Internet certainly help. So does this timely business trip to the Bay Area, beginning today. We'll get the three remaining games of this series on radio and TV!

Wednesday, September 18

Giants           86 65 - Trail Arizona by only 6; you don't suppose...
LA               85 66 1 Probably wish they had Ishii for tonight.
Houston          80 71 6 Probably wish they'd begun winning earlier.

Last Night: Giants defeated LA, 6-4. Houston lost at Milwaukee, 5-4.

Tonight: Giants at LA again, game three of four. 7:05 at Chavez Ravine. Russ Ortiz goes for his fifth straight win and 12th overall; rookie Kevin Beirne opposes. Houston tries to stave off the inevitable at Milwaukee.

Last Night: Giants jumped out to a early 5-1 lead thanks to Kirk Rueter's good start and Barry Bonds' two-run double. But Rueter, as he often does, ran out of steam after five... and the Dodgers walked Bonds every time he came up for the rest of the night. Four Giants relievers -- Witasick, Rodriguez, Eyre, and Worrell -- struggled mightily through three endless, nerve-racking innings, slowly allowing the Dodgers to chip away at the lead until it stood 5-4 after eight. But LA closer Eric Gagne, making a rare appearance with his team trailing, wild-pitched an insurance run home in the ninth, and this seemed to lighten the load for Robb Nen, who worked a blessedly calm, 1-2-3 ninth for his 39th save.

Thursday, September 19

Giants           87 65 - LA series already counts a success. 
LA               85 67 2 Tonight is a playoff game for them.
Houston          81 71 6 Them too.

Last Night: Giants defeated LA 7-4, taking a two-game lead in this race for the first time. Houston remained alive with a 3-1 win at Milwaukee.

Today: Giants finish up in LA; 7:10 (PDT) start. Winning three out of four would be a huge step toward the playoffs. Livan Hernandez squares off against Odalis Perez, who is 0-1 in three starts against the Giants this year. Livan is 2-1 against LA this year including the Opening Day win. Houston finishes up in Milwaukee with an early start (1:05 CDT). The Astros' Roy Oswalt goes for his 20th win.

Last Night: Russ Ortiz-- with six strong innings pitched, a home run, and two RBI-- was the big story for this game, but the night, and perhaps the season, turned on a series of plays in an epochal ninth inning that seemed to sum up the Giants' peculiar strengths and weaknesses all at once. Ortiz left after six with a 4-3 lead, but the Giants had already stranded eight men on base and the evening had a dark, foreboding feel to it. Felix Rodriguez and Tim Worrell, however, each stepped up with an outstanding inning of relief. Then, in the top of the ninth, two guys who've done little all year, Reggie Sanders and the execrable Shawon Dunston, came through big in the clutch.

The inning began with Bonds taking yet another "unintentional-intentional" walk. Benito Santiago grounded sharply to short, and Bonds barreled into second like Pete Rose, breaking up the double-play chance. Sanders followed with a key single, then David Bell's base hit brought Santiago charging home and sliding past catcher Paul LoDuca for the run. Dunston, batting for Worrell, grounded one up the middle and through, scoring Sanders, and Bell came home for the third and final run on a single by Rich Aurilia.

In came Robb Nen to save it, and he retired the dangerous Dave Hansen on one pitch. And then immediately Nen lost the strike zone. Dave Roberts and Paul LoDuca drew walks, Nen abandoned his slider, and the grim business of trading bases for outs began. Nen struck out Shawn Green but mishandled a Brian Jordan comebacker into an RBI single, bringing Eric Karros to the plate as the tying run. With everything hanging in the balance, Nen won the battle with a game-ending strikeout. If the Giants hang on to win this thing, tonight's game will likely be remembered as a turning point.

Monday, September 23

Giants           90 66 - Division title still possible.
LA               88 68 2 Treading water won't get it done.

Last Week: LA defeated the Giants 6-3 on Thursday to gain a series split and pull within one game of the lead.

The Weekend: Giants swept Milwaukee at Miller Park (5-1, 3-1, 3-1) while LA took two of three at San Diego. Houston lost two of three at St. Louis, and the Astros thus have been eliminated from further contention.

Today: Both teams have the day off. Giants fly home to get ready for those pesky Padres, who arrive tomorrow for a two-game set. LA, also at home, await the Colorado Rockies.

The Last Four Games: LA saved their season, at least temporarily, behind Odalis Perez Thursday night. Perez wasn't overpowering, but he went the distance, and Rich Aurilia's two-run homer in the ninth only made the score a bit closer. By contrast, Livan Hernandez, who says he "gets up" for the big games, shoulda stood in bed. The league is hitting .300 against The Corpulent One, and in two-plus innings the Dodgers fattened their averages accordingly. The big blow was Brian Jordan's bases-clearing double, which turned a 2-0 game into a 5-0 game. LA thus escaped with a series split, trailing by only one game.

The Giants got three strong pitching performances in Milwaukee, though. Ryan Jensen, Jason Schmidt, and Kirk Rueter between them allowed three earned runs in 20 innings, and that's really all anyone needs to know about that series. Sunday's pitchers' duel, tied 1-1 in the ninth, was broken up in dramatic fashion by Jeff Kent and Benito Santiago with back-to-back homers. Robb Nen earned his 41st save to close it out.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers lost their series opener at San Diego before rallying to take the remaining two games. So we are right back where we were after that big four-game showdown in Dodger Stadium. With five to play, the Giants lead by two, and their magic number is four.

Notes: The suddenly vulnerable Diamondbacks have lost three of four and now lead the Giants by only four and a half with six to play. Long odds, to be sure, but we figured the division race would be over by now... Barry Bonds continues to lead the major leagues in batting at .370... Probable pitchers for the Padres series: Ortiz tomorrow, Livan Wednesday. Looking ahead, Jensen, Schmidt, and Rueter would finish out the season against Houston if it goes down to the wire. If it doesn't, expect to see Kurt Ainsworth get a start against the Astros as Dusty Baker rests and readies his starters for the playoffs... We've been avoiding the topic, but that miserable called game in Atlanta back on August 15 could still affect this thing. Should the Giants finish a half-game ahead or behind LA, they'd have to replay the game in Atlanta from the beginning. The illogic of the rules in this case is positively breathtaking, but there it is. Such a game would be played a week from today, and any subsequent wild-card playoff would be scheduled for Tuesday the first, with the division series beginning on the second.

Wednesday, September 25

Arizona          94 63 - Schilling tries to nail it tonight.
Giants           91 66 3 Will likely be playing next week.
LA               88 69 6 Could be eliminated tomorrow.

Yesterday: Giants crushed San Diego, 12-3. Arizona lost at St. Louis, 3-2, on Edgar Renteria's single in the bottom of the ninth. LA lost to Colorado, 1-0.

Today: Giants finish up with Padres at Pac Bell; 7:15 start (PDT). Livan Hernandez again will be asked to win a big game. Rookie Clay Condrey (0.42 ERA in 21.1 innings) opposes. Arizona sends Curt Schilling (23-5) to the mound in St. Louis. LA faces Colorado's best starter, Jason (16-8) Jennings, at Chavez Ravine.

Last Night: The Padres have been cannon fodder for the Giants this year, and last night the big guns were booming at the Bell. Reggie Sanders opened the scoring with his 21st homer, and Barry Bonds, after two intentional walks, blasted his 45th in the seventh. Redoubtable Benito Santiago continued his tear with a huge, four-RBI night, including a clutch, make-'em-pay, two-run triple to deepest right-center following Bonds' 65th intentional walk of the year. Best of all was Russ Ortiz' six-plus-innings start; he held 'em hitless into the fourth and won his fifth straight game. His record is now 14-10, and once again he'll be a factor in the playoffs. With the Diamondbacks and Dodgers both losing, the Giants suddenly find themselves back in the division chase; they've gained four games on Arizona in a week.

Notes: Arizona lost more than a game last night. Their best hitter and perennial MVP candidate, Luis Gonzalez, separated his shoulder and is out for the season. The Diamondbacks' offense was slumping before the injury; all of a sudden they're looking a lot weaker than the Cards or the Braves. And on defense, Bob Brenly is now obliged to use Erubiel Durazo, a statue even at first base, in right field... Renteria does it again. Man, that fellow seems to get a lot of game-winning hits... LA's Odalis Perez pitched another great game last night, but this time his mates could not manage a single run for him... Brenly had hoped to rest Schilling against the Cardinals, but admitted last night that a Giant win would force his hand... While the Snakes have been stumbling, the Cards have won 17 of 20. Can't disregard those guys... Arizona finishes their season with four at home against Colorado. Don't let's repeat 1993, when the Choking Rockies blew four on the road at Atlanta while the Giants futilely chased the Braves... LA likewise gets the Padres at home to close it out, while the Giants host Houston for three beginning Friday... Despite their loss, Arizona clinched at least a wild-card spot thanks to LA's loss... Should the Giants run the table and win the division (still a major longshot, folks), they'd have a decent chance at home-field advantage for the first round. Not that it helped them two years ago... If we had to pick a playoff rotation, is there any doubt that it'd be Schmidt, Rueter, and Ortiz, in any order?

Thursday, September 26

Arizona          94 64 - Have lost 6 straight at worst possible time.
Giants           92 66 2 Have won 5 straight and 10 of 12.
LA               89 69 5 Clinging like a barnacle to a rock.

Yesterday: Giants defeated San Diego, 6-0, on Livan Hernandez' complete-game two-hit shutout. (No, really.) Arizona lost at St. Louis, 6-1, despite Curt Schilling's 12 strikeouts. LA kept pace by defeating Colorado, 3-2.

Today: Giants are idle. They face Houston for three games at the Bell beginning Friday night. Arizona, at home, opens a four-game season-ending series against Colorado. Randy Johnson takes the mound tonight. LA also is home for the duration. Hideo Nomo opens a four-game set with San Diego. (Yes, that means Nomo would start a one-game playoff against the Giants next week, if necessary.)

Last Night: We must get used to the notion that there are two Livan Hernandezes: Good Livan and Bad Livan. The frustrating thing is, no one can predict which one will show up at any given time. Home, road, day, night -- there are no tendencies. Everyone saw Bad Livan a week ago in LA, and last night Good Livan was on display --was he ever! Three baserunners, two double plays, 29 batters faced. Despite his many bad outings and 16 losses this season, Livan now has pitched three shutouts -- as many as the rest of the staff combined. And this was his fifth complete game -- as many as the rest of the staff combined. Meanwhile, Reggie Sanders' two homers set the hitting pace.

That Miserable Atlanta Game: We think we've (finally) got the skinny on what conditions would cause this game to be replayed. The major leagues now use tiebreakers, such as head-to-head season play, to determine playoff seedings, with special playoffs reserved only for cases where one team affected would miss the postseason altogether. However, the Atlanta game is not a special playoff, it is the 162nd game of the regular season, and thus would be skipped only if it did not affect division or wild-card winners at all. Should the Giants finish Sunday half a game ahead of Arizona, they already hold the tiebreaker over the Snakes and would not need to play the game. Finish half a game behind, and they would play it (and were they to win it, they'd win the division on those tiebreakers). And of course, any half-game margin ahead of or behind the Dodgers (assuming the Diamondbacks recover and win the division outright) would necessitate the game being played. So all we can say is, run the table, boys, and enjoy that day off!

Friday, September 27

Arizona          95 64 -   Unit puts 'em back in driver's seat.
Giants           92 66 2.5 Maybe Atlanta won't be so bad.
LA               90 69 5   Every game's a playoff game.

Yesterday: Giants were idle. Arizona defeated Colorado 4-2, as Randy Johnson won his 24th game. LA beat San Diego 6-5.

Today: Giants open a three-game set at home against Houston. Jason Schmidt starts at 7:35 PDT. Arizona hosts Colorado again. LA hosts San Diego again. A Dodger loss and a Giant win would clinch a playoff spot for the Giants.

Saturday, September 28

Arizona           96 64 -   One win away from division title.
Giants            93 66 2.5 Clinched playoff tie last night.
LA 91             69	5   Next loss ends their season.

Yesterday: Giants defeated Houston 2-1 to clinch a tie for the wild-card berth. Arizona took a 7-0 lead, then hung on to defeat Colorado, 8-6. LA beat San Diego in dramatic fashion, 1-0, on Paul LoDuca's tenth-inning homer.

Today: Giants face Houston again; 1:05 at the Bell. Kirk Rueter goes for his 14th win, and the team goes for the wild-card clincher. LA send rookie Kevin Beirne out to keep it alive against San Diego. Brian Tomko will try to euthanize the Bums. Arizona, with Rick Helling, tries to nail down the division title against Colorado.

Last Night: Jason Schmidt's second straight outstanding start (7.1 IP. 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K) brought the Giants to the brink of postseason play. Though Houston's Wade Miller made a fine effort of his own, Schimidt was just that much better. Tim Worrell defused a tying-run situation in the eighth, and Robb Nen, back to his overpowering form (and just in time), struck out the side in the ninth for his 42nd save. The two RBIs came from Kenny Lofton and Benito Santiago, scoring David Bell and Jeff Kent respectively. Santiago's hit followed yet another intentional walk to Barry Bonds, who needs four more bases on balls to reach 200 for the season.

Notes: The National League West and its attendant wild-card chase are the last undecided playoff spots left. Atlanta and St. Louis have long clinched their division titles, and in the American League Oakland and Anaheim have eliminated Seattle and thus joined the Yankees and Twins in the postseason. The wild-card Angels, in the playoffs for the first time since 1986, open at New York while the A's play Minnesota... Though they boast no dominating Johnson- or Schilling-type starter, the Giants' top four are well-balanced. Ortiz has won 14, Schmidt and Rueter 13, and Livan 12. While holding some reservations about Livan, we still believe this is as deep and consistent a 4-man rotation as anybody's.

Sunday, September 29

Arizona           97 64 -   Diamondbacks win the division.
Giants            94 66 2.5 Giants clinch the wild card!

