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Yankees vs. A's |
Mariners vs. White Sox |
Braves vs. Cardinals |
Mets vs. Giants
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Monday, October 9
Gardner's at-bat snuffs out shot at rally
ESPN.com news services
NEW YORK -- When the San Francisco Giants had their one and
only chance to make things interesting, manager Dusty Baker made a
questionable choice: He didn't take the bat out of pitcher Mark
Gardner's hands.
Rather than send in a pinch-hitter, Baker allowed Gardner to bat
for himself in the fifth inning Sunday when the Giants had the
bases loaded with two outs trailing 2-0.
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Dusty's troubles
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Here are arguably the 10 biggest games of Dusty Baker's managerial career:
Final game of 1993 season: Loss
Tied with the Braves for the NL West lead, the Dodgers pound the Giants 12-1 while the Braves win to clinch the division.
1997 DS vs. Marlins: Loss, Loss, Loss
The Giants lose 2-1, 7-6 and 6-2. The first two losses come in the bottom of the ninth. Rod Beck, who had 37 saves that year, didn't appear in either game (although Roberto Hernandez was also serving as closer by season's end).
Final game of 1998 season: Loss
Needing a win to clinch a wild-card berth, the Giants blow a 7-0 lead to the Rockies. Neifi Perez wins it 9-8 with a homer off Robb Nen in the bottom of the ninth.
1998 wild-card tiebreaker: Loss
The Giants lose 5-3 to the Cubs to lose out on a trip to the playoffs.
2000 DS vs. Mets: Win, Loss, Loss, Loss
The Giants lose Game 2 in 10 innings with Nen, the season's best closer, not appearing in the game. They lose Game 3, blowing a 2-1 lead in the eighth (Nen didn't come on until the tying run was on base). And they lose Game 4.
By our count, that puts the Giants at 1-9 in these 10 games.
-- ESPN.com
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After flailing weakly at the first pitch and taking the second
pitch for a ball, Gardner popped out to second baseman Edgardo
Alfonzo to end the inning.
Just one-third of an inning later, Gardner was knocked out of
the game -- making Baker's decision look even worse.
"I don't regret it," Baker said, explaining that he thought it
was too early to turn to a bullpen that had been depleted the day
before in a 13-inning game. "If you don't have a full bullpen, you
don't have a full bullpen."
Baker will have all winter to think about it after the New York
Mets ended San Francisco's season. Jones pitched a one-hitter to
defeat the Giants 4-0, and the Mets won the best-of-5 series
3-1.
Gardner was a .116 hitter during the regular season, getting
only five singles in 43 at-bats and striking out 22 times. He is a
career .128 hitter in 10½ seasons.
Had Baker chosen to send up a pinch-hitter for Gardner against
right-hander Bobby J. Jones, his choices included switch-hitter
Felipe Crespo, who batted .315 left-handed -- including .333
(13-for-39) as a pinch-hitter.
"My job at that time is to be ready, whether he decides to put
someone in or not," Crespo said. "I'm not there to decide. That's
not my job."
Other pinch-hitting candidates included Ramon Martinez, a .302
hitter during the regular season, Armando Rios, Russ Davis or
Calvin Murray, who was 3-for-8 during the regular season as a
pinch-hitter.
"At that point we thought we were going to get (Jones) on the
ropes again," Gardner said. "It was early in the ballgame, it was
only 2-0. Usually when that happens and the pitcher is taken out,
that might be your last chance to score runs and I don't think he
felt that way."
The bases-loaded threat represented the only time the Giants got
even close to scoring against Jones.
Baker, meanwhile, said he wants to return to the Giants and
hopes to have a new contract negotiated "before the end of the World
Series, to tell the truth."
Giants owner Pete Magowan said, "for the 11,000th time, I want it written
11,000, I want Dusty Baker back here with the team next year."
As much as both sides say they want to continue the relationship
that began when Baker was hired to replaced Roger Craig in November 1992, there are some financial ramifications to be considered.
Baker turned down a two-year, $2.7 million extension to the
contract that paid him $750,000 in 2000, 14th among major-league
managers, even though he is fourth among managers in continuous service
behind Tom Kelly of Minnesota, Bobby Cox of Atlanta and Lou Piniella
of Seattle.
With the Giants' elimination Sunday, Baker's asking price figures to come down
some -- there was speculation he had his sights set on the $3 million a
year that Joe Torre is being paid by the Yankees.
He, however, is going to command more than the four-year, $5.2
million Don Baylor received a year ago from the Cubs.
"I certainly hope he will be our manager next year," Magowan said
in the somber visiting clubhouse at Shea Stadium following Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Mets. "I
think he truly wants to be here, and it's been our goal all along."
While Baker admitted frustrations from a Division Series in which
the Giants won the opener, but then lost back-to-back games in extra
innings before being one-hit by Jones, the
experience only reinforced his feelings for the team.
Baker could be among the most coveted free agents in an off-season
that will feature the likes of outfielder Manny Ramirez, shortstop
Alex Rodriguez, and pitchers Mike Hampton and Mike Mussina.
There already are managerial openings in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Arizona.
Mets manager Bobby Valentine, whose team opens the NLCS at St.
Louis on Wednesday, and Piniella, whose Mariners open the ALCS on Tuesday, also are in the last year of their
contracts.
And as a high-placed major league official said, "if Dusty put
himself out there I'm sure there would be opportunities that nobody
anticipates right now."
Baker isn't interested.
"I like where I am," said Baker, a native of Sacramento, where
his parents still live. "I like working with Brian (Sabean, general
manager). I like the attitude of the people. We have a good core of
guys.
"I can't unequivocally say I'm going to manage the Giants next
year. I can't unequivocally say I'm going to be alive. I'd like to be
here, yes. We have work undone. We have some unfinished business. Now
that (the season) is over it's easy for us to concentrate on what we
have to do to get it done."
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