PDA

View Full Version : nice choke job by giants in the 9



ducks
10-02-2004, 07:17 PM
giving up a grandslam hehee

steve finley is CLUTCH
:) (former diamondback)

ducks
10-02-2004, 07:17 PM
giants be lucky to go to postseason

ducks
10-02-2004, 07:23 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Dodgers are finally back in the playoffs.

Steve Finley's grand slam capped a seven-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning and Los Angeles won the NL West, beating the San Francisco Giants 7-3 Saturday.

The Dodgers reached the postseason for the first time since making it as the wild card in 1996. They won the division the year before -- now, they'll look to win their first postseason game since upsetting Oakland in the 1988 World Series.

It's still not certain who the Dodgers will play in the first round, though they will open on the road.

The stunning loss -- keyed by a critical error -- left the Giants in precarious position. Their division hopes dashed, the only way Barry Bonds and Co. can make it back to the postseason is if Houston loses at least one of its last two games at home against Colorado.

After it was over, pitcher Jose Lima took a victory lap around Dodger Stadium. Teammate Odalis Perez dumped a bottle of champagne over Lima's head near the backstop.

ADVERTISEMENT


Four days after rallying for five runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Colorado 5-4, the Dodgers did it again -- and then some.

Trailing 3-0, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out on a single by Shawn Green and two walks by Dustin Hermanson.

Hermanson (6-9) was pulled after walking Hee-Seop Choi with the bases loaded to force in the first Dodgers run.

Jason Christiansen came on and got Cesar Izturis to hit a grounder, but second baseman Cody Ransom misplayed it for an error, allowing Robin Ventura to score. Jayson Werth followed with a single off Matt Herges to tie it at 3.

Finley, acquired by the Dodgers from Arizona at the trade deadline, connected off Wayne Franklin for a shot into the right-field seats and the celebration began immediately.

The 39-year-old outfielder was mobbed at the plate and the party continued for several minutes as the sellout crowd of 54,594 went wild. It was the Dodgers' league-leading 53rd comeback triumph of the year.

Yhency Brazoban (6-2) pitched one inning for the win.


AP - Oct 2, 7:18 pm EDT
More Photos


Giants starter Brett Tomko blanked the Dodgers on four hits for 7 1-3 innings. Marquis Grissom homered and drove in all three runs for the Giants.

Grissom hit a two-out, two-run single off Elmer Dessens in the fourth to break a scoreless tie.

Dessens retired nine straight batters before Bonds drew a four-pitch walk with one out in the fourth. J.T. Snow followed with a single and, one out later, A.J. Pierzynski walked to load the bases. Grissom then lined singled.

Grissom connected off Duaner Sanchez leading off the seventh for his 21st homer, making hit 3-0.

Olmedo Saenz opened the Dodgers' eighth with an infield hit and, one out later, Werth singled. Reliever Scott Eyre retired Finley on a grounder and Hermanson got Adrian Beltre on another grounder.

Dessens, making his first start in 2 1/2 months, was relieved by Wilson Alvarez after allowing three hits and two runs in four innings.

The Giants put runners at first and second with one out in the first before Dessens got Bonds to foul out on a pitch that appeared to be out of the strike zone, and retired Snow on a grounder to second.

Tomko retired 10 straight before Alex Cora drew a one-out walk in the fifth. Grissom then dropped Brent Mayne's fly to left-center for an error, putting runners at second and third. But Alvarez, allowed to bat for himself, grounded to third and Izturis fouled out to end the threat.

Notes

It was the 27th sellout of the season at Dodger Stadium. ... Bonds walked three times, extending his single-season record to 231. ... Beltre (200) and Izturis (193) have teamed up for more hits than any Los Angeles duo since Steve Garvey (200) and Bill Buckner (193) had the same total in 1976.

Das Texan
10-02-2004, 08:22 PM
that was a great ninth inning.



the houston crowd was going nuts at the time.