Friday, September 21, 2001
Bonds hits No. 64, but Giants slipping
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Even as the Giants were swept by the Astros, Barry Bonds wasn't worried about his team.
Despite Bonds' league-leading 64th home run Thursday, San Francisco lost 5-4 to Houston, finishing a disappointing three-game series.
“We've got plenty of time,” Bonds said.
The Giants began the day two games behind Arizona, the NL West leader. Houston remained 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place St. Louis in the NL Central.
After Bonds tied the score with his 64th homer, Lance Berkman hit a go-ahead double in the 10th inning.
“We've been scrappy and I like that,” Berkman said. “Even in adverse situations we feel like we can come back.”
With 15 games left, Bonds is six homers shy of the record Mark McGwire set three years ago. Bonds' 64th came in San Francisco's 147th game, eight games fewer than it took McGwire to hit the same number.
Bonds has 558 career homers, five shy of matching Reggie Jackson for seventh place.
He announced Thursday that for every home run he hits from here on out, he will donate $10,000 to the United Way to aid in the relief effort stemming from last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.
Houston led 4-2 in the fifth when Bonds homered on a 1-0 count off Wade Miller. The high, arching ball cleared the fence beyond the reach of Richard Hidalgo.
“I threw a changeup that missed a little bit low, then threw another one right down the middle and he crushed it,” Miller said. “I kept hoping the ball would come down, but it just kept going.”
Bonds rounded the bases to chants of “Barry! Barry!” and high-fived teammate Rich Aurilia, who also scored, and Jeff Kent, who was waiting on deck.
With the score 4-all in the 10th, Jeff Bagwell walked with one out, stole second and scored on Berkman's RBI double down the right field line off Robb Nen (4-5).
Nen, who also had the loss and a blown save in Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to the Astros, was grim after the game.
“The team kept us in it and I got us out of it,” he said. “Everything I'm doing right now is costing me.”
Octavio Dotel (7-5) pitched the ninth for the win and Billy Wagner worked the 10th for his 36th save in 38 chances, retiring Calvin Murray on a game-ending flyout with two on.
Miller allowed four runs, seven hits and four walks in seven innings with five strikeouts.
Giants starter Kirk Rueter had trouble finding the strike zone. He lasted five innings, allowing four runs and.
San Francisco took a 2-0 lead in the first on RBI doubles by Aurilia and Bonds, who caused the sellout crowd to gasp with a drive that hit the wall near the 421-foot marker in deep right center.
Houston tied it in the second on Richard Hidalgo's sacrifice fly and Miller's RBI single. Berkman hit an RBI double in the third and Moises Alou added a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
It was the first time the Giants had been swept at home since May 28-30 against Arizona.
Notes: The Giants postponed the reunion of the 1951 pennant-winning team, set for Oct. 6, because of last week's terrorist attacks. The event, to celebrate Bobby Thomson's “Shot Heard 'Round the World,” will be rescheduled for next year. ... Alou is one home run away from the franchise record for homers by a right fielder. He hit his 26th of the season Tuesday night, one short of Roman Mejas' total in 1962. ... Bonds walked in the seventh inning, his career-high 152nd, one more than his 1996 total. ... Houston swept the Giants for the first time since 1998. ... Berkman was 5-for-12 in the series.
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Bonds hits No. 64, but Giants slipping