Yesterday: Giants defeated Houston 5-2. For the third time in six years, the San Francisco Giants will participate in baseball's postseason play. Arizona routed Colorado 17-8 to win their third division title in four years.

Today: Giants finish up the regular season against Houston; 1:05 at the Bell. Expect Dusty Baker will give many of his stalwarts the day off.

Yesterday's Game: Behind Barry Bonds' 46th homer and no less than eight different pitchers, the Giants outlasted Houston to clinch their playoff berth. As he's done so many times, Bonds launched one into the waters of McCovey Cove, breaking a 2-2 tie in the fifth and, at least temporarily, quieting the nerves of a sellout crowd who'd watched the Giants strand six runners early on. Kirk Rueter lasted five innings, enough to earn his 14th win, but a veritable parade of relievers followed him -- Troy Brohawn, Jay Witasick, Aaron Fultz, Felix Rodriguez, Tim Worrell, Scott Eyre and, finally, Robb Nen, who earned save number 43. The Magnificent Seven allowed only four hits and a walk among them; special mention goes to Eyre, who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. Not all these guys will travel to Atlanta next week, but each had a role in nailing down the Giants' seventh postseason appearance since their move to San Francisco in 1958. Did we hear somebody say, "Hummm-Baby!"?

Monday, September 30 -- End of the Regular Season

Final National League West Division Standings

Arizona          98 64 -   Got home-field edge against Cardinals.
Giants           95 66 2.5 Closed with 8 straight wins to grab it...
LA               92 70 6   ... away from the media favorites.
Colorado         73 89 25  Jennings (16-8) likely Rookie of the Year.
San Diego        66 96 32  Lost 14 of 19 against Giants... thanks, guys!

The Playoff Picture: Giants have two days off before they open the Division Series at Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon. Russ Ortiz has been tabbed the starter for Game One; Tom Glavine is expected to open for the Braves.

Whether Dusty Baker will go with a three-man rotation remains to be seen. Clearly Ortiz, Jason Schmidt, and Kirk Rueter have been the team's most effective starters, and Livan Hernandez has a history of effectiveness in long relief. But Baker remembers how Livan started and won the first game of the 2000 semifinals against the Mets. Should the series reach a fourth game, which would be played Sunday at The Bell, Livan may get the nod.

As for the Game Two starter, statistical evidence is mounting in support of Kirk Rueter over Jason Schmidt. Pacific Bell Park is a pitchers' park, one of the better ones in baseball, so all Giants pitchers have better numbers at home than on the road. Rueter, though, is well within the park effect; his road ERA is only .42 higher and his IP/H ratio is actually a bit better on the road. Schmidt? On the road, he's mediocre: 5.02 ERA albeit a good K/IP ratio. At The Bell, though, he's Nolan Ryan Junior: 113 strikeouts and only 75 hits in 110 innings with a 2.37 ERA. That's a difference of over two and a half runs per game, sports fans. If the Giants gain a split in Atlanta, they've a excellent chance to take the series lead at home on Saturday with Schmidt starting. And as for Livan, his home ERA is a full run lower than his road ERA, and he allows half as many homers per inning pitched at Pac Bell. Let's hope Baker and Dave Righetti are aware of this.

The Giants have never faced the Braves in the postseason. This is San Francisco's sixth playoff appearance since the leagues split into divisions in 1969, and they've never played the same opponent more than once. It was Pittsburgh in 1971, the Cardinals in 1987, the Cubs in '89, Florida in '97, and the Mets two years ago. And, of course, only in 1989 did they win any of those series.

Atlanta and the Giants split their six-game season series. The seventh game, if you'll remember, ended in a rain-induced tie after ten innings.

The other NL division series pits the Diamondbacks against the St. Louis Cardinals, who were not pushed hard much of the year but charged down the stretch and nearly took the home-field advantage away from Arizona. But the best-of-five showdown will begin at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix tomorrow night with the Schilling-Johnson tag team looking to put the Cards on the mat early. We would not weep hysterically if this should happen; St. Louis has the best eight-man lineup among the NL playoff teams.

Over in the American League, the Yankees once again hold the top seed and will face the Anaheim Angels, who last saw postseason play in that memorable 1986 series against Boston. Perhaps the best matchup of all pits the Oakland A's against the Minnesota Twins -- two small-market teams built the old-fashioned way through smart drafting and trading.

Notes: Roll the statistical parade... Barry Bonds, a year after setting the record for slugging average, set the record (.582) for on-base percentage. He won the batting title with a .370 mark while being walked a preposterous 198 times. Only Ted Williams won a batting title at Bonds' age (38), and when you consider Barry again led the league in slugging at .799, finished second with 46 homers, scored 117 runs and drove in 110... well, a fifth MVP award goes without saying. What can be said is that no one, not even Babe Ruth, ever put two seasons like this back-to-back. The three greatest hitters of all time are Ruth, Williams, and Barry Bonds -- in any order... We haven't adjusted for park effects or league average, but preliminary figures show Bonds created 186 runs while using 254 outs, or about 21 runs per game... The massive dissonance between Runs Created and R/RBI may be due partially to Pacific Bell Park, but mostly to the Giants' relatively weak lineup... That relative weakness most emphatically does not include Jeff Kent, whose numbers (.313, 37, 108 plus .368 OBP and .565 slugging) compare well with his MVP year in 2000... Keys for the Giant offense are for Kenny Lofton to get on base, Rich Aurilia not to ground into double plays, and Benito Santiago to sting the ball whenever the Braves walk Bonds... Aurilia walked only 37 times in 538 at-bats; Lofton, by contrast, had 23 in only 180 at-bats... Russ Ortiz' .299 OBP is better than that of Tsuyushi Shinjo, Pedro Feliz, and Shawon Dunston... J.T. Snow finished with an OBP of .344. He should bat second against righthanders... Heck, Bill Mueller stands at .350 and his slugging percentage is higher than J.T.'s. Maybe he should get a few swings... Reggie Sanders hit three homers in the final week. Dare we hope he's been warming up for October?... The Giants' five starters (Ortiz, Rueter, Schmidt, Jensen, Livan) finished with 14, 14, 13, 13, and 12 wins, respectively. Their aggregate 66-50 mark won't terrify anyone, but the rotation is balanced and deep... Is Tim Worrell the Giants' unheralded MVP? He's made 80 relief appearances with a 2.25 ERA. It's too bad the teams don't keep track of inherited runners and how many of them score; we believe this might truly show Worrell's value... Robb Nen and Schmidt are the only Giant pitchers to average more than one strikeout per inning pitched... Schmidt throws more pitches per inning than Livan. No, we didn't believe it at first, either!

Thursday, October 3

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 8-5 at Turner Field in Atlanta yesterday to win Game One of their National League Division Series.

The Giants not only won the game, they dominated, against Braves' ace Tom Glavine, no less, and without a major contribution from either Barry Bonds or Jeff Kent. Yes, starter Russ Ortiz pitched seven strong innings for the win, and closer Robb Nen rubbed out a smoldering Braves rally in the ninth for the save. But the day truly belonged to those other guys in the lineup, guys like J.T. Snow and David Bell and Rich Aurilia and Benito Santiago. Those guys drove in seven of the Giants' eight runs, and with their timely hitting enabled the team to build a 8-2 lead after five innings. Snow started it off with a two-run double in the second, and came around to score on Bell's single. Another Bell hit started a rally in the fourth, capped by Aurilia's two-run double to right-center. One inning later, Santiago crushed another two-run gapper to the same spot, moments after the Braves had intentionally walked Bonds. Against one of baseball's best pitchers, the Giants hit smart, a trait not regularly seen in the San Francisco dugout this year. They waited patiently early on, forcing Glavine to throw extra pitches. Then they jumped on him, going with the pitch, driving the ball up the middle or to the opposite field. Most encouraging of all, they bunched their hits together -- four in a row in both the second and the fourth. For once, the Giants' run count nearly matched their left-on-base count.

Ortiz was his calm, unflappable self despite the inevitable pressure. Graced with a big lead after four innings, he got stronger as the game went on. His only trouble came in the second, when two hits, a wild pitch, and an intentional walk loaded the bases. Glavine -- it was a matchup of two good hitting pitchers, as well -- slapped a two-run double down the left-field line, briefly closing the gap to 3-2. But Ortiz got out of it, and with two timely infield double plays behind him, never was threatened again. Somewhat surprisingly, he was pulled after seven innings and 107 pitches, perhaps with an eye toward a possible Game Four or Five start down the road. Tim Worrell, whom we praised so extravagantly the other day, started the eighth and immediately surrendered a tape-measure home run to Gary Sheffield and a single to Chipper Jones. Andruw Jones obligingly hit a perfect double-play grounder, but first-base umpire Paul Emmel called Andruw safe, a call disputed by television replay. Catcher Javy Lopez tried to help Worrell with two weak foul pop-ups, but the first eluded Snow's stretch into the stands, and the second bounced inexplicably off Santiago's glove. Lopez promptly hammered Worrell's next pitch into the seats near where Sheffield's blast had landed, and suddenly the home team, 101 wins and all, was back in it. Santiago partially atoned for his gaffe with an inning-ending leap into the box seats on yet another foul pop, but the Tomahawk Chop was in full force as Nen came out and gave up a walk and a single to start the ninth. Julio Franco, the tying run at the plate, battled Nen before lining out to Reggie Sanders in right. That left it up to the dangerous Sheffield, with the even-more-dangerous Jones lurking on deck. Sheffield battled Nen fiercely, fouling off three straight sliders, but then grounded into the Braves' third double play of the game, and Our Boys walked off winners.

Kirk Rueter starts Game Two for the Giants tonight against Kevin Millwood, who swapped rotation spots with Greg Maddux due to a lingering blister on the latter's pitching hand. Rueter, in two previous playoff games, has proved steady and unflappable, and the Giants' record in his road starts over the years is a marvelous 60-29. He has been the team's most consistent pitcher all season, but one aspect of his consistency is a tendency to lose it abruptly around the sixth inning. Don't be surprised to see Ryan Jensen or even Livan Hernandez at the ready should Rueter need early relief. As for Millwood, he's endured a series of up-and-down seasons, but lately has emerged, with 18 wins this year, as a worthy successor to John Smoltz in the Braves' superb starting rotation. Smoltzie himself, of course, waits in the Atlanta bullpen, and the Giants would just as soon he stay there for the duration.

Friday, October 4

The San Francisco Giants lost Game Two of their National League division series to the Atlanta Braves 7-3 last night at Turner Field in Atlanta. This series is now tied at one game apiece, and the Giants' nine-game winning streak is finally over.

Kirk Rueter, asked to pitch his usual brisk, economical six-inning stint, couldn't do it. His sinkers didn't sink, and the Braves took quick and merciless advantage. Back-to-back homers by Javy Lopez and Vinny Castilla in the second inning set the tone, and after Mark DeRosa's two-run triple in the fourth, Rueter was excused for the remainder of the evening. Meanwhile, Atlanta starter Kevin Millwood, like the Giants' Russ Ortiz on Wednesday, pitched with quiet, understated confidence, holding the Giants to three hits and two runs through his six innings. Three relievers, including the redoubtable John Smoltz, finished up for Millwood, who threw only 70 pitches and certainly could come back for a possible Game Five here on Monday. The Giants' entire offense consisted of three solo homers, one by Rich Aurilia, one by J.T. Snow -- whom even the TV announcers noticed "seems like a completely different (read: much better) hitter" in the series -- and, finally, a mighty blast in the top of the ninth by Barry Bonds off Smoltz. This showdown between the two superstars, one a legendary playoff hero and the other a legendary playoff goat, provided the night's only true drama, even though it had no effect upon the outcome. So far, the Braves have only faced Bonds one time with runners on base, and they walked him intentionally (and paid for it). Perhaps it's time for Dusty Baker to swap Bonds and Kent in the lineup again, just to see what happens.

So it will be the Giants and the Braves in Game Three at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco on Saturday evening. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. local time (8 p.m. EDT). Greg Maddux starts for Atlanta against Jason Schmidt. Game Four will be played at The Bell on Sunday, with the particulars yet to be determined. National television considerations decide the starting times of these playoff games, and some, or all, of the other series may be over by Sunday.

The good news so far for the Giants is that they've taken away the Braves' home-field advantage by splitting the first two games. They can win the series outright at home. The bad news is that the Giants had an opportunity to return home with an overwhelming 2-0 edge, and they didn't do it. Though the San Francisco Giants have won playoff series openers before, it's no guarantee of success, as the 1971 and 2000 clubs would testify. However, their only previous win in a road opener came in 1989, the year they went to the World Series. That time, they crushed the Cubs in the opener at Wrigley, lost Game Two in similar fashion, then came home and swept the series in three exciting games. That's an encouraging precedent, especially since it will only take two wins to do it this time, but the 2002 Braves are considerably stronger than were the 1989 Cubs. As always, it's necessary to take these things one game at a time. Right now, the Giants are in good shape, with their best pitcher slated to start the series' pivotal game on their home field.

The big news from the other playoff series is the St. Louis Cardinals holding a 2-0 hammerlock on the defending world champion Arizona Diamondbacks with the next two games set to be played at Busch Stadium. Shockingly, the Cards torched Randy Johnson in the opener, then outlasted a heroic performance from Curt Schilling yesterday, beating the Snakes' bullpen in the ninth. Arizona's lineup has been completely punchless so far in the series, and it's difficult to see them recovering amidst a sea of red in St. Louis this weekend, even if Johnson comes back on three days' rest tomorrow.

The American League series each are tied at 1-1. Oakland has dominated Minnesota in both games, but blew a big lead in Game One. With Barry Zito taking the hill in Game Three, it's doubtful the Twins are going to survive until Sunday. The New York Yankees and Anaheim Angels have played back-to-back slugfests at the Stadium. This is more the Yanks' style of play than the Angels', but so far New York's starting pitching has been unimpressive. Right now Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez looks like their best guy, and he's in the bullpen. This series looks like it will come down to a fifth game back in the Bronx.

