It was like something out of a time warp.
Giants-Dodgers. Day game. September. Both teams fighting for first place. Last-inning home run ends it. Emotional home-plate scene with players hopping up and down like jumping beans. Fans going wild.
But it was just another chapter in one of baseball’s greatest rivalries. San Francisco beat Los Angeles Sept. 18 on a 12th-inning home run by Brian Johnson, tying the Dodgers for the division lead and giving the Giants the momentum to take the division on the season’s final weekend, which they did Saturday.
In the minds of many Dodgers, however, the celebratory scene was a bit much, something to remember the next time the teams meet.
“I just hope we would show more class than they did,” Mike Piazza grumped. “It’s one thing to be excited and another to get carried away.”
Ex-Giant Brett Butler added: “If we played the Giants on the last day of the season, what happened would be bulletin-board stuff.”
Manager Bill Russell said: “It bothered me.”
Oh, please.
If a team can’t celebrate a dramatic moment in a big game with a genuine display of real, live emotion, then why play the game in the first place? Baseball needs more of these moments. Many more.
To their credit, the Giants didn’t make a big issue of the Dodgers’ sour-grapes remarks, other than Jeff Kent’s comment that the Dodgers “were probably a little jealous” of the Giants’ back-to-back victories in the two-game showdown.
“They probably don’t need as much emotion as we do,” said Stan Javier, a former Dodger. “They have a lot of great players. Being emotional doesn’t mean we’re better. (But) it’s what allows us to win games.”
The Giants entered the final weekend ranked 11th in the National League in hitting, 11th in pitching and 10th in fielding. They also have been outscored. Obviously, they’re not the most talented team. But the chemistry was apparently right and manager Dusty Baker did a yeoman’s job in leading them all season.
Back in the winter, San Francisco General Manager Brian Sabean was taking hits from everywhere for trading Matt Williams to Cleveland, leading to his famous denial: “I am not an idiot.”
Now that the playoffs loom, Sabean has been vindicated. The team he constructed on a $33.4 million budget surprised all the experts. So now Sabean is being hailed as a genius, proving once again Joaquin Andujar was right when he used to say, “You never know.”
Eight other teams that spent more than San Francisco’s $33.4 million didn’t make the postseason: Cincinnati ($46.2 million), St. Louis ($44.1 million), Los Angeles ($43.4 million), Colorado ($42.8 million), the Cubs ($39.8 million), the Mets ($38.4 million), Philadelphia ($35.5 million) and San Diego ($34.7 million).
In an age when many believe money can buy titles, the Giants are a team for blue-collar fans.
Ringing endorsement: Tony Gwynn likes Pedro Martinez in the NL Cy Young Award race and Larry Walker as the MVP.
“I look at the total package,” Gwynn said of Walker. “He’s a Gold Glove outfielder. He’s the best baserunner in this league. He has 30 steals. He’s playing hurt. He’s hitting the ball with power. He has driven in a boatload of runs. And he’s leading the league (actually, he’s second to Gwynn) in hitting. What else can you ask for?”
Walker cannot be considered a Coors Field product. He finished the season with a .346 average (92 for 266), 16 doubles, 29 homers and 62 RBIs on the road. His road slugging percentage was .733. Walker fell two homers shy of the National League road mark set by Cincinnati’s George Foster in 1977 when 31 of his 52 homers came away from home.
“I’m really happy about that,” Walker said. “Last year I got ripped because I was really (awful) away from Coors Field. This year I think I’ve proved I can hit outside Denver. I think I’d proved that already.”
Shawon’s new home: At long last, happiness has found Shawon Dunston, who was forced to leave the last-place Cubs and participate in a pennant race with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dunston has hit better than .400 for most of his monthlong stay with the Pirates and has learned there truly is life after the Cubs.
“I didn’t want to leave the Cubs, and I didn’t know how I’d fit in with this club,” Dunston said. “But it hasn’t taken me to long to become happy here. I’ve really been made to feel welcome, and I appreciate that.”
The biggest drawback for Dunston in returning is the artificial turf at Three Rivers Stadium. Dunston has missed three games because of lower back spasms since joining the team.
“I wouldn’t be able to play 155 games, but I think I could keep my back in shape to where I could play five days in a row and take the sixth one off,” Dunston said. “If you had asked me a month ago if I ever would sign with a team that has artificial turf, I would have said no without hesitation. I think I could handle it now.”
Must-eat: After four years of taste-testing, the verdict is in. Here’s our list of the must-eat foods in baseball: 1. San Francisco (garlic fries). 2. Baltimore (Babe’s BBQ ribs). 3. Anaheim (cinnamon rolls). 4. Boston (Chinese). 5. Milwaukee (brats/Door County cherry oatmeal cookies). 6. Chicago South Side (churros). 7. Chicago North Side (Connie’s deep-dish pizza). 8. Dodger Stadium (Carl’s Jr. burger). 9. Colorado (Rocky Mountain oysters). 10. Philadelphia (Italian ice). 11. Florida (Cuban sandwich). 12. Houston (Luther’s rib plate). 13. New York Queens (S’barro pepperoni pizza). 14. San Diego (Randy Jones’ BBQ chicken). 15. Oakland (chicken wings).
Around the league: Andres Galarraga is on the verge of becoming the first National Leaguer to win two straight RBI titles since Dale Murphy in 1982-83. Albert Belle led the American League in RBIs in 1995-96. Galarraga led Jeff Bagwell 139-134 heading into the weekend.
