SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Juan Pierre thought the Florida Marlins got
hit by a bus. Derrek Lee thought it was the best game pitched
against his team all year.
For Jason Schmidt, his latest gem was just another dominating
performance in a breakthrough season by San Francisco's 17-game
winner with the National League's lowest ERA.
Schmidt pitched the Giants' first playoff shutout in 16 years,
throwing a three-hitter for a 2-0 victory over the Marlins in Game
1 Tuesday.
``Once spring training started, I was ready to roll this year,''
said Schmidt, who has gradually gained confidence since coming to
the Giants from Pittsburgh two years ago. ``I couldn't wait to get
back here again.''
Schmidt outdueled Josh Beckett while Barry Bonds and the Giants
took advantage of a costly error by fill-in Florida third baseman
Miguel Cabrera to score the go-ahead run.
After retiring Lee on a grounder for the final out, Schmidt
twirled on one leg before his teammates surrounded him in
celebration.
``He's just awesome to watch,'' reliever Scott Eyre said.
At 68, Felipe Alou wound up a winner while managing his first
postseason game and 72-year-old Jack McKeon lost in his playoff
debut, then couldn't get to the interview room because fans grabbed
at his jacket and hat while he worked his way down a crowded
hallway.
Game 2 in the best-of-five NL series is Wednesday.
Bonds barely had two feet in the batter's box when catcher Ivan
Rodriguez's glove shot out to signal an intentional walk, showing
just how serious the Marlins were about not getting beat by Bonds.
Instead, they beat themselves with one bad throw.
Bonds wound up 0-for-1 with three walks. Chad Fox intentionally
walked Bonds with nobody on base in the eighth, and he came around
to score on Edgardo Alfonzo's double. When Bonds was intentionally
walked in the first, the crowd of 43,704 began booing lustily.
On a day the teams combined for only six hits, the Giants scored
their first run on a misplay.
Cabrera, starting in place of injured All-Star Mike Lowell,
charged in on Alfonzo's fourth-inning bunt and made a wild throw to
first. By the time the ball had stopped it was in the bullpen dirt
and Rich Aurilia was headed for home.
After Alex Gonzalez reached on an error in the fifth, Schmidt
retired the final 14 batters. Schmidt walked none and struck out
five.
``We just ran into a bus over there,'' Pierre said. ``He had
almost no pressure. He was pitching out of the windup almost all
day. We couldn't get him into the stretch today.''
Schmidt, the NL starter in the All-Star game, has shown
tremendous resolve since his mother's death in April. On Tuesday,
he pitched the first postseason shutout for the Giants since Dave
Dravecky beat St. Louis in Game 2 of the 1987 NL championship
series.
Beckett was almost as impressive in his playoff debut. He gave
up two hits in seven innings, striking out nine and walking five.
He struck out five straight during one stretch.
Beckett praised Schmidt.
``He's tough,'' Beckett said. ``He threw probably 100 fastballs
and I don't think he made a mistake on one of them. He outpitched
me, what can I say?''
Before Bonds' fourth-inning at-bat, Beckett huddled on the mound
with Rodriguez and pitching coach Wayne Rosenthal certainly
discussing how to approach him this time around.
Beckett challenged Bonds all right.
Here's how it went: A 97 mph fastball, strike one. Outside, ball
one. Low and in, ball two. Foul, strike two. High, ball three. Low,
ball four. And Bonds was aboard again while McKeon barked about
plate umpire John Hirschbeck's strike zone.
Pierre has insisted San Francisco's 5-1 showing against Florida
this season wasn't a true indication of the talent separation
between these two clubs the Giants reached the World Series last
season and the Marlins are in the playoffs for the first time since
winning the World Series in 1997, and they swept San Francisco in
the first round to get there.<
^Notes:@ The crowd was a Pacific Bell Park record, breaking the mark
of 43,070 from last Oct. 6 in Game 4 of the NLDS against Atlanta.
... Amputee football player Neil Parry of San Jose State threw out
the first pitch. ... Beckett's nine strikeouts set a franchise
division record. ... Alfonzo has 12 RBIs in nine career division
series games.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)