Monday, October 7

The San Francisco Giants face the Atlanta Braves in Game Five of their National League division series at Turner Field in Atlanta tonight. Game time is slated for 8 p.m. EDT.

As might have been expected, the Giants and Braves split two games at Pacific Bell Park over the weekend. Atlanta won 10-2 behind Greg Maddux on Saturday, and the Giants rode Livan Hernandez' elusive but undeniable playoff mojo to a series-tying 8-3 win last night.

So it will be one more game between these two evenly-matched teams; one game to decide who goes on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the League Championship Series, and who goes home. Russ Ortiz, winner of Game One for the Giants, squares off against Kevin Millwood, who won Game Two for the Braves.

Saturday, the Giants sent Jason Schmidt into battle against Maddux, who had befriended and mentored Schmidt during the younger man's early days in the Atlanta organization. Maddux pitched his usual intelligent, economical game, throwing only 67 pitches through six innings and allowing one run. And for five and two-thirds innings, Schmidt matched him in a fine pitchers' duel. Emotional and hard-throwing in contrast to Maddux' detached demeanor, Schmidt ran up a 100-pitch count but kept the game at 1-1. Then, after he'd walked Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones, and Andruw Jones to load the bases with one out, Schmidt was gone, pulled by Dusty Baker in favor of reliever Manny Aybar. It would have been a controversial move even had it succeeded; it most certainly did not succeed. Schmidt had thrown 100 pitches and kept the game even; Aybar threw two pitches and lost it. The first was lined into left for a two-run single by Vinny Castilla; the second was hit onto the right-field porch by the normally light-hitting second baseman Keith Lockhart. That made it 6-1, and though a veritable parade of Giant relievers would follow -- Aaron Fultz, Tim Worrell, Felix Rodriguez, Jay Witasick, even Robb Nen -- the whole thing seemed rather pointless, as the game was irretrievably lost the moment Lockhart swung his bat. The lone Giant highlight was Barry Bonds' second impressive, if meaningless, home run of the series late in the game.

Before Game Four, one particular statistic unearthed by the people at ESPN or Fox or one of those sports bureaus came to light, a stat that seemed to sum up the Giants' playoff frustration in one peculiar package. Not since Game Six of the 1962 World Series, we learned, had the Giants won a single postseason game in which they faced elimination. Could it be? Yes... Game Four of the 1971 NLCS, Game Seven of the'87 NLCS, Game Four of the '89 World Series, Game Three in '97 and Game Four in 2000... all of them Giant losses. Against this formidable historical barrier the Giants sent Livan Hernandez and his undefeated (5-0) postseason record, including that key game against the Giants back in 1997. His opponent? Atlanta manager Bobby Cox had already committed to a three-man rotation, and so it was Tom Glavine, whom the Giants had handled so rudely back in Atlanta, taking the hill on three days' rest.

Right away, observant Giants fans were cheered to see that tonight, our hopes would be riding on the arm of Good Livan, not Bad Livan. Good Livan's pitches vary between 60 and 90 mph, they move all over the place, and most of all, they're thrown by a man who hasn't a worry in the world. The big beef against the big beefy guy -- at least during the regular season -- is his habitual lack of intensity; his laziness, even indifference at times; his seeming willingness to coast for a couple of weeks after a good start. None of this was evident last night: Livan had 'em off-balance from the beginning, and he was clearly one step ahead of the Braves hitters all the way. Not so with Glavine. He too is completely unflappable, but he was also tired and unable to throw strikes inside. Once again, Giant hitters showed their patience, and Glavine's pitch count mounted quickly -- over 20 in the first inning alone, over 50 by the time he departed in the third, already down 7-0. Barry Bonds drove in the game's first run with a sacrifice fly, and Benito Santiago got the second home with a infield grounder. But the big blow was Rich Aurilia's massive three-run homer in the third. After a rough season, Richie has been on fire in this series, with seven RBIs in four games.

Livan had a no-hitter through four innings, then ran into some trouble in the fifth as the Braves scored their first run. He got out of it, though, and turned in a sparkling defensive gem on speedy Rafael Furcal's drag-bunt attempt. Livan may be chubby, but like Rick Reuschel before him, the man is an athlete. He got stronger as the night went on -- his fastball was clocked at 91 in the eighth -- and was within two outs of a complete game when Baker pulled him, with a runner on first, in favor of lefty Scott Eyre. The standing ovation for Livan gave way to nervous concern about the state of the bullpen after Saturday's debacle, but this time there was no problem. Eyre got the second out, and immediately in came Robb Nen. Though it was not technically a save situation, anyone who knew the Giants' playoff history knew that this indeed was a critical moment; the Braves simply couldn't be allowed to inch even one run closer. And Nen, with runners on second and third, got the last out on a routine grounder.

For those who love chewing on Giants history, we offer this tidy little tidbit for your pleasure. Across 99 years of postseason history, in New York and in San Francisco, the Giants have never -- no, never -- won a decisive, there's-no-tomorrow, winner-take-all postseason game.

Never.

In 1912, they lost Game Eight of the World Series at Boston (a best-of-seven series where one game had ended in a tie).

In 1924, they lost Game Seven of the World Series at Washington.

In 1962, they lost Game Seven of the World Series to New York.

In 1987, they lost Game Seven of the NLCS at St. Louis.

Their six postseason series wins have come in Game Five (1905, 1922, 1933 World Series, 1989 NLCS), Game Four (1954 World Series), and Game Eight (1921 World Series which was a best-of-nine).

If the Giants win tonight, it will be the first time they have won under these circumstances.

Notes: The Cardinals eliminated the defending world champion Arizona Diamondbacks in Game Three of their series on Saturday night in St. Louis. Miguel Batista, not Randy Johnson, started for the Snakes, but it was not pitching that cost Arizona that series... Over in the American League, the New York Yankees were similarly dethroned by the Anaheim Angels in four games. The Yanks' threadbare starting rotation finally caught up with them, and their bullpen couldn't handle the Angels' hitters either. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins took advantage of lousy Oakland fielding to thrash the A's in Game Four on Saturday after Barry Zito had all but buried them the night before. Yesterday, Brad Radke outdueled Mark Mulder and the Twins hung on for a 5-4 win at the Oakland Coliseum. The A's have now lost three straight playoff series in the final game. Will Art Howe take the fall for three years of disappointment?... Glavine intentionally walked Barry Bonds with runners on first and third in the second inning last night. The strategy partially backfired as Glavine then unintentionally walked Benito Santiago to force in a run, but the Braves did avert the big inning -- until the third... It was a banner day for sports in the Bay Area yesterday. Sandwiched between the A's surprising loss and the Giants' win was the football 49ers' big victory over the St. Louis Rams at Candlestick Park, 37-13... You have to be a great pitcher to lose 15 postseason games, and Tom Glavine is a great pitcher. That's a record he'd just as soon do without... Millwood will go on three days' rest, as did Glavine, and while playoff history has not been kind to pitchers on short rest, Millwood had such an easy time of it in Game Two that he's unlikely to feel any effect.

Tuesday, October 8

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves 3-1 at Turner Field in Atlanta last night, and thereby won their National League division series, three games to two. Yowza! Yowza! Yowza!

The Giants exorcised their playoff jinx, which had seen them lose both previous postseason appearances during Dusty Baker's tenure as manager, and they did so in fine fashion. The whole team contributed to this one.

Russ Ortiz held the Braves hitless through three innings, and won his second game of the series. Tim Worrell pitched two brilliant innings in late relief. Robb Nen endured one last Atlanta rally and got the save in the ninth. J.T. Snow got a key hit and made the game-saving defensive play. And Barry Bonds -- yes, Barry Bonds -- scored the game's first two runs, including his third home run of the series. The game's greatest player finally played well in a postseason series and, wonder of wonders, his team won that series for the first time.

So it will be the San Francisco Giants against the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series beginning Wednesday evening at Busch Stadium in St. Louis at 7 p.m. CDT (8 p.m. EDT). Kirk Rueter, who always seems to pitch well at Busch, will start for the Giants, probably against the Cards' ace Matt Morris.

Last night's game was a bona fide classic, the only truly memorable game of a closely matched series. It's likely that if the Giants and the Braves were to play each other exclusively throughout the season, each team would finish 81-81. The two best pitchers of the series, Ortiz and Kevin Millwood, matched scoreless first innings. But Bonds led off the second with a sharp single to center, moved up on Benito Santiago's broken-bat roller, and scored when the heretofore-invisible Reggie Sanders tapped a base hit right up the middle. Ortiz, as is his wont, struggled with wildness in the second, walking two, but got out of it. Bonds' homer -- a scorching line drive into the center-field seats -- made it 2-0 in the fourth, and Ortiz was fine until the fifth. Braves manager Bobby Cox pinch-hit for Millwood -- in itself a small victory -- and two singles plus a walk to Gary Sheffield brought Chipper Jones to the plate with the bases loaded and two out. Living on the edge, Ortiz got him on a sharp grounder up the middle, nicely gloved by Aurilia for the force at second, and the lead held another inning.

Ortiz started the sixth, surrendered singles to Andruw Jones and Vinny Castilla with one out, and left the game at Baker's request. Aaron Fultz came in, looking overmatched as usual, and gave up an RBI single to Mark DeRosa. That brought Felix Rodriguez into the game in a critical situation, and he and his 98-MPH fastball were up to the challenge. The Braves would strand 12 runners in this game; they left two of them on right there in the sixth.

Payback for 1993? How about payback against Mike Remlinger, the one-time can't-miss superstar-Giants-pitcher-of-the-future-turned-flameout who since resurrected his career as one of the game's best relievers in Atlanta? J.T. Snow -- yep, a different hitter, all right -- ripped a double to right opening the seventh. Remlinger then lost it, walking Sanders and David Bell to load 'em with nobody out and bring on Darrin Holmes. Kenny Lofton, who had a fine series, managed a fly ball to medium-deep center, enough to score Snow with the Giants' third run. Holmes struck out Aurilia to end the threat, but hey -- at least they didn't leave 'em loaded.

Now it was Worrell's turn, and he's never turned in a finer performance that the seventh and eighth innings of last night's game. It was another heads-up move by Baker, not known for his in-game strategy and tactics, to leave Worrell in for two full innings and not push the panic button when the Braves got runners on in each.

Then it was the Nenth Inning, that moment of heightened heart rate and perspiration -- both for opponents facing the big guy and for fans depending on him. As seemed almost inevitable, Nen got himself into trouble right away. Speedy Rafael Furcal's shot up the middle was nicely gloved by Kent, but a hurried throw pulled Snow off the bag. Two pitches later, Furcal had stolen second, and then ageless Julio Franco dumped a single into right field. Furcal wisely held third -- his run by itself was useless, but his out was precious -- and slowly the TV cameras panned from Nen to Bonds, standing there in left, with visions of Sid Bream dancing in his head (or so we were encouraged to believe). Same situation, same two-run lead, same opponent in the same town 10 years later. Same result? Naaaaaaaah. Sheffield, 1-for-16 in the series, struck out swinging for the first out. Baker motioned Snow to hold Franco on first, guarding the line and keeping Franco from stealing second with the tying run. Chipper Jones stood in the box, a Giant nemesis and particularly a Nen nemesis from way back, the author of Nen's blown save in that August 15 tie game, a clutch hitter par excellence. Sharp grounder down the first-base line, a sure double if Snow had been playing off the bag. But he wasn't, remember? Snow Gold-gloved it, stepped on first, threw to Aurilia who tagged out Franco for the game-ending double play, and here came Bonds, jogging in from left field, grinning from ear to ear.

Thursday, October 10

The San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-6, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis last night, taking a one-game lead in the National League Championship Series.

Once again the Giants got off first, winning on the road against a favored opponent, scoring early and often as they did in the division series opener at Atlanta last week. They knocked Matt Morris, the Cards' best pitcher, out of the box in the fourth inning, grabbing a 7-1 lead and then holding on to win it despite three late Cardinal homers. They've taken the home-field advantage away from St. Louis, and while it's way too early to make predictions, there's no denying that the World Series is one win closer than it was yesterday.

Barry Bonds, who finally seems to be on the playoff tear that's eluded him until now, opened the scoring with a two-run triple in the second inning. (Perhaps sensibly, the Cards walked him the next three times he came up.) Scoring ahead of Bonds was Kenny Lofton, who was on base three times and scored three runs in the game (and incited a minor bench-clearing confrontation when he took loud and angry exception to a brushback pitch). How wonderful it is to see a real leadoff hitter in this Giants' lineup! Meanwhile, Benito Santiago continues to punish opposing pitchers whether they walk Bonds ahead of him or not. He led the team with four RBIs last night, including a two-run homer in the sixth that answered right back at the Cardinals, who had closed it to 7-3 half an inning earlier.

The beneficiary of all this offensive largesse was Kirk Rueter, who remains undefeated at Busch Stadium, though he had little enough to do with it this time. Rueter made it through five, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and earning a cheap win. But Woody will gladly take it in trade for all those times he's pitched well and come away with a loss or no decision due to poor support. The usual suspects from the bullpen -- Felix Rodriguez, Tim Worrell, Robb Nen -- were outstanding over the final four, allowing only two hits (one being a pinch-hit solo homer by J.D. Drew off Worrell). Nen allowed his obligatory baserunner with a walk in the ninth, but earned his third save of the postseason.

Game Two is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT tonight at Busch Stadium. Jason Schmidt opposes Woody Williams, who may have the best stuff on the Cardinals' staff but who has also been plagued by injury and hasn't pitched in a month. The teams fly west on Friday and the Series resumes Saturday at Pacific Bell Park.

Friday, October 11

The San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis last night, and took a commanding 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series.

Pause and rewind that last comment. The Giants have won the first two games of this championship series on the road. This hasn't happened to the San Francisco Giants since -- since-- well, actually, it's never happened to the San Francisco Giants. The last time this franchise won the first two games of any postseason series was when they were the New York Giants playing in the 1954 World Series. Is this team, a wild-card team, a team which was almost counted out of the race as recently as mid-August -- is this the Giants team which will finally bring a baseball championship to San Francisco? It's still too early to tell, but before the weekend is over the Giants could be in the Series for only the third time since they moved west in 1958.

