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San Francisco Giants win series against Colorado Rockies
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San Francisco Giants' Rich Aurilia, second from left, celebrates with teammates after
getting the game-winning hit off Colorado Rockies' Manuel Corpas in the 10th inning.
Sunday, May 3, 2009, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
SAN FRANCISCO---The rain over AT&T Park knew game time was approaching. The drizzle slowed, the tarps were peeled off the infield, and the San Francisco Giants took the field as scheduled.
In the same manner that the rain halted, the offense on both the Giants and the Colorado Rockies followed suit. Granted, pitching on both sides did their jobs, both teams’ bats did not take advantage of scoring opportunities.
Rockies starter Jason Hammel battled as he pitched six scoreless innings. The Giants had six hits against the right-hander, but could not produce any runs.
The Rockies threatened in the ninth inning when they loaded the bases, but Bay Area native Troy Tulowitzki ended up hitting a pop up to Giants second baseman Emmanuel Burriss.
The pitching duel that started with Hammel and San Francisco starter Barry Zito came to a close in the bottom of the tenth inning when San Francisco’s Rich Aurilia hit the game-winning RBI single, scoring catcher Steve Holm.
“It’s not an easy job coming off the bench. It wasn’t a pinch hit today, but basically, it kind of was,” Aurilia said. “I’m just glad I could be put in a situation to help us win a game.”
It was of no surprise that the veteran had the patience to get the crucial hit, even when he was behind in the count, 0-2.
“I tell some of these young guys that you can’t be afraid to hit with two strikes in this game,” said Aurilia. “You can’t go out and be overly-aggressive and swing at a lot of balls early in the count, you’re going to get something to hit.”
Aurilia waited, got a slider over the plate, and sent it to center field. San Francisco won the three-game series, winning their first five home series of the year—the first time this has been done since the Giants moved to San Francisco. Zito was an integral part of the win, holding the Rockies to only two hits in seven innings.
“I’m not too worried about getting personal accolades,” Zito said. “I just want to hold down the other team and have us come out on top at the end of the day when I’m pitching. Whoever that win goes to, it really doesn’t matter to me.”
While posting up great numbers in his last three starts, the 2002 AL Cy Young winner remains winless. Admittedly, if he decided to focus on the “W” on his record, he would be frustrated. In his mind, a win in his name is not as important as a win for the team.
“For me, it’s big that we won my three last starts,” he explained. “We’re a team here, personal accolades are great, but for me it’s about holding down the opposition and so we could score some runs and get in.”
The Zito we have seen this year is one that the Giants have been waiting for. He is pitching to his ability and seems to be at peace with his role in San Francisco. Since spring training, Zito has had an aura about him that everyone noticed.
“He never lost his focus, his confidence,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s throwing the ball the way we know he can.”
The expectation, ability, and mind-set are there. No more excuses or questions, the Zito San Francisco has been waiting for is here—now we’ll see if he shows up on the road.
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