Giant debacle

Bullpen collapses as five-run lead evaporates

Robb Nen entered the game in the eighth inning and immediately gave up the tying and go-ahead runs. AP

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- When starter Russ Ortiz left the mound in the seventh inning, San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker gave him the game ball as a souvenir of a job well done.

And then Baker made the mistake of giving a ball to Felix Rodriguez. And another to Scott Eyre. And another to Tim Worrell. And one last one to Robb Nen.

The Giants' bullpen blew a five-run lead in Game 6 of the World Series on Saturday night -- a spectacular collapse at the worst possible time for a franchise that has waited 48 years for a championship.

No single pitcher deserved the blame: San Francisco's four relievers allowed six hits in just 1 2/3 innings, and each of Baker's choices failed in a different way.

"I can't remember anyone going through our bullpen like they did today," said Worrell, who took the loss after giving up three hits in the eighth. "We've all had bad outings that put us in bad positions, but the next guy usually came in and shut the door. So this was an interesting night."

CNNSI.com's John Donovan Viewpoint: This latest comeback by the Angels was so good, they even left themselves in awe. Closer Look: Scott Spiezio turned the game -- and perhaps the Series -- around with an amazing at-bat that resulted in a three-run home run. Comeback kids Click the image to launch the clip The Angels are very familiar with the concept of the late-inning rally. Start Manager Mike Scioscia would prefer to not to have to count on a rally every now and again. Darin Erstad claims that homering wasn't what he had in mind when he stepped to the plate in the eighth. Troy Glaus believes that when the World Series comes down to one game, momentum goes out the window. Video Plus Visit Video Plus for the latest video and audio. HEROES & GOATS HERO GOAT Rally Monkey S.F. bullpen Barring another miracle in Game 7, this was the little guy's finest hour. Four relievers combined to allow four runs, three earned, in 1 2/3 innings. BY THE NUMBERS 5 Comeback wins this postseason for the Anaheim Angels, including Games 2 and 6 of the World Series. All five have come at Edison Field. 7 Consecutive World Series Game 7s won by the home team. The 1979 Pirates were the last road team to win a Game 7. 19 RBIs in the postseason for Scott Spiezio, tying the record set by Sandy Alomar with Cleveland in 1997.

A confidence-crushing night in front of a deafening Anaheim crowd resulted in the Angels' 6-5 victory, which sent the World Series to a seventh game. The San Francisco relievers who couldn't come through on probably the biggest nights of their careers will get less than 24 hours to regroup.

The fatigue of a draining season and a lengthy postseason surely played a role. So did the mental challenges of pitching in front of Anaheim's frenzied fans. But in the face of all those obstacles, the Giants still were surprised that their reliable bullpen didn't come through.

"I still have the same amount of faith in our bullpen," Jeff Kent said. "We put four of our best pitchers out there, and they scored runs off them and won the ballgame."

The Giants seemed headed to their first World Series title since moving to San Francisco after homers by Shawon Dunston and Barry Bonds helped them build a 5-0 lead -- but momentum shifted with alarming speed in the seventh inning.

After Ortiz allowed consecutive one-out singles -- the last of his four hits -- Baker pulled him for Rodriguez, the hard-throwing setup man. Ortiz, with the game ball in his glove, walked off the field to a standing ovation from the small clutch of Giants fans behind the dugout.

Rodriguez, who gave up Tim Salmon's game-winning homer in Game 2, immediately made another huge mistake. Scott Spiezio pounded one of Rodriguez's fastballs down the right-field line, where it nestled in the seats just out of reach of right fielder Reggie Sanders for a three-run homer.

"That ball went to the right spot," Rodriguez said. "He didn't hit it great, but when I saw where it was going, I said, 'It might have a chance.' I had to throw good pitches to him. In a kind of game like that, you don't want to walk this guy and get in more trouble."

The Giants' lead was now 5-3, and Rodriguez showed almost no emotion on the mound. Eyre, picked up on waivers from Toronto earlier in the season, relieved Rodriguez and allowed a hit to his only batter, but Worrell finished things off.

Worrell returned for the eighth amid the screams and excitement he rarely sees as a long reliever during the regular season. Earlier in the week, Worrell claimed that the adrenaline rush of a pressure situation made him a better pitcher.

The pressure barely affected him during an otherwise outstanding playoff run -- but Darin Erstad hit a solo homer off Worrell, and Salmon and Garret Anderson singled before advancing on Bonds' fumbling misplay in left field.

Worrell stared at Baker in dull disbelief as the manager came to the mound to remove him. In desperation, Baker went to Nen, his powerful closer. On Wednesday, Nen said he couldn't remember the last time he pitched in the eighth inning of a game, and he hoped it wouldn't happen any time soon.

Nen faced Troy Glaus -- a tantalizing matchup of a power pitcher against a power hitter. Glaus won with a drive to the outfield, scoring two runs as the crowd rocked Edison Field nearly off its foundations.

Baker was asked if he'd ever seen a comeback quite like it.

"I don't know -- not in a while, especially not against our bullpen," he said. "Everybody's bullpen is a little tired. That was a heck of a comeback by them."

 

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