Jason Schmidt was the big story last night. The burly young righthander pitched the game of his life. Forget that 5.02 road ERA; Schmidt overpowered the Cardinals with 97 mph heat, mixing in just enough offspeed stuff to keep 'em guessing. He allowed three meek singles -- two of them infield hits -- through seven and two-thirds innings, before pinch-hitter Eduardo Perez broke up the shutout with a home run to deep left. Dusty Baker immediately went to the bullpen, and Scott Eyre finished the eighth, with Robb Nen closing out the ninth for another save.

Cardinals starter Woody Williams pitched well himself, but made two mistakes against Rich Aurilia, and the Giants shortstop made him pay with two home runs. Aurilia, whose regular-season numbers were so disappointing, has been an RBI machine in the playoffs. Sweetest of all, though, was the way the Giants answered back with their final run in the top of the ninth. J.T. Snow led off with a soaring drive to deep left that eluded Albert Pujols and ricocheted off the wall for a stand-up triple. Reggie (0-for-7) Sanders then struck out, though, and once again the Giants' frustrating inability to get runners home from third with less than two out began to surface. Cardinal manager Tony LaRussa sensibly walked David Bell, bringing defensive replacement Ramon Martinez to the plate. But it was then that the Giants gloriously evoked memories from a long-ago era, the early days of the Roger Craig "Humm-Baby!" Renaissance. On a 1-0 pitch Snow broke for home, Martinez dropped a perfect bunt in front of the mound, and Snow slid uncontested across the plate for the score. The suicide squeeze, last seen in these parts back around 1987, had caught the Cards flat-footed. Could it be, with Atlanta already paid back for '93, that a long-overdue debt from '87 was about to be settled? Well, maybe. But somewhere, we fondly hope, that wily old fox Roger must have looked up from the TV and smiled.

Russ Ortiz is slated to start Game Three for the Giants at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT) tomorrow at Pacific Bell Park. Lefthander Chuck Finley will oppose. Baker's keeping a keen weather eye toward a possible Game Seven back in St. Louis next Thursday, and he'd prefer Ortiz to be fully rested should it become necessary. Livan Hernandez will therefore start Game Four on Sunday. And while it's possible Dusty might try to take the platoon advantage against Finley -- starting Martinez and Tsuyoshi Shinjo in place of Snow and Kenny Lofton -- the feeling here is that he'll stick with his "A" lineup, the one that's started every game of the postseason and the one that already beat Tom Glavine, one of the game's best lefties, twice.

Monday, October 14

The San Francisco Giants face the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Five of the National League Championship Series tonight at Pacific Bell Park. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT).

The Giants lead the series three games to one, and they are one win away from their first World Series in 13 years and only their third since moving to San Francisco. They split two games at The Bell over the weekend with St. Louis, losing Game Three on Saturday, 5-4, before rebounding with a thrilling 4-3 win last night.

So it will be Kirk Rueter for the Giants tonight against the Cards' Matt Morris, a reprise of starters from Game One. Neither pitched especially well in that game, but Morris took by far the worst of it, giving up seven earned runs in four innings. Tonight, the Cardinals' best pitcher will need his best stuff to stave off elimination and send the series back to St. Louis. The winner here will move on to play the Anaheim Angels, who are making the first World Series appearance in their 42-year history. Anaheim defeated Minnesota in five games, clinching the American League pennant yesterday with a 13-5 victory in front of their long-suffering hometown fans.

Last night's game was not only the greatest in Pac Bell's three-year history, it was one of the great playoff games in recent memory. When Benito Santiago's dramatic game-winning two-run homer landed in the left-field stands in the bottom of the eighth inning, it set a new standard for excitement and excellence in San Francisco baseball. We have to go back to 1989, to Will Clark against Mitch Williams, to match this kind of moment, and even then it may not be enough. What a weekend it was!

The Giants arrived at The Bell on Saturday with a 2-0 series lead, Russ Ortiz on the mound, and an air of supreme confidence. They quickly loaded the bases against Chuck Finley, the Cards' well-traveled lefthander... but then they failed to score. Again in the second inning they loaded 'em up, and this time they did get a run; just one run, that is, on a fielder's choice. The Cardinals were hesitant and jittery in the field, Finley was anything but overpowering; heck, they were practically begging the Giants to blow it open. But the Giants didn't take advantage early, and before long it was a ballgame. St. Louis tied it in the third on a homer by catcher Mike Matheny, and then in the fourth Jim Edmonds, one of many tough hitters in that loaded lineup, launched another solo blast. For the first time in the entire series, the Cardinals were ahead. And by the middle of the fifth, they'd stretched their lead to 4-1 and Finley was looking better all the time.

That, though, is when Barry Bonds stepped up, as only he can. With two on in the bottom of the fifth, Barry turned on an inside fastball -- the bat, viewed in real time, was but a blur -- and hammered a soaring drive high over the right-field wall and a hundred or so feet out into McCovey Cove, where several overexcited fans left the safety of their vessels and dove into the arctic water in pursuit of the spheroid prize. It was 4-4, and the beautiful Bell rang with cheers and roars.

They didn't last long. Jay Witasick, on to relieve the off-the-hook Ortiz, hung a breaking ball in front of outfielder Eli Marrero. In the starting lineup only because of Scott Rolen's injury, Marrero made the most of his moment, launching the Cardinals' third homer of the day over the fence for a 5-4 lead. And that, amazingly enough, was it. The battle of bullpens was fought to a draw over the final four, and though the Giants got runners on in almost every inning, they left them there -- 11 in all.

And so it was Livan Hernandez taking his turn on Sunday, "Señor Octubre" himself, the man with a postseason record matched only by the legendary Lefty Gomez, the man charged with keeping this series from getting uncomfortably close. With memories of his great performance against Atlanta still fresh in fans' minds, Livan gave up a double and a single, hit a batter, and surrendered another RBI single -- all in the top of the first inning. Then, with panic mode firmly established, he settled down to his usual self, throwing strikes and scattering hits while getting his usual quota of foul pop-ups, soft line drives to center field, and the occasional double-play ball. In short, he pitched into the seventh without allowing another run.

His opposite number was our old friend Andy Benes, the long-time San Diego Padre whom the Giants have been meeting, and beating with some regularity, since about 1992. Benes was almost out of baseball earlier this year when Cardinal manager Tony LaRussa talked him into coming back after Darryl Kile's tragic death. His solid second half helped the Cards win down the stretch, and now he was being asked to hold the fort against his old nemeses long enough for St. Louis to build a lead. That lead was still only 2-0 through five, but the way Benes was throwing, those two runs were looking mighty big. He'd allowed only two hits-- singles to Bonds and Reggie Sanders-- but when he walked Kent and then Bonds to open the sixth, he was gone. La Russa called on the big right-hander Rick White, and he promptly struck out Santiago on three pitches. Up stepped J.T. Snow, who seems determined to make us all forget his lousy regular season. He launched a titanic drive off the center-field wall, good for a stand-up double as the tying runs crossed the plate, Bonds right behind Kent. The Giants had evened it up, and the chilled crowd began to rock the house.

White escaped the sixth without further damage, and Hernandez opened the seventh by surrendering his ninth hit, and subsequently surrendering the game ball to his manager. Six times St. Louis got their leadoff man on in this game, and only three times were they able to score him. This wasn't one of those times. Felix Rodriguez got out of it, and White responded with a 1-2-3 seventh, and then in the top of the eighth the Cardinals again opened the inning with a hit, J.D Drew beating Scott Eyre to the bag. But David Bell threw Drew out at second on Tino Martinez' sacrifice attempt, and Eyre turned it over to Tim Worrell, who retired Marrero and Matheny without incident.

Out came White again to start the eighth, his third inning of work. He struck out Aurilia and Kent, and then, with Bonds at the plate, LaRussa made the decision that will likely be discussed among Cardinal fans well into winter. He had two left-handers, Jeff Fassero and Steve Kline, warmed up and ready to go. Both were tabbed for this series specifically as get-Bonds-out specialists. For that matter, LaRussa had chosen to carry a "short" bench -- 13 players -- in order to keep 12 pitchers, again just for this purpose. Now, with the hour come 'round at last and the man of the hour at the plate, LaRussa left White in and had him walk Bonds intentionally. What was once the most heinous of baseball heresies -- deliberately putting the winning run on base -- has become almost an afterthought where Bonds is concerned. And, to LaRussa's credit, he knew White had toyed with Santiago two innings earlier.

But when it blows up in your face, it sure looks bad. And as the fans booed, sneered, and danced their mocking "Chicken Dance," Santiago battled White to a full count, then turned on a low fastball and golfed it high and deep over the left-field fence, into a screaming mob of pogoing maniacs in the bleachers. Had a roll of thunder punctuated the blast, it could hardly have been more dramatic. Bonds led the way home, waving his fist as Santiago followed him into the dugout, where he was swarmed by his teammates. The veteran catcher allowed perhaps 30 seconds of this; then his demeanor changed, becoming serious and even a little angry. "We've still got work to do!" was his warning, and that warning proved to be true.

The heroic White, who'd simply been asked to do too much, finished the eighth without further incident, and then it was time for the Nenth Inning, where the decibel level, the intensity level, and the fans' blood-pressure level all hit the danger zone. Robb Nen right now has all his stuff and then some -- he's nowhere near the zombie funk of mid-September -- but he seems almost compelled to live on the edge of disaster all the same. He struck out pinch-hitter Kerry Robinson on a vicious slider in the dirt -- so vicious, in fact, that it bounded past Santiago and Robinson made it to first. Pesky Fernando Viña grounded a soft roller through the right side, and now the tying run was aboard with nobody out. Up stepped Edgar Renteria, Nen's former teammate on the 1997 world champion Marlins who beat the Giants in the playoffs, and an almost pathologically dangerous clutch hitter. Nen got him on a slow tapper to second, but both runners moved up on what was effectively a sacrifice hit. Edmonds lashed a clean single to right, Robinson scoring, but Viña, rounding third, suddenly held up. Edmonds loudly voiced his displeasure with Viña, or the third-base coach, or both, but with Albert Pujols, the Cardinals' best player, now at the plate, the tying run didn't look far away at all. But here we saw Nen at his best. He worked the count even at 2-2, then fanned Pujols on a high slider that nobody could hit. That left it up to Drew, a good hitter with good speed, whom the Giants had considered picking up back in July. He worked the count full, but Nen's payoff pitch was an impossible-to-hit fireball inside. Drew swung weakly, touching nothing, and the Giants lined up on the field like soldiers on parade, the high-fives and congratulations muted, sober and confident and ready for the next game -- and the games to follow.

Notes: Anaheim won the ALCS in grand fashion, knocking out the Twins in five and clinching it before a roaring hometown crowd. Minnesota's wonderful, out-of-nowhere story collapsed suddenly and completely, only moments after they'd taken a dramatic 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh. What had been a tight, exciting ballgame turned without warning into a humiliating blowout as the Angels scored 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh, opening the frame with six straight hits, including Adam Kennedy's third homer of the game, a postseason record he now shares with Babe Ruth, George Brett, and Reggie Jackson... First Anaheim pounded the mighty Yankees into submission over four games, and now they've taken down the sentimental favorites who themselves knocked off Oakland. It's been a long time coming for Angels fans. Only once before, in 1986, have they even been close to a World Series, and we all remember how that one turned out... With Anaheim in there, we have every possibility of an exciting Series. These guys swing the bat like they invented hitting... Sanders' single last night broke a 0-for-13 slump. He hit bottom on Saturday, leaving an appalling seven men on base. On defense, though, he's been a rock. The Cards have hit a lot of line drives to right and right-center, and Reggie's run every one of them down... Television replays indicated Viña would have been out by 20 feet, minimum, had he tried to score on Edmonds' hit in the ninth... One area of immediate concern for the Giants' offense is Kenny Lofton, who hasn't reached base since that brushback pitch in Game One... We'll entertain discussions about a Series starting rotation and a DH for Edison Field after the Giants beat St. Louis, and not before.

Tuesday, October 15

The San Francisco Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 at Pacific Bell Park last night, and thereby won the National League Championship Series, four games to one.

The Giants won it with yet another unbelievable, back-from-the-dead, bottom-of-the-ninth, two-out-nobody-on winning rally, and it was a sight to see. As Kenny Lofton's game-winning single dropped into right field and David Bell slid across the plate with the game- and pennant-winning run, all those ugly memories from 2000 and 1998 and 1997 and 1993 vanished into the chill Bell breeze. Moments later the 2002 Giants were joyously celebrating on the field, Barry Bonds himself leading the ecstatic charge out of the dugout. Nearly an hour later, champagne-soaked Giants streamed from the clubhouse to the field, where they paraded along the perimeter, shaking hands with celebrating fans, not one of whom seemed to have left the premises.

And so it will be the San Francisco Giants in the World Series for the first time since 1989 and only the third time since moving West in 1958. They'll face the Anaheim Angels in the first-ever all-wild-card Series beginning Saturday evening at Edison Field in Anaheim.

Kirk Rueter and Matt Morris, the starters from Game One, were rematched last night, and in many ways this game was the inverse of that one. The two matched shutout innings through the sixth, with Morris especially impressive. While Rueter allowed six hits and deftly pitched his way out of trouble on several occasions, Morris took a no-hitter into the fifth, repeatedly paralyzing the Giants' hitters with a terrific curveball. Morris boldly pitched to Barry Bonds in the fourth with Kenny Lofton at third and two out, and got him on a fly ball to left. When the Giants finally did get their first hit, it nearly brought in the game's first run; with Santiago on first following a walk, Bell dropped a double down the right-field line. Hustling furiously, Santiago rounded third full speed despite coach Sonny Jackson's frantic 'stop' signal, and collided with Cardinal third baseman Miguel Cairo. Santiago reeled back to third, yelling about obstruction; umpire Jeff Nelson indeed called the obstruction but only awarded Benito third, which he'd already reached. This provoked a short but lively argument; though Nelson made the technically correct call, perhaps if Benito had tried for home anyway he would have been given the run. But that didn't happen, and Rueter then grounded out to end the threat.

