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          Giants' Snow, Santiago homer in ninth inning

          Mar 31, 2003

            SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Benito Santiago and J.T. Snow homered on
            consecutive pitches in the ninth inning, and the defending NL
            champion San Francisco Giants opened the season with a 5-2 win over
            the San Diego Padres on Monday.

            Until Santiago and Snow connected off rookie Clay Condrey, the
            Giants had just four hits off two Padres pitchers. They got five
            hits in the ninth to give Felipe Alou a victory in his first game as San Francisco's manager.

            Santiago, a former Padres catcher, opened the ninth by hitting a
            1-0 pitch to left-center, putting the Giants ahead 3-2. Snow hit
            the next pitch from Condrey over the fence in right-center.

            It was 80 degrees when Brian Lawrence threw the first pitch, and
            a crowd of 61,707, a San Diego regular-season record, watched as
            the Padres opened their 35th and final season at Qualcomm Stadium.
            They'll move into Petco Park downtown next season.

            Barry Bonds, who won a record fifth MVP last year, was 0-for-3
            with two intentional walks and two strikeouts.

            Ray Durham, one of several Giants newcomers, scored San
            Francisco's first two runs, including a leadoff homer. Jose Cruz
            Jr., another newcomer, hit an RBI single in the ninth.

            Felix Rodriguez pitched a perfect eighth for the win. With Robb
            Nen going on the disabled list before the game, Tim Worrell worked the ninth for the save.

            Condrey, who allowed the first three batters to reach in the
            ninth, allowed three runs on four hits and walked two in one inning for the loss.

            Durham was on third after Cruz doubled with none out in the
            eighth, but Condrey got out of that jam, aided by a double play.

            The Padres tied it at 2 in the sixth on Ryan Klesko's RBI double
            that chased starter Kirk Rueter. Reliever Joe Nathan came on with none out and runners on second and third and squashed the rally.

            Mark Loretta reached third with two outs in the seventh but was
            stranded when Snow, the first baseman, made a great play on Klesko's hard grounder.

            Durham had the 22nd leadoff homer of his career, hitting a 1-2
            pitch from Lawrence just inside the right-field foul pole.

            It was the first National League at-bat for Durham, who signed
            as a free agent in December after spending the last two months of
            2002 with the Oakland A's, and the previous 7{ seasons with the
            Chicago White Sox.

            Durham scored on a wild pitch by Lawrence in the third to make
            it 2-0.

            San Diego pulled to 2-1 in the fourth on consecutive two-out
            doubles by rookie Xavier Nady and Sean Burroughs.

            Rueter and Lawrence were both making their first opening-day
            starts, and neither got a decision.

            Rueter allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits in five
            innings. Lawrence went seven innings, allowing two runs and three
            hits.

            Game notes
            San Diego's a Navy town, so two sailors sang the national
            anthem and a giant American flag was unfurled in the outfield by
            dozens of sailors. ... Nen was placed on the 15-day disabled list,
            retroactive to Sunday, with a strained right shoulder. Nen, 33,
            worked one inning Sunday against Oakland in his first action
            against major league hitters since having surgery in November. He
            is scheduled to be examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum of the Anaheim
            Angels on Tuesday. ... To take Nen's roster spot, the Giants
            recalled right-hander Jim Brower from Triple-A Fresno. ... Although
            the game was declared a sellout, there were a few thousand empty
            seats.