Notebook

Bullpens put clamps on home run derby

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- If Game 1 of the World Series was any indication, the bullpens are going to play a major role in the outcome.

Each bullpen pitched 3 1/3 innings of hitless ball Saturday night in the Giants' 4-3 victory. It started out as a slugfest, as Barry Bonds and Reggie Sanders homered in the second inning, J.T. Snow added a two-run shot in the sixth and Troy Glaus homered twice for the Angels.

But the middle relief was nearly flawless, except for a walk by each staff.

Felix Rodriguez retired all four batters he faced for the Giants. Tim Worrell pitched the eighth, retiring Glaus on a called third strike. Robb Nen pitched a perfect ninth, retiring Adam Kennedy on a flyout, fanning David Eckstein and getting Darin Erstad on a flyout.

"They came in and just shut the door on us," Eckstein said. "Nen made me look stupid on that final pitch he threw me, so I have to make an adjustment the next time I face him."

Nen, whose 10 career postseason saves are third behind Mariano Rivera and Dennis Eckersley, has allowed one earned run in seven innings this postseason. Rodriguez has given up one earned run in nine innings.

"Rodriguez sets the table, and he's a hard thrower. Worrell's been having a great season, and everybody knows what Robb Nen is able to do," Giants catcher Benito Santiago said. "This is the best set of relievers in the league, right after Atlanta."

For the Angels, Brendan Donnelly relieved Jarrod Washburn following Snow's homer and retired all five batters he faced. After Scott Schoeneweis walked Bonds on four pitches, Ben Weber retired five in a row.

"I know we wouldn't be where we are right now without our bullpen," Washburn said. "They've been a big part of this team, so I feel pretty good about our chances with the bullpen we have."

Reggie's back

The first two rounds of the postseason were quite forgettable for Reggie Sanders. But once he returned to the World Series stage, he was just fine.

Sanders hit a solo homer his first time up and singled with two out in the sixth, setting the stage for J.T. Snow's home run that extended the Giants' lead to 4-1.

"I felt extremely well today," Sanders said. "Those four days off gave me a chance to work on what I needed to work on, and tonight was definitely a good testament to that. I saw the ball extremely well. This is definitely a good ballpark to hit in."

In last year's World Series, Sanders was 7-for-23 -- including a 4-for-5 effort in Game 6 -- as the Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees in seven games. He and Kenny Lofton are the only Giants regulars with World Series experience.

The Giants reached this Fall Classic without much help from Sanders, who went 5-for-34 in the first two rounds with one RBI and was benched by manager Dusty Baker for Game 5 of the NLCS against St. Louis.

"It was just a time when Dusty wanted to play Tom Goodwin, and I understood why," Sanders said. "This is all about teamwork. I understand circumstances and why things happen. I thought it was just a chance for me to get my swing back to where it needed to be."

In Game 3 against the Cardinals, Sanders came up twice with the bases loaded -- but flied out and struck out. He also ended the game with a flyout with the tying run at first in a 5-4 defeat.

Sanders also left the bases loaded in the second inning of Game 4 of the division series against Atlanta, striking out against Tom Glavine.

"We have a lot of confidence in Reggie," teammate Benito Santiago said. "Reggie was having a bad postseason, but that can go away quickly. He hit a home run tonight, and I'm happy about that. You never know. The man can be the MVP of the Series if he wants."

Lasting memories

Saturday night's game at Edison Field marked the sixth different ballpark that's hosted a World Series in California, and the total will go up again when the scene shifts to Pacific Bell Park.

Many fans may not know where the first World Series game in the state was played, though. It was at Coliseum in Los Angeles, better known for holding the Olympics, the Super Bowl and college football games.

On Oct. 4, 1959, a then-record crowd of 92,394 jammed the oddly configured park to see the Dodgers beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 in Game 3. Don Drysdale was the winning pitcher.

The Coliseum served as a temporary ballpark in Los Angeles until Dodger Stadium was built a few years later. With its bowl shape, the Coliseum wasn't ideally suited for baseball -- it was only 251 feet to the left-field line, so short that a high chicken-wire fence had to be put up to block easy home runs.

No doubt, it was hard to imagine the Series being held there.

"We couldn't believe it, either," said Don Demeter, who started in place of Dodgers star Duke Snider in center field for Game 3. "We'd never seen it filled like that in the daytime. There were so many white shirts, it was hard to see the ball. I lost one and it almost hit me in the head."

"But it was neat. You wouldn't want to play there all the time, but it was fun for those games," Demeter recalled Saturday from his home in Oklahoma City.

Adding to the weird surroundings: two days before the Dodgers played the White Sox, a football game chewed up the turf as Southern California beat Ohio State 17-0.

There's still a plaque at the Coliseum commemorating the time the World Series was played there. And Saturday afternoon, USC beat Washington 41-21.

Still waiting

Frank Robinson still hasn't decided if he wants to return as manager of the Montreal Expos next season.

"I still need to sit down and talk with major league baseball and the commissioner and see what's going on," Robinson said.

Robinson took over the Expos this season after they were taken over by the other 29 teams and led them to an 83-79 record and second-place finish in the NL East.

Robinson originally said he would only manage one season but now he might want to return.

"I enjoyed it very much," he said. "The players made it very pleasant. They played hard and ended up with a very positive season."

Sele surgery

Angels pitcher Aaron Sele, left off the postseason roster, underwent surgery to repair a partial tear in his right rotator cuff.

The operation was performed Friday by Dr. Lewis Yocum, the team's medical director, at the Kerlan-Jobe Health South Clinic in Los Angeles.

The 32-year-old Sele is expected to begin rehabilitation in two weeks and should be ready for spring training, the Angels said.

In his first season with the Angels, Sele had an 8-9 record with one complete game, one shutout and a 4.89 ERA in 26 starts. He signed a three-year contract with the team last September.

Sele gave up three hits and two runs in 4 1-3 innings Sept. 29 in the final game of the regular season after being sidelined nearly six weeks due to a shoulder injury.

Rose to the occasion

Even though he's banned from baseball for life, Pete Rose has been invited to Game 4 in San Francisco for the pregame ceremony honoring baseball's most memorable moment.

Rose's breaking of Ty Cobb's career hits record is expected to finish among the top 10. At the 1999 World Series, Rose received the longest applause when he was introduced as a member of baseball's all-century team.

 

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