Felix Rodriguez, so unhittable of late, took over in the seventh and immediately got into trouble when catcher Mike Matheny's tailing line drive glanced off Lofton's glove for a leadoff double. Felix then compounded his problems by attempting the play at third on Morris' sacrifice bunt; Bell's tag was ruled late and all hands were safe. Viña made the Giants pay with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run, and the way Morris was pitching, that run looked mighty intimidating after a scoreless Giants seventh.

Rodriguez got through the eighth without incident, and in the bottom of the frame Lofton grounded a one-out single up the middle. The Giants' leadoff man, worryingly silent since Game One, had taken a pitch in the back earlier. No confrontation ensued, but Lofton clearly believed the blow was a deliberate, additional reprisal for the earlier brushback fracas. Whatever the case, Lofton's hitting, which had disappeared after that brushback, reappeared after his being hit. He would finish the game with three straight singles, and two of them were huge. This one was followed by Rich Aurilia's single to left. Eyes immediately shifted to the St. Louis bullpen, which was, amazingly, empty. As Morris prepared to face Jeff Kent, Cardinal reliever Steve Kline hurriedly shed his jacket and began to throw, but it didn't matter. Morris plunked Kent in the back -- his third hit batsman of the game -- and the bases were loaded for Bonds with no left-hander available in the pen. Morris defiantly threw a low fastball; Barry smoked it to deep center, but it hung up on the track. It was plenty deep enough, though, to score Lofton with the tying run, and slowly the momentum, which had been in the Cards' corner all evening, began to shift the Giants' way. Morris had plenty of gas left -- he hit 94 mph on a pitch to Santiago, whom he retired to end the inning -- but he'd lost his advantage, as had manager Tony LaRussa.

Santiago, with his two clutch homers in Games One and Four, his six series RBI, and his leadership behind the plate, deservedly won the NLCS MVP award. But Tim Worrell, we believe, had a worthy claim to the prize as well. Untouchable in clutch situations throughout the series, he struck out two batters with the go-ahead run on base in the ninth, leading a charged-up Giants team into the dugout for their last regulation at-bat. Nobody wanted extra innings; for sure nobody wanted to go back to St. Louis. But after Morris retired pinch-hitter Ramon Martinez and J.T. Snow to open the ninth, things looked grim.

Then it was Bell, with a sharp single to left. Up stepped Shawon Dunston, of all people -- Dunston, who'd replaced Tom Goodwin (who himself was starting ahead of Reggie Sanders) earlier; Dunston, upon whom Dusty Baker was about to bestow a second at-bat; Dunston, who'd been woefully overmatched by Morris in the eighth; Dunston, viewed by those outside the Giants clubhouse as a veritable boat-anchor all year long. And Dunston ripped a clean single into left-center, moving the winning run up to scoring position.

Finally, out came LaRussa, signaling to his bullpen. Morris, he of the heroic effort, watched as the lefty Kline came in to face Lofton. One pitch, and Lofton lined it into right field, and the game was over.

Notes: The Cardinals have nobody but themselves to blame. They outhit the Giants nearly two-to-one over the last two games and stranded a positively unearthly 21 men on base. Here's to Worrell, Rodriguez, and Eyre, a three-headed MVP... With LaRussa and Dave Duncan and guys like Morris and Viña, the Cardinals have a lot of class. Sadly, they also carry Albert :Pujols, as great a whiner as he is a player. Pujols attributed Robb Nen's strikeout in the ninth inning of Game Four to "luck." Wonder how he feels about that third strike he took against Rueter last night with two on and two out?... Dunston's hit may have been the last of his major-league career, and if so, what a way to go. After 17 years in the majors, this will be his first World Series. That goes for quite a few other veterans as well; not just Bonds but Santiago, Kent, Rueter, Snow, and Bell... Only five Giants have been to a Series: Sanders, Nen, Livan, Lofton, and Witasick (who played for the Yanks last year and probably wishes he hadn't)... Sanders, Nen, and Livan, of course, are the team's only ring-wearers; Lofton was on the Cleveland team that lost to Nen's and Livan's Marlins in 1997... Snow has a special interest in this Series, since it was from Anaheim whence he came to the Giants... Looks from here like Dusty Baker's oft-discussed future prospects (his contract is up after this season) just got a lot more promising... Baseball insiders are already salivating over the prospect of Anaheim's 20-year-old strikeout machine Francisco Rodriguez, nicknamed "K-Rod," facing Bonds in the Series... This will be the fourth all-California World Series, and the first of those not to feature the Oakland A's... Baker takes a fair amount of heat for his use of the sacrifice and other little-ball tactics, but we must note that this strategy, often incomprehensible during the season, paid off big in these tight playoff games. The Giants moved their runners around when they needed to, and the Cards didn't... Who would have predicted that the Giants would win the NLCS without an RBI from Jeff Kent?... How much did St. Louis miss Scott Rolen in this series? Well, Cairo went 9-for-17 with a homer in his absence, and Marrero won Game Three with a homer. Hard to see how anyone could have done better.

Owed to Joy

Joy, true joy, the simultaneous abandonment of self-consciousness and full embrace of life, is a rare and fleeting experience in this sinful, sorrowful world. Here's what it sounded like last night at our house.

"I can't believe he did it! Dunston! 'Dumb-ston'! Dunston! Of all people!"

"Well," said my wife, "maybe that's why they kept him on the team all year. Just for that one hit."

"Must be... Well, look here, they're finally taking out Morris. Gonna bring in the lefthander, huh?. Kline. Say, I ever tell you he's the guy we saw strike out -- "

"Strike out four people in one inning at Candlestick? Yes. Many times."

"Okay. Well, you suppose Dusty'll pinch-hit for Lofton?"

"Why?"

"We got a ton of right-handed hitters on the bench.

(Pacing)

"I don't think so, though. I don't think they should hit for him.

(Sitting down)

"I got a feeling about this. Just a feeling.

(Standing up)

"Okay. Good. They're not taking him out. Lofton's gonna bat after all.

(Pause)

"There it is! There! It! Is!

"He's gonna -- Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Oh, the Humanity!

Saturday, October 19

The San Francisco Giants face the Anaheim Angels in Game One of the 2002 World Series tonight at Edison Field in Anaheim, Orange County, California. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT).

While the phrases "World Series" and "San Francisco Giants" rarely coincide except in sour-grapes remarks and humorless jokes, the situation facing the Giants tonight is even more unusual than it might seem. Thirteen years ago, in their last Series appearance, the Giants were up against the mighty Oakland A's, an obviously superior team. While the Giants certainly had a sporting chance to win, they were huge underdogs, and deservedly so, as it turned out. This year the self-proclaimed experts are evenly divided in their prognostications; in fact, the Angels and the Giants, two wild-card teams, are remarkably similar in style, talent, and approach. Anaheim has no Barry Bonds, but probably has a deeper lineup. Both clubs have solid rotations without a dominant starter, and strong bullpens with excellent closers. Neither gets a lot of help off the bench. Both have good managers who get the most out of their players but haven't been known for in-game strategy. And neither team has brought a world championship home to its host city. That, at least, is gonna change.

Jason Schmidt will start for the Giants tonight against the Angels' Jarrod Washburn. Schmidt, despite his regular-season 5.02 road ERA, was absolutely dominant at Busch Stadium in his last start -- and he'll be facing another sea of hostile red tonight. Russ Ortiz is slated to go tomorrow, with Livan Hernandez starting Game Three at Pacific Bell Park on Tuesday night and Kirk Rueter set for Game Four. This slight rotation reshuffling makes a lot of sense based on recent playoff performances, and with an unprecedented 10 games' experience from which to work -- those 10 games are already a Giants postseason record-- Dusty Baker appears to have chosen wisely. Ortiz pitched exceptionally well twice on the road in Atlanta, but was not so sharp at home against the Cardinals. Rueter, by contrast, was lit up twice on the road and didn't pitch well at all until the NLCS finale at home. And Dusty now obviously believes in Livan as Señor Octubre, the man who simply doesn't lose in the postseason. Livan will get a Game Seven start, if it proves necessary. He's shown, if nothing else, that he can handle any pressure.

The other question facing the Giants is which player will fill the DH role in the Anaheim games. The Giants chose not to add Damon Minor to the series roster, instead keeping Aaron Fultz as a third lefthander in the bullpen. We're not thrilled with that decision, but it's done, and so tonight's DH will be Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the first Japanese player ever to appear in a World Series. It's a questionable call, though it enables Baker to juggle outfielders with ease if necessary. We'll see whether the DH changes as circumstances change, but given the state of the Giants' bench, it's probably foolhardy to expect too much from this position.

The talking is over and it's time to play ball. Here we go!

Monday, October 21

The San Francisco Giants face the Anaheim Angels in Game Three of the 2002 World Series tomorrow night at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT).

The Giants and Angels head north today with the Series tied at one game apiece. As has been their custom this postseason, the Giants got off first in Anaheim over the weekend, winning Game One, 4-3. The Angels then bounced back with an exciting 11-10 victory in Game Two last night.

It will be Livan Hernandez, Señor Octubre himself, making his third postseason start of 2002 tomorrow night. Opposing him will be Ramon Ortiz, no relation to the Giants' Russ Ortiz. In two starts against the Braves and Cardinals so far, Livan is 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA, allowing 17 hits in 14-2/3 innings. Ortiz, however, has been lit up in two postseason starts, allowing nine earned runs in eight innings, though he did get credit for a win against Minnesota in the ALCS.

Game One on Saturday night saw Barry Bonds blast a gigantic home run in his first career World Series at-bat. Reggie Sanders and J.T. Snow also homered for the Giants, who scored all their runs via the longball. Jason Schmidt, Felix Rodriguez, and Tim Worrell stranded seven Angel baserunners over eight innings, and Robb Nen worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the save. In other words, the Giants picked up right where they left off in the postseason. For the third straight series, they grabbed control from the start and took away the opponent's home-field advantage in the first game.

Bonds' homer opened the scoring in the top of the second. One batter later, Sanders drilled a low fastball the other way, clearing the fence in right field. Reggie broke out of his postseason batting slump at a most opportune time; he was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the game. Down 2-0, the Angels answered right back in the bottom of the second as Troy Glaus parked a Schmidt slider in the Anaheim bullpen. And there it stayed until the sixth, Schmidt and Angels' ace lefthander Jarrod Washburn exchanging three scoreless innings.

Sanders walked with two out in the sixth, then Snow launched a cannon shot over the center-field fence, chasing Washburn. The former Angel has been a Giant presence in this postseason. But once again Anaheim wasted no time bouncing back: Glaus greeted Schmidt with his second homer of the game in the bottom of the frame, and with two out and a runner on second, Adam Kennedy just missed a game-tying homer. His double off the wall made it 4-3 and brought in Felix Rodriguez, who once again got the Giants out of it and, as it turned out, saved Schmidt's win. There it stood for the final three innings, as the three Giant relievers held 'em hitless.

But the signature play of the night came on defense. With two on and one out in the fifth, Angels slugger Tim Salmon popped one up foul, over by the first-base dugout. Snow drew a bead on it and was ready to make the play when he slipped on the slick warning track and fell right on his can. Without once taking his eyes off the ball, he pushed himself up, regained his balance, and made the catch anyway. That unlikely play seemed to sum up the Giants team, season, and attitude all in one.

Now, having won the first game their way, the Giants quickly found out that Game Two would be played the Angels' way: lots of hits, lots of runs, neither starting pitcher able to complete the third inning, foul ball after foul ball, all of it adding up to a four-hour-plus exhaust-o-rama. Russ Ortiz, so cool under pressure back in Atlanta, creditably remained cool in Anaheim. Unfortunately, this happened while the Angels were using his pitches for batting practice. The awesome strength of the Anaheim lineup was on full display over Ortiz' brief inning-plus stint: nine hits and seven runs, most of them hard-hit singles, punctuated by Brad Fullmer's steal of home in the first and capped by Salmon's two-run homer in the second. The only reason this wasn't a complete disaster is that the Giants had answered the Angels' five-run first with their own four-run second. Well-traveled veteran starter Kevin Appier opened the inning by walking Barry Bonds and giving up a single to Snow. The red-hot Sanders then belted a three-run homer to left, and David Bell followed with a solo shot to center. So even as Ortiz went down in flames and Chad Zerbe came on to stop the bleeding, it was only 7-4, albeit in the second inning.

The Giants did their best to make Zerbe a winner. Jeff Kent broke out of his own paralyzing slump with a solo homer in the third. Appier stuck around long enough to intentionally walk Bonds, then he was gone, with scheduled Game Four starter John Lackey brought in. Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia had no intention of losing this game and leaving home in a 0-2 hole. Lackey did his job over two innings, but after Rich Aurilia doubled to open the fifth, it was Lackey's turn to walk Bonds with one out and turn it over to Ben Weber. The glowering former Giant, so effective against the Yankees and the Twins, suffered through a nightmarish five-batter stretch. First Benito Santiago bounced a seeing-eye single to left, too shallow to score Aurilia. With the bases loaded, the mighty -- yes, mighty -- Snow ripped a single to right, tying the game at 7-7. Santiago alertly took third on the play, which proved huge when Bell's two-out up-the-middle bouncer was gloved by Kennedy too late to force Snow at second. Santiago scored and, unbelievably, the Giants had the lead. Even more unbelievable was Shawon Dunston's ensuing RBI single, accompanied by a wild throw from left fielder Garret Anderson that left Bell at third. Fuming, Weber retired Lofton without further damage. The good ship Zerbe, however, would not long benefit from all this outrageous fortune.

