Game #75: A's 7, Giants 8 (by GeneralChiang)
June 24, 2006 | A's @ San Francisco
As I'm too depressed to write about today's game myself, here's a guest blog entry from GeneralChiang:
Talk about your emotional rollercoasters...
Just as Wella's mom and I are settling in our seats, the A's are granted a gift run in the top of the 1st as the normally surehanded shortstop Omar Vizquel fails to handle a throw as Mark Kotsay is caught leaning too far off of second. Bobby Crosby comes through with the clutch two-out single to drive home the A's first run. A's lead 1-0.
The bottom of the 1st, Wella arrives in time to see A's starter and boyfriend-du-jour Dan Haren surrender the 719th home run of Barry Bonds' career. Everyone in attendance is eligible for a free "I saw 719" pin from the Giants. A's trail 1-2.
Top of the 3rd, the A's touch up ineffective Giants' starter Jamey Wright for three runs. The big hit being Dan Johnson's two run double. A's lead 4-2.
Bottom of the 3rd, the Giants load the bases after Haren throws a Rick Ankiel-esque wild pitch while facing Bonds. Following an IBB to Barry, Ray Durham drives a shot to Scutaro's right. Marco extends his body, dives, snares the ball cleanly, gets up and throws out Durham. A rally is averted and A's still lead 4-2.
Top of the 6th, the A's pad the lead to 7-2 with key hits from Scutaro and Kotsay. It's always a good sign when a team can score runs anywhere in the lineup.
Bottom of the 6th, the Giants answer back with two runs as they chase Haren out of the game as I'm purchasing a $7.00 plate of mixed fruit. New A's pitcher Chad Gaudin (who's last name sounds like an impressionist painter) immediately shuts down the rally with a double play. A's lead 7-4.
Bottom of the 7th, Ken Macha proves that he knows how to manage National League baseball by making a flashy double switch of Payton and Calero for Johnson and Sauerbeck in the 7th and Clark and Street for Payton and Calero in the 8th.
Bottom of the 8th, Street comes in with two outs and two on and totally overmatches Omar Vizquel for the third out. A's are looking good with a 7-5 lead and Street on the mound.
Top the 9th, it looks like the Giants are giving up by bringing Tim Worrell to pitch. To everyone's surprise, he gets out of the inning without giving up any runs. WTF?
Bottom of the 9th, Street uncharacteristically falls behind Giants first baseman Mike Sweeney 2-0 and then surrenders a lead-off single. He then pitches to Bonds carefully, but walks him. First and second with no outs and trailing by two runs, the Giants decide to play "small ball" and have Ray Durham lay down a sacrifice bunt. Thus far, Durham is 0-for-4 while leaving six runners on base. Durham fails to lay down the bunt and falls behind 0-2.
After a waste pitch makes the count 1-2,
(Game experience: View Reserved 320)
A's record: 40-34 | streak: L-1 | well-A-meter: 2
posted by blank book at 7:13 PM
2 Comments:
Two games in a row decided by triples in the ninth. Weird.
I was also suprised to see Barry steal a base in the previous day's game. Given the slowness with which he seems to be covering left field, pulling a Ricky Henderson is just so...unlikely. So Wella's comment about Barry being a good baseball _player_ is well taken. That said, I really like his smirk when he's playing anyone but the A's. Then I really hate it.
Well the A's won the series and my 'speechlessness' is over. Some notes on this game:
• At AT&T Park, they have this thing where they get a little kid to announce the next batter during the bottom of one of the innings. The little boy they had yesterday introduced Randy Wynn as "WANDY WYYYYYNNNNNN...!" So now he's Wandy Wynn to me.
• I saw that cute Ben & Jerry's vendor who I've spotted before at the Coliseum. GeneralChiang almost didn't believe me when I said that some of the snack vendors work both ballparks. Why not? When one team is at home, the other is away. My regret is that my camera's batteries died so I couldn't snap his pic for the blog. :)
• Dave, who was also at the game, said he came up with a nickname for Esteban Loaiza. It's "Lo-azy." Lo-azy had better start more games for the A's.
• While exiting the ballpark, I came up next to a little old lady in an orange Giants jacket. She said to me as we shuffled along in the crowd, "The last time I came to a game, the Giants also won in the 9th inning. It's because I did a pinky shake with my daughter for luck." Despondent as I was, I mumbled, "That's nice." Then she reached out her right hand to me and stuck out her pinky finger. I linked my pinky with hers and we smiled at each other. Then the crowd split us apart. Internally I said, "Here's to the A's winning the Sunday game!"
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