After being overwhelmed here in the northwest this past weekend by the fragrance of pine trees, moist ocean air and Mariners’ pitching, the San Francisco Giants went home and finally won a game tonight.
And what a gem it was.
Highly touted second-year Giant pitching phenom Matt Cain (above) pitched no-hit ball for 8-2/3 innings against the LA Angels before giving up a single. Thanks to Comcast’s “Extra Innings” PPV, I was able to watch the outstanding performance right in my own home.
The 21-year-old Cain got the final out in the 8th inning after giving up the hit and after tossing 120-some pitches. In the top of the 9th, manager Felipe Alou sent out Armando Benitez to mop up, which he quickly did.
But it was a memorable night for the young right hander. The final score was 2-1, as the kid lost his shutout in the first inning due to a walk, a stolen base and a fielders’ choice. His no-hit effort lasted for almost seven more pleasure-filled innings.
Why do I follow the Giants so closely? I lived in the Bay Area for almost 30 years and I’ve watched them play at Seals Stadium, Candlestick Park and PacBell/SBC/AT&T Park. But I was a Giants fan even before Bobby Thompson’s famous 1951 playoff-game home run in the Polo Grounds against the Dodgers’ Ralph Branca.
Believe it or not, I heard the broadcast of that game live on a portable radio which we snuck into our grade school classroom in Chicago. I was also a Cub fan then.
Of course now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, I’m enjoying being a new Mariners fan. The M’s are improving day by day, and hopefully they’ll yet salvage this season and get into the playoffs.
The only time I root for someone else is when they play the Giants. I guess I left my baseball heart at AT&T park.
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