Kenny Lofton has been a great player over the years, and his NLCS-winning hit stands as one of the greatest moments in Giant history. But honestly, he'd have been more valuable as a DH in Anaheim, because his fielding has deteriorated. A costly Lofton error on Brad Fullmer's gentle fly ball with one on and nobody out in the fifth led to the first unearned run of the game, Troy Glaus scoring on Scott Spiezio's sacrifice fly, and it was 9-8 after five. Zerbe finished his outstanding stint (four innings, four hits, one earned run) with two out in the sixth after Darin Erstad's double. Jay Witasick came in long enough to walk Salmon, and then Dusty Baker called for Aaron Fultz. It was Atlanta Game Five all over again as Fultz immediately surrendered a game-tying RBI single to Anderson. Fortunately, Salmon overran second and was tagged out to end the frame, sparing Fultz from further responsibility.

And so it stayed 9-9 through the seventh, with the two F-Rods, San Francisco's Felix and Anaheim's amazing 20-year-old Francisco, dueling on the mound. Francisco Rodriguez, whom the Angels prefer to call "K-Rod‚" shut down nine straight Giant batters from the sixth through the eighth. Felix Rodriguez, unfortunately, was not quite so effective. In the eighth, pesky leadoff hitter David Eckstein singled to right with one out. Felix got Erstad on a fly ball, but Salmon got Felix big-time with a two-out two-run homer to left, his second homer of the game, capping a 4-for-4, four-RBI night. Edison Field went completely crazy, with fireworks exploding, as Salmon circled the bases and dived into the dugout, emerging moments later to doff his cap to the crowd. The comeback-within-a-comeback had the Angels leading, 11-9, with three outs to go.

Perhaps the Giants were actually relieved to see closer Troy Percival take the hill after three innings of K-Rod. Regardless, Aurilia and Kent went quietly before Bonds stepped up and crushed one high, deep, and gone, a blast estimated at nearly 500 feet. The TV camera showed Salmon, having been replaced for defensive purposes, exclaiming to teammates in the dugout, "That's the farthest ball I've ever seen hit!" Far indeed it was, but it was one run, and the Giants needed two. Percival got Santiago on a popup to second, and the Series was even.

After the game David Bell may have summed it up best. "This is the most fun I've ever had playing baseball," he said. "We did everything we could to win that game."

Indeed. Seven games of this? It could happen.

Wednesday, October 23

The San Francisco Giants lost Game Three of the 2002 World Series to the Anaheim Angels, 10-4, at Pacific Bell Park last night. The Angels now lead the Series, two games to one. The first World Series game ever played at The Bell thus ended, despite a raucous, standing-room-only crowd and lengthy pregame festivities, in disappointment and defeat.

Longtime Giant fans have plenty of experience with badly-pitched games and ugly losses. Last night's debacle, however, was about as bad and as ugly as they come. Anaheim raked five Giants pitchers, most notably starter Livan Hernandez, for 15 hits, most of them line-drive singles and doubles. Those five pitchers themselves issued eight walks and hit one batter. In the field, the Giants committed two costly errors. Thus, despite scoring 10 runs, the Angels left a positively ungodly 15 men on base. Heaven knows how many runs they might have scored had they hit with a little more efficiency.

Consider that the Angels did all this in baseball's best pitcher's park. They did it despite playing under National League rules, with no designated hitter. And they did it without hitting a single home run. For the Giants, it was a pitching meltdown that conjured up uncomfortable memories of the 1989 Series, when the Oakland A's relentlessly pounded an overmatched San Francisco pitching staff.

Well, after five-plus years and eight postseason games, Livan Hernandez' celebrated tenure as Señor Octubre seems finally to have come to an end. The corpulent one pitched a perfect first inning, wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, endured a brutal, 41-pitch, four-run third, and was mercifully removed with two in, two on, and two out in the fourth. Livan gave up seven runs and nine hits, which is bad, but also walked five batters, which is horrible -- and most uncharacteristic of him. His immediate successor, Jay Witasick, fared little better: Adam Kennedy's line drive caromed off Witasick's right (pitching) elbow and, naturally, sailed into left field for yet another RBI single. Aaron Fultz, Felix Rodriguez, and Scott Eyre finished the game in desultory fashion; only Felix escaped without giving up a run.

Unlike teammate Russ Ortiz in Game Two, Livan consistently got ahead of the hitters last night. But he doesn't have a true strikeout pitch, and the Angels obviously had scouted him well. Perhaps part of Livan's past Series success has been the American League hitters' exaggerated tendency to protect the plate on a two-strike count, swinging at anything close. By contrast, the Angels, though obviously an AL team themselves, are patient and well-disciplined: a team full of Tony Gwynns. They wait for a good pitch and they hit the ball where it's pitched, content to put the bat on the ball and let circumstances take care of themselves. A guy like Livan, who thrives on batters swinging at breaking balls out of the zone‚ is fresh meat for the Angels. He suffered the same fate as that of his AL colleagues -- Radke, Pettitte, and Mussina, curveballers all. The only way to hold these Angels down, it appears, is with truly nasty stuff; and the scary truth is that on the Giants, only Jason Schmidt so qualifies. Yes, umpire Angel Hernandez' bite-sized strike zone didn't help, but no amount of squeezing can hide the plain fact that these Angels, to a man, are hitters. They don't walk much, they hardly ever strike out, and they hit the ball hard. As coaches all over the land will testify, when you do that, good things happen.

It's generally hard to find a turning point in a 10-4 walkover, but last night's game truly turned on a play in the third with the Giants up 1-0. Livan, having allowed a walk to David Eckstein and a double to Darin Erstad, faced the toughest defensive situation in baseball: runners on second and third with nobody out. But the big guy's escaped many a pickle in the past, and sure enough he got Tim Salmon on a grounder to third -- which glanced off the usually-reliable David Bell's glove. Instead of holding the runner at third and getting the first out, Bell scrambled to pick up the ball as Eckstein scored to tie it at 1-1, Erstad went to third, and Salmon was safe at first. Livan promptly got Garret Anderson on another grounder, to first this time, but it was deep enough for Erstad to score the go-ahead run as J.T Snow made the play. Troy Glaus then ripped a RBI single to left-center and Scott Spiezio followed with a drive that bounded between Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders and rolled alllllllll the waaaaaaay to the far corner in right-center, 420 feet from home plate. An inside-the-park homer for half the team, for Spiezio it was a triple. The Angels suddenly had the game in hand and, after another four-run outburst in the fourth, it was essentially over. Home-run-based comebacks may be common at bandbox Edison Field; at Pac Bell Park those homers die on the track. Mostly.

What little the hometown crowd had to cheer about centered, of course, on Barry Bonds. Angels starter Ramon Ortiz walked the bases loaded with one out in the first rather than pitch to Bonds; Benito Santiago then drove in the game's first run with a grounder to second. Two hours later, with the Angels up 8-1, Rich Aurilia led off the sixth with a solo homer. Jeff Kent followed with a single and then Bonds launched yet another mighty drive, this one nearly to the base of the scoreboard beyond deepest center field. Barry is now the first player ever to hit three home runs in his first three World Series games, and his total of seven homers for the postseason has forever buried any talk of Bonds' "playoff failures." But his home runs are also a poignant reminder of how any one player -- even the game's greatest player -- can do only so much by himself. The Angels don't have anyone remotely close to Barry Bonds; but when you average 15 hits a game, do you even need a Barry Bonds in order to win?

Kirk Rueter takes the hill tonight for the Giants; opposing him will be rookie John Lackey, who pitched two ininngs on Sunday. Game time is slated for 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT). Rueter will probably benefit from Angel Hernandez not being behind the plate, for he too is a finesse pitcher. He pitched very well in his last postseason start, with six shutout innings here at The Bell, after two rough starts on the road.

This game is absolutely critical for the Giants, whose Series survival now depends on returning to Anaheim. And strange as it sounds, the long-ball-hitting Giants have a much better chance of keeping up with these line-drive-hitting Angels away from The Bell, where home runs die on the track unless your name is Bonds. And even then, the Great One himself bats only 11% of the time, and after last night Mike Scioscia may order him walked regardless of the situation. As fearful a prospect as it may be, we Giant fans must rely on Kirk Rueter and Jason Schmidt more than on Barry Bonds to get us out of this fix. And before we abandon hope, let's do remember that less than two weeks ago the Giants trailed the Braves two games to one, with no wiggle room at all, and still came back to win that series. It most definitely ain't over till it's over.

Thursday, October 24

The San Francisco Giants defeated the Anaheim Angels 4-3 at Pacific Bell Park last night, and evened the 2002 World Series at two games apiece.

"It ain't over till it's over." Indeed. It was the Giants' turn to be relentless, and relentless they were, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to take the game and turn the Series momentum. Relentless on the mound, as Kirk Rueter overcame a bad third inning to finish with three shutout frames -- and to start the game-tying rally with a base hit. Relentless in relief, as the terrific trio of Felix Rodriguez, Tim Worrell, and Robb Nen teamed with Rueter to blank the hot-hitting Angels over the final six. Relentless at the plate, as Benito Santiago overcame two rally-killing double plays to drive in the tying run. Relentless against the best, as David Bell drove in the winning run off K-Rod himself, Francisco Rodriguez. Relentless throughout the lineup, as Barry Bonds was intentionally walked three times and Kenny Lofton, Rich Aurilia, J.T. Snow, Santiago, and Bell picked him up. Relentless on the bases, as Aurilia and Snow charged home with the tying and winning runs. And relentless in the field, turning three key double plays, including the game-ending clincher in the ninth. Relentless.

And so the Series is going back to Anaheim after tonight's Game Five, which is slated for 5 p.m. PDT (8 p.m. EDT) at The Bell. Jason Schmidt, winner of Game One, starts for the Giants against Jarrod Washburn, loser of Game One. As the guys on ESPN Sports Center like to say, it's now a three-game Series.

Rueter, who dodged serious trouble in the second when the Angels scored their first run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, stared into the same abyss as had Livan Hernandez the previous night. He threw more strikes than did Livo, but still gave up seven hits in three innings, the last of them a mighty home run by the redoubtable Troy Glaus, Anaheim's most dangerous hitter. The blast cleared the center-field fence for a 3-0 Angel lead, and considering the Giants had already left the bases loaded in the first, that lead appeared every bit as intimidating as the 4-1 margin Anaheim held at the same point in Game Three. In the bottom of the third, a single by Kenny (3-for-4) Lofton and a double by Rich (3-for-4) Aurilia put runners at second and third with nobody out. Jeff Kent, who'd struck out in similar circumstances in the first, lined one up the middle -- directly into the glove of Angels starter John Lackey. Then followed the obligatory intentional walk to Bonds, and Santiago repeated his first-inning failure with a easy ground ball. Double play, inning over, still 3-0, and the entire Giant dugout looked positively snakebit.

Lackey's no ace, but as he entered the fifth still pitching a shutout, he knew he was only one or two innings away from turning things over to K-Rod, and he knew the Giants knew it too. Murmurs of surprise greeted Rueter as he led off the inning, turning to cheers as he legged out a Baltimore chop that traveled perhaps 20 feet from the plate. Then came the play of the game. Lofton's bunt rolled along the third-base line, hugging the chalk, then abruptly dipped foul. Glaus alertly grabbed for it, but just as abruptly it dipped back fair. Two on, none out. Aurilia then delivered a clutch two-strike single to right for the Giants' first run. That single -- for that matter, the entire inning -- certainly must have looked familiar to the denizens of the Anaheim dugout. The slumping Kent finally earned his keep with a sacrifice fly to right, and when Tim Salmon's late throw got past the catcher, Aurilia instinctively took second. That, of course, opened first base for yet another intentional walk to Bonds, bringing Santiago, the GIDP machine, to the plate lugging a bat that semeed to carry all the weight of the world. Benito had a two-strike count when, again Angel-like, he lined a clean single to center. Aurilia never slowed, charging home to tie it, and for the first time since the Series came to The Bell the home crowd really let loose with a most welcome roar.

First Rueter, then Rodriguez, then Worrell boldly yet carefully dismantled the Anaheim offense over the late innings, working like commandos defusing a time bomb. On the other side, K-Rod extended his streak of perfect relief to 12 batters as he swept through the seventh. But in the eighth, J.T. Snow, who may end up a Series MVP candidate, led off with a sharp single to right. With Reggie Sanders attempting to bunt the runner to second, K-Rod then showed the first chink in his armor. He slung a wild pitch into the dirt and all the way to the backstop, Snow easily taking second. Sanders' bunt attempt failed when first baseman Scott Spiezio made a spectacular diving grab, but David Bell lined a base hit into center field. Snow never slowed, charging home with shoulder lowered, ready for a collision that never happened as Darin Erstad's throw went wide. That really brought some noise from the screaming mob of 42,703.

Once again, Robb Nen made short work of his inning, the ninth. Spiezio fanned on a wicked slider, then the unsinkable Adam Kennedy lined a first-pitch single to right. Brad Fullmer, the Anaheim DH reduced to pinch-hitting duties at The Bell, tapped a meek grounder up the middle that Aurilia and Snow converted into the Giants' third double play of the game. Off went the fireworks over the San Francisco waterfront.

All sorts of Giant milestones, most of them negative ones, shattered into pieces after this win. Obviously, it was the home team's first Series win at The Bell. More than that, it was the Giants' first Series win at home since Game 6 of the 1962 Fall Classic. Rueter's six-inning stint was the longest (!) by any Giant starter in the Series since Jack Sanford's complete-game 1-0 loss in Game Seven, also from '62. And the Angels' pattern of losing the first game of a postseason series and then sweeping the rest is most certainly dead, at least for this World Series.

Notes: It's nice to see a leadoff hitter in the Giants' lineup again. Lofton was 1-for-12 before his three hits last night... Rueter's won-lost record is not all that impressive until you realize the Giants were 11-0 in his no-decisions during the season. Add last night's game and Game Five of the NLCS and that mark is now 13-0... For now, Tuesday's Game Six probables are Kevin Appier and Russ Ortiz, both of whom pitched batting practice in Game Two. Ortiz is no cinch to do his Greg Maddux impersonation this time, but he's a better bet than is Appier. And the Angels may have no choice; Ramon Ortiz, who did reasonably well in Game Three, reportedly has wrist tendinitis and may not pitch again this year. Where that would leave Anaheim for a possible Game Seven is unclear, though Lackey could come back on three days' rest, especially considering the Angels' deep bullpen... As for the Giants, the party line is that Livan will start Game Seven if there is one. Rueter would have three days' rest at that point... Lackey, who threw 94 pitches last night after throwing 32 on Sunday, also singled his first time up. It was his first major-league hit, in his first at-bat. Not so surprising when you realize he hit 15 homers in his senior year at college... Glaus has now matched Bonds with seven homers in this postseason, and three in the Series... We love Natalie Cole, but her shrieking rendition of the National Anthem before last night's game was appalling, one of the worst ever... FOX's much-hyped "Greatest Moment in Baseball History" contest, which culminated in last night's ever-so-lengthy pregame ceremony, was heavily skewed toward the TV Age, not that we'd expect any different. Only two of the Top Ten "moments" dated from before 1950: Lou Gehrig's farewell speech and Jackie Robinson's rookie season. Host Billy Crystal talked too much, but he did nicely encapsulate Robinson's "moment," recalling when Dodger shortstop Pee Wee Reese, a native Kentuckian, put his arm around Robinson just before the start of a game, publicly accepting him as a teammate. Nice touch... The vote for Pete Rose's 4,192nd hit turned into a surprising, and emotional, tribute to Rose himself, who was in attendance. The long ovation, punctuated by chants of "Hall of Fame!," clearly moved baseball's most controversial figure... Accolades for Mark McGwire's 62nd homer were met with swelling chants of "Bar-ry! Bar-ry!"... Most surprising omission was probably Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning homer in the 1975 Series, which did not make the Top Ten... Also MIA was the "Miracle of Coogan's Bluff," Bobby Thomson's 1951 pennant-winning homer, which, after careful consideration, was our personal top choice... Number One was Cal Ripken's celebrated 2,131st consecutive game played. While Cal was a great player and is a good man, some of us can't get past the 50 or so games he missed in late 1994, which Major League Baseball Inc. has slyly chosen to ignore. Something about a strike, wasn't it?... Asked to name our own personal all-time highlight, with stipulation that it must have happened since we became fans in 1964 or so, we're torn between Hank Aaron's 715th homer and the New York Mets' "Amazin'" 1969 championship season. A dark horse: the seventh game of the 1991 World Series won by Minnesota over Atlanta, 1-0 in ten innings. Baseball has never been better.

Friday, October 25

The San Francisco Giants crushed the Anaheim Angels 16-4 at Pacific Bell Park last night in Game Five of the World Series. The Giants now lead the Series, three games to two, as the scene shifts to Anaheim for Game Six on Saturday night at 5 PM PDT (8 PM EDT) from Edison Field. Then and there, Russ Ortiz will get a chance to drive the Golden Spike. After 43 years of frustration, the Giants are but one win away from San Francisco's first World Championship.

The Giants scored early and often last night. They opened with three in the first, added three more in the second, and then, after the Angels narrowed the gap, blew it open with two in the sixth, four in the seventh and four more in the eighth. Jeff Kent exploded out of his slump with two home runs and a double, driving in four runs and scoring four. Benito Santiago again made the Angels pay for intentionally walking Barry Bonds. Kenny Lofton again set the table at the top of the order, and belted a two-run triple for good measure. Rich Aurilia capped the climax with a three-run homer in the eighth. For once, all the offense belonged to the Giants, and they sent this marvelous season's last home crowd into full party mode well before the final out.

Angels starter Jarrod Washburn, who lost his second game of the Series, tried it both ways with Barry Bonds. He pitched to him in the first inning, and Bonds ripped a double to right-center, scoring Lofton with the Giants' first run. He intentionally walked him to load the bases in the second, and Santiago ripped a single to center for the Giants' fifth and sixth runs. Washburn walked no less than four Giants in the first inning alone, including David Bell with the bases loaded. In the second, Kent finally broke through with a scorching liner off the right-field wall, which made it 4-0 and set things up, eventually, for Santiago. Though down by 6-0 after two, Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia did not pull Washburn, mostly because he was trying to save his bullpen, partly because he may have feared it would make no difference.

Jason Schmidt, despite being handed a 6-0 lead at the start of the third inning, wasn't able to earn his second win of the Series. It's not that Schmidt didn't have good stuff; indeed, his fastball hit the high 90's and over the first four innings he struck out seven Angels. It wasn't a lack of aggressiveness, either: he came in high and tight to Troy Glaus in the second, obliging the Anaheim slugger to hit the dirt. And it certainly wasn't ineffectiveness: he had a shutout rolling through four. But Schmidt's fastballs began sailing high and out of the zone as the game went on, and by the start of the fifth he'd already thrown 90 pitches. The Angels tagged him for four hits in the fifth, the last being Glaus' ringing double off the left-field wall. It was 6-3, and even though Schmidt was one out away from qualifying for the win, Dusty Baker didn't hesitate. He brought in Chad Zerbe, who got the third out and preserved the lead. At this time of year, only one "W" counts.

Zerbe did his job in the sixth as well, but again was hurt by some of Kenny Lofton's questionable fielding in center. With one on and nobody out, Benji Gil's hard-hit drive eluded Kenny's glove and found the wall, leaving Angels on second and third. The ubiquitous David Eckstein drove in one run with a grounder, but Zerbe then stepped up and made a huge play on Darin Erstad's slow roller past the mound. Had Zerbe thrown to first, Gil likely would have scored from third, making it a one-run game. Instead Zerbe, keeping one eye on Erstad, scooped up the ball, tagged him out, and wheeled sharply around, forcing Gil to retreat. That one play may have earned our friend Zerbe his first World Series win, even as Felix Rodriguez came in to get Tim Salmon for the third out. Then, in the bottom of the inning, the Giants blew it open.

Once again it was good old Ben Weber, the former Giant who suffered through a terrible fifth inning in Game Two, on the mound in relief. Weber got the first two outs quickly before Rich Aurilia dropped a single into left. Up stepped Kent, who'd been swinging late, sometimes badly late, on seemingly every pitch he'd seen. With one sweet swing, the taciturn Texan turned the game, and perhaps the Series, around. The crowd went wild as the ball cleared the left-field fence, reestablishing the Giants' lead at four and, just as importantly, answering back at Anaheim's rally. Kent waved his fist and broke into a rare smile as he rounded first, and the game was never in doubt from that point on.

Kent hit his second homer just one inning later, off Scott Shields, who had relieved Weber. But the real action had come two batters earlier when, with Snow and Bell aboard, Lofton hammered one to deepest right. It caromed off the rail at the top of the fence and Snow scored easily. With Bell also bearing down on the plate, Snow saw three-year-old Darren Baker, the manager's batboy/mascot son, blithely toddling toward the batter's box to retrieve Lofton's stick. Snow's famed soft hands swept the kid off his feet and out of harm's way, providing sports fans, not to mention parents, all over the world a most unusual highlight. In the eighth, it was Aurilia's turn: having been robbed twice by Erstad's spectacular catches earlier in the game, he hit one where nobody could reach it, a three-run blast that gave the Giants a share of the NL record for most runs scored in a World Series game. Almost lost in all of this was Barry Bonds' 3-for-4 performance; on a night where everybody hit, Barry was most content just to be one of the boys.

Puttin' it bluntly, the Angels' Achilles heel is their pitching, especially their starting pitching. Certainly we've seen Giant teams in the past that hit to win, but these guys take the cake. Their lineup is one of the best in recent memory, but they can't afford to have it slowed down even for a few innings. For the Giants, that means Russ Ortiz is the key to tomorrow night's game. Nobody expects Kevin Appier to keep the Giants off the board; the question is, will the Angels pound Ortiz as they did in Game Two? We've already seen how Felix Rodriguez (who last night tied a record by appearing in his fifth consecutive World Series game), Tim Worrell, and Zerbe have consistently kept the Angel offense from breaking games open late. That means if Ortiz has five decent innings left in his arm, enough to keep the game close early, the Giants have the tools they need to wrap it up in six. All that's left now is to go out and play the game.

Monday, October 28

The San Francisco Giants lost the 2002 World Series to the Anaheim Angels, four games to three. After blowing a 5-0 seventh-inning lead in Game Six on Saturday night, the Giants fell to the Angels last night 4-1 in Game Seven.

Once again, baseball's ultimate prize, a World Series championship, has eluded this star-crossed baseball club. After 45 years in San Francisco, the Giants still don't have The Ring. Years -- nay, decades -- of disappointment have been followed by this, the latest in a string of infuriating, exasperating, hard-to-explain losses. Instead it's the Angels, themselves a franchise with plenty of hard-luck seasons and a few ugly postseason debacles behind them, who are the World Champions. Playing in the first Series in their 42-year history, the Angels rallied one last time, doing to the Giants what they'd already done to the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins, and earning the championship they deserve. Ultimately, the 2002 Giants simply did not have what it takes to win it all, and that, for a Giants fan, is and always will be hard to accept.

They came so close this time, so excruciatingly close. As the seventh-inning stretch ended Saturday night during Game Six, the Giants held a 5-0 lead. They were nine outs away from the championship. The trophy itself had been uncrated and was standing in the visitors' clubhouse at Edison Field. Champagne was delivered; some later said they saw Willie Mays himself carrying a bottle. On the field, Russ Ortiz had already pitched six two-hit shutout innings against baseball's most dangerous lineup. Going back to Game Four, the Giant pitching staff had held Anaheim to four runs and eight hits in twenty-one consecutive innings. Over the course of two weeks, two marvelous weeks, this aging, flawed baseball team had overcome one obstacle after another, on the field and off it. They'd gone back into Atlanta in do-or-die mode, and the Braves, for once, had died. They'd gone up against St. Louis, a team with heart, soul and the memory of Darryl Kile going before them like a banner, and they'd taken them down, too. They'd seen their pitchers torched two games straight in the Series, and they'd come back, put the blaze out, and done a little torching themselves. One by one, the ghosts and demons and curses and disappointments and bad trades and dumb decisions and can't-remember-how-many-outs-there-are and million-dollar-arm-ten-cent-head players and "Frisco faggot" jokes and woulda-coulda-shouldas from years and decades past, all of them, all the useless and pointless baggage that had been haunting this proud and bewildered franchise -- all of it, all of them, crumbling, cracking, splitting apart, bursting into dust, and it was happening right before their eyes and right before our eyes and, many of us will admit now, we were already saying it, we had already called it: The game was in the bag.

The Giants had scored on the long ball. They had scored courtesy of Barry Bonds himself, whacking yet another monster home run, and against the 20-year-old Angel wunderkind Francisco Rodriguez, no less. For that matter, they had raked the celebrated youngster for four hits and two runs in less than two innings. The Giants had scored with little-ball as well. Kenny Lofton had doubled, and stolen third, and then come home on a wild pitch, manufacturing a run in the fifth, and then done it again in the seventh, stealing second and advancing to third on a wild throw and scoring on a single by Jeff Kent. Their starter, the unpredictable Ortiz, had been brilliant, getting ahead of almost every hitter and moving swiftly and surely through the lineup, in full command. And if that weren't convincing enough, the Giants had opened the scoring in the fifth on a single by Bell and a home run -- yes, a home run -- by Shawon Dunston! Dunston! Could any Giants fan be blamed, upon witness of such a glorious, improbable event, for believing that finally, finally, our time had come? The Giants, our Giants, were beating the Angels in every phase of the game, in the Angels' own park, and they were nine outs away from their first championship and Ortiz quickly got the first out of the inning and then, all at once, it, everything, the whole thing, flew apart like a flimsy child's toy placed in the path of an oncoming hurricane. Or something like that.

Ortiz gave up back-to-back singles to Troy Glaus and Brad Fullmer, neither hit especially hard, just standard Anaheim smart-hitting fare. A double-play ball would have ended the small threat, and Ortiz deserved the chance to get it. Instead Dusty Baker pulled him in favor of Felix Rodriguez. Felix, gamer that he is, had worked all five of the earlier games, all under enormous pressure, and done exceptionally well in four of them. He was tired, and Baker should have known it. Scott Spiezio battled Felix over eight pitches, then golfed a fly ball down the right-field line and into the stands just over Reggie Sanders' head. The crowd, graveyard-whispering-quiet through six, went into a shrieking, ThunderStick-whacking, Rally Monkey-waving frenzy. Felix recovered to get the second out, Scott Eyre and then Tim Worrell managed to escape the inning with the 5-3 lead, but the Giants' once-firm foundation had already begun to crumble.

In the eighth, back came Worrell, the second member of the Giants' late-inning trio who had bedeviled the Angels throughout the Series. He didn't have it either. Bang! Darin Erstad drilled a solo shot, nothing cheap about it, to make it a one-run game. Shriek, whack, wave. Tim Salmon: base hit. Garret Anderson, fooled on an outside pitch, poked it into left and Bonds had trouble with it, first fumbling the ball on a barehand-pickup try and then slipping on the warning track in foul territory. That put runners at second and third, the tying and possible winning runs, with nobody out, and now, with the situation desperate, Dusty Baker finally called on Robb Nen. Hadn't we seen this movie before? Hadn't we realized, over time and after much study, that some relievers do better coming in mid-inning with runners on base, and others do much worse, needing to start the inning fresh? Hadn't we observed that most closers fall into the latter category, and Nen most of all? The scent of doom hung thick and heavy over the mound and the Giants' dugout as Nen faced Troy Glaus... and Glaus, the Angels' best hitter and the eventual Series MVP, smoked one into the gap in left-center, off the wall, the two runs scoring easily and that, sports fans, was it. Oh, Nen got out of it without further damage and the Giants, so mighty and so swift and so full of fire earlier, waved feebly at Troy Percival's pitches in the top of the ninth, but really that was just filler. The game ended when the Giants lost their way, somewhere in the seventh. The Boston Red Sox' legendary 1986 Game Six collapse has been the standard of heartbreaking futility for over a decade, with names like Schiraldi, Stanley, and Buckner populating some sort of twisted Hall-O'-Shame. Now there's a new kid in town: the 2002 Giants, eight outs away and five runs up, choking in the limelight, Rodriguez, Worrell, Nen and, yes, Baker, partners in ignominy now and forever. Oh, the humanity!

In case anyone still had any illusions about Livan Hernandez and October baseball, we turn now to the first three innings of Game Seven as documentary evidence. But before we come down too hard on the corpulent Cuban and the manager who chose him to start, let's understand that when you score only one run, you are probably going to lose even if Sandy Koufax is pitching for you. The Giants who came out of the dugout Sunday night were, collectively at least, a shellshocked, stunned bunch of players. They'd seen what was theirs, rightfully theirs, ready for the taking, without warning slip through their hands like water. That a young, unpolished, but confident rookie pitcher like John Lackey held them to one run over five innings is therefore not so surprising. This wasn't Danny Cox or Kevin Gross or Bobby Jones again. The Giants hit Lackey consistently, but time and again they simply failed with men on base. While it seemed like it was Reggie Sanders all the time, actually Lofton, Rich Aurilia, and even the studly, heroic, 3-for-4 J.T. Snow also fell short. In fact, the much-maligned Sanders actually drove in the Giants' only run, with a second-inning sacrifice fly that gave them a short-lived 1-0 lead. Yes, just like Boston in 1986 Game Seven, the doomed heartbroken losing team held a brief lead, quickly extinguished. In the bottom of the second, Hernandez allowed catcher Bengie Molina a game-tying RBI double. In the third it was walk, single, hit batsman, and a three-run double to right by Anderson, the quiet Angel. Livan's line? Four hits, four walks, and four runs in two innings. Good night, and goodbye.

Giants fans may argue from here to eternity whether Kirk Reueter or even Chad Zerbe ought to have started in Livan's place. The two combined for five shutout innings, giving the shattered lineup at least a sporting chance and avoiding a seventh-game blowout embarrassment (see St. Louis v. Kansas City, 1985, q.v.). True to form, the Giants even got the tying run to the plate in the ninth. They got no farther.

Game Seven -- of any series -- has not been kind to the Giants over the years. Many of us remember 1987, when after a heartbreaking Game Six defeat the Giants came out flat and were steamrollered by an inferior Cardinal team in the National League Championship Series. Some will recall 1962, Game Seven against the Yankees, and Willie McCovey's line drive to Bobby Richardson in the bottom of the ninth with the winning run on base and the Giants down 1-0. Way back in the 1924 World Series, a routine ground ball struck a pebble in the bottom of the twelfth inning and bounded into left field as the winning run scored and the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants. Or we can revisit the legendary 1912 Series, with Christy Mathewson himself taking a 2-1 lead into the ninth... and Fred Snodgrass dropping a routine fly ball, another routine popup dropping foul untouched, and Matty finally giving up two base hits as the Boston Red Sox upset the Giants. It is not a pretty history, and last night merely tarnished the luster even more.

Postscript

Friday, November 15

The San Francisco Giants announced two days ago that they have hired Felipe Alou, the former Giants player and Montreal Expos manager, to manage the team, thereby quickly replacing Dusty Baker, who departed the ballclub just days after losing the World Series.

Alou, 67, is the oldest manager in the major leagues, and has a three-year contract for the job. Interestingly, his contract expires the year before Barry Bonds' option year begins. Known as a players' manager who works well with veterans but also has had a hand in the development of some fine young players, Alou's demeanor appears to be similar to Baker's. He's no firebrand, no disciplinarian, no rules-heavy egoist intent on remaking a ballclub in his own image. In short, he is the guy GM Brian Sabean and owner Peter Magowan expect to continue the Dusty tradition of keeping this veteran club in contention as long as Bonds is around. Rebuilding will have to wait.

Political correctness is, of course, the San Francisco way, and by hiring a manager of Latin descent, the Giants continue their "progressive" record in this area. Certainly Alou has proven he can do the job, piloting the perenially underbudgeted Expos to several winning seasons, including a 94-win campaign in 1993. This is no token hire. But given the fans' general displeasure with Baker's acrimonious departure, hiring Alou is a popular move as well. He has fine Giants pedigree, having played alongside Mays, McCovey, and Marichal in those glory days of the 1960s. His brothers and his son Moises have played major league ball; Felipe even managed Moises, now with the Cubs, for a time. Given the other candidates discussed for the job, retreads all, Alou seems a safe choice.

Critics contend he keeps a large doghouse and, especially given his age, question his long-term ability and commitment. But given the team he inherits and the structure of his own contract, Alou is by definition a short-timer. As long as Bonds is Bonds, the reasoning goes, the Giants are contenders. A slight reshuffling of the deck, and like as not they're back in the hunt next year. Under those circumstances, why not a respected elder statesman like Felipe?

The one intriguing candidate on the list was Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, who has sufficient minor league managing experience and who clearly wanted the job. Perhaps Wotus is being asked to wait in the wings for a couple more years, until the team really does need retrenchment and a fresh identity. Perhaps. There's always the chance that, passed over, he'll grab the first job offered him elsewhere. Whether or not such a thing would be a significant loss for the Giants is hard to tell at this time.

As for Dusty Baker, it's easy now to look back in bitterness at the blown Series and the playoff debacles from '97 and '00, and conclude he's an overrated manager who's likely to get a nasty reality check in Chicago. We can point to his overconfidence in guys like Livan Hernandez and Aaron Fultz, his poor handling of Tsuyoshi Shinjo, his almost comically weak postseason bench, his quick hook with Russ Ortiz in Game Six, and declare that without these and similar blunders, the Giants would have won it all.

But in the wake of his departure as the most successful manager in San Francisco Giants history, a somewhat longer view seems in order.

In his 10 seasons (also a San Francisco Giants manager's record), Dusty had seven winning campaigns. That's a remarkable record; even the best managers, over time, gravitate toward .500. Plus, the Giants had winning records and were contenders for the past six years in a row (though whether 1999 was really a "contending" season could be argued). As we noted back in September, who, other than the Braves and Yankees, can match this kind of consistency? Certainly Dusty's great run of success began when Jeff Kent joined Barry Bonds to form a dynamic lineup duo, but is that all there was to it?

Nobody wll claim that Dusty Baker is a brilliant in-game manager, a shrewd strategist and master chess player who leaves his bewildered opponent fumbling for answers. He favors little-ball strategies when they make little sense (though we've noted that the repeated execution of those strategies during the year tends to ensure they're executed perfectly when you need 'em in the playoffs). His lineup selection is tediously predictable -- as one newsgroup critic has noted, the prevailing ethic seems to be "My Center Fielder Leads Off." His choice of coaches is as likely to be awful (Sonny Jackson) as it is effective (Dave Righetti, who, come to think of it, wasn't Baker's pick anyway, but Brian Sabean's). It is safe to say that Dusty Baker is not, and never will be, an Earl Weaver. He may not even be a Bobby Cox.

But Dusty Baker unquestionably is a leader. He creates, sustains, and maintains a clubhouse attitude that will never say die. He can coddle some awfully large egos without destroying others. His teams, time and again, have shown heart, character, and determination that has taken them far beyond their supposed capabilities. (The one exception to this would seem to be the 2000 team, which truly underachieved.) His tendency to prefer veterans, even washed-up veterans, over younger players makes sense in the context of his brand of leadership. It's not to trivialize or diminish his capability as a leader to note that this is a limitation as well as a strength.

And while Dusty did his best work in 2002, it seems clear now that he was ready to go regardless. The criticism from fans and the media, which is part of every manager's job to deal with, clearly had begun to wear on him until he was about as thin-skinned as a manager could be. Perhaps the crushing disappointment of 2000 simply was too much for him, and he'd realized that if he could lead this team, this 2002 team, farther than anyone had hoped, which he certainly did, then that would be enough to settle the account and let him move on with no regrets. Well, in any case, he's gone. More money, and, inevitably, higher expectations, await him now. We wish him well, but we believe he's in for a rough ride.

Now Felipe Alou, the fifteenth manager in San Francisco Giants history, takes over a team that was eight outs away from a World Series championship, a team led by baseball's best player, and he's expected to maintain the status quo. With whom will he work next year? A brief rundown of the men who won the National League pennant, and then we'll crawl into our hibernation chamber until Spring.

Position Players

Barry Bonds: Just won his fifth MVP. Who says he won't get a sixth?

Rich Aurilia: Crucial to the team success. Probably won't repeat 2001's extravagant numbers, but likely will top last year's. Should bat farther down in the lineup.

Benito Santiago: Likely will get one more year as a starter. The Giants need to upgrade this position now.

J.T. Snow: Should platoon or be a part-timer at this stage, even given his playoff and Series heroics. A new starter here (dare we suggest Frank Thomas? Egad!) might increase J.T.'s value, since he's still the best glove man around and a excellent pinch-hitter. [Shortly after David wrote this, Thomas re-signed with the White Sox. -- GP]

Kenny Lofton: May be back if the Giants can't sign a legitimate leadoff hitter such as Ray Durham or Luis Castillo. He's a liability in center field at this point, though. [The Giants have since signed Durham. Lofton doesn't figure to be back; indeed, since he was not offered arbitration, he can't come back until May 15. -- GP]

David Bell: Didn't pick up his option, and is being wooed by the Diamondbacks and the Yankees, among others. Will be hard to replace if he goes, given his versatility. Picked a good year to shine; may get $5,000,000-a-year offers the Giants won't match. [Bell is now a Phillie. -- GP]

Jeff Kent: Almost certainly gone. After six straight 100-RBI seasons, someone will offer him $10,000,000 or more a year. The Giants won't touch that kind of money, and perhaps rightly so, but it will be difficult -- and expensive-- to replace his bat. [Kent, who clearly wanted out, is now an Astro. -- GP]

Reggie Sanders: Gone for sure. Giants will look elsewhere to fill the "Ellis Burks" hole (and, by the way, Ellis is a free agent again, too...).

Ramon Martinez: Invaluable backup and part-timer. Giants must resist the urge to move him into the starting lineup. (Anybody remember Steve Scarsone?) But Ramon could be trade bait if someone else thinks he's a bona fide full-timer. [The Giants have since chosen not to offer Martinez arbitration, so he's most likely gone. The Giants have further chosen to pay more to a worse player (Neifi Perez) -- on the premise that he's a Proven Major League Veteran -- to do Martinez's job. -- GP]

Pedro Feliz: Still only 24, and definitely trade bait. If he stays, perhaps he could start at third against lefties in a platoon combination. [The Giants have signed Edgardo Alfonzo as a free agent. Though he can play second, he'll probably play third, with Durham manning second. -- GP]

Tsuyoshi Shinjo: Best defensive centerfielder on the club, by a wide margin. Don't know if that's enough, by itself, to keep his job. Should never have been asked to lead off. Now nobody believes he can hit. [Certainly the Giants don't. He's been waived. -- GP]

Yorvit Torrealba: Fish-or-cut-bait time with the lone man on the roster who didn't see an inning of Series action. If they're not going to play him more often to spell Benito, then dump him and get somebody else. (Like Ivan Rodriguez? Yeah, right.)

Tom Goodwin: The poor man's Marvin Benard. Gone.

Shawon Dunston: Will make an excellent coach for somebody, perhaps Dusty himself after he gets settled in Chicago.

Pitchers

Jason Schmidt: Still has ace potential. Best stuff on the staff. Would benefit from veteran leadership, but don't expect the Giants to sign his one-time mentor Maddux.

Russ Ortiz: At 28, he may have passed his peak, but pitchers can fool you. Another who needs an example of day-in day-out consistency. He's got everything else. [Such as a new uniform. Ortiz has gone to the Braves for lefty Damian Moss. -- GP]

Kirk Rueter: Woody proved his worth several times over, in Game Six of the NLCS and Game Four of the Series. Not sure how he'll react to Alou's hiring, since it was Felipe who traded him away from Montreal.

Robb Nen: Has picked up his option, meaning he comes relatively cheap for a closer with his pedigree. Just had "routine" shoulder surgery. He'll need a big year to drive up his market value again. Fifty-fifty on that.

Tim Worrell: A bargain considering his value over the long haul. Tough and versatile. No reason he shouldn't be back.

Jay Witasick: Showed setup-man stuff much of the year, but faded into the background during the playoffs. Should be back. [Yes, he should be back, but the Giants declined to offer abitration, so now Witasick is a Padre. -- GP]

Chad Zerbe: Excellent Series will certainly earn him a fresh look, if not a job. Don't know if there's any plan to try him as a starter.

Scott Eyre: Could go either way, no big gain or loss. [He's staying. The Giants signed him to a one-year deal. -- GP]

Felix Rodriguez: Should be traded. He still has some serious heat, but evidently doesn't trust his slider and hasn't developed a changeup. Value is lower than ever, though, since everyone knows this now.

Livan Hernandez: Can't imagine him coming back. Somebody has to take the fall, and he's a prime candidate. Any trade will involve the Giants eating part of his salary.

Aaron Fultz: Doesn't belong in the major leagues. [And currently isn't. The Giants declined to offer arbitration, and Fultz doesn't have a job at the moment. -- GP]

And a few others who did not make the postseason roster, but who will likely figure, one way or another, in the Giants' plans over the winter:

Ryan Jensen: Should get a chance to compete for a starting spot. Faded late in the year, probably because of the workload, and missed the playoff roster. Might be trade bait.

Kurt Ainsworth: Will almost certainly get a crack at the rotation. He's 24 and the time is now.

Damon Minor: Trade bait, except he's 29. There might be a AL club that wants to tap his potential. Not good enough to start ahead of J.T.

Bill Mueller: Somebody suggested a third-base platoon of Billy and Feliz if Bell goes. There have been worse ideas.

Marvin Benard: Just don't make him a starter. Assuming he's recovered from the injury, Marvin remains a good fourth outfielder and pinch-hitter.

Copyright ©2002 by David Malbuff

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