San Francisco – For historians, Sunday forever will be remembered for one swing. For the Rockies, Sunday could be remembered for saving their road swing.
Barry Bonds did what everyone had waiting for, but had pretty much given up on. The San Francisco Giants star clobbered a Byung-Hyun Kim fastball over the center-field fence and into the waiting hand of Andrew Morbitzer, who thought so little of the moment he was standing in line for beer when the slugger eclipsed Babe Ruth with his 715th home run.
Bonds secured history in the fourth inning. “Oh, yeah, I knew it was gone. There’s no better place for this to happen,” said the slugger. The Rockies, meanwhile, gripped a much-needed victory, avoiding a sweep with a 6-3 win at AT&T Park.
“I don’t think guys were pressing. It was just a matter of time,” first baseman Todd Helton said. “We don’t want to come back with just a .500 record. That’s not the benchmark around here anymore.”
Bonds is now the standard for left-handed sluggers. He hammered a 3-2 center-cut pitch off Kim, whose command again was effectively erratic. He had previously held Bonds hitless in nine career at-bats with six walks.
Kim has given up big home runs in the past – three in the 2001 World Series – and handled the situation with class. He waited patiently as the crowd gave Bonds two curtain calls – those were the best calls since flagship station KNBR’s microphone inexplicably went dead immediately after the slugger made contact.
“When the streamers came on the field, I thought the game was over,” joked Kim, who told Bonds he was “great” during their first-ever face-to-face meeting last month at Coors Field. “I was talking with (Sun-Woo) Kim, and he said that with a six-run lead I wouldn’t be hurt by a (Bonds) home run. Now he has to buy the next 10 dinners, maybe 20.”
Byung-Hyun Kim playfully cussed out Sun-Woo Kim when he returned to the dugout. Sun-Woo said, “I didn’t tell him to give up the home run.”
There was levity in their reaction because of their team’s resuscitation. The Rockies won for the first time in a week. After a hitters-only meeting Sunday morning – the club had been outscored 34-4 during five consecutive losses – the offense awoke with a six-run fourth inning.
“We just haven’t been able to string hits together, for whatever reason,” said Matt Holliday, his right thumb healed enough to allow him to fill his cleanup spot. “We put together some good at-bats today.”
Gonzalez put on DL
Luis Gonzalez couldn’t hide his frustration. Until now, the strange swelling in his wrists and feet hadn’t landed him on the disabled list. But with the lineup short and players slumping, the Rockies couldn’t wait for Gonzalez to get better, placing him on the DL in favor of outfielder Ryan Spilborghs.
“I am tired of this happening,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez was much improved Sunday. The Rockies are investigating every angle to determine the cause. It reacts like rheumatoid arthritis, while also displaying gout-like symptoms. Gonzalez, whose diet and allergies are being examined, has seen specialists over the past three years as the Rockies try to determine the cause.
No bobblehead laughs
At 7:30 a.m. Sunday, fans began lining up outside AT&T Park. With Bonds on the doorstep of history, it only made sense – except none was there for him. They wanted to be among the first 20,000 spectators to receive an Omar Vizquel bobblehead doll.
Jose Mesa, whose history of ill will with Vizquel is well-documented, found one in his locker.
“I didn’t think it was funny,” Mesa said. “You have to understand, I don’t like him.”
Mesa’s feud wasn’t lost on the San Francisco crowd Saturday. He was jeered loudly, though the right-hander isn’t convinced it was just because of Vizquel. He didn’t re-sign with the Giants after the 1998 season.
“I have been booed everywhere. I can handle it,” Mesa said.
Rockies recap
Ninety minutes before Sunday’s first pitch, Rockies coach Duane Espy held a hitters-only meeting. The team had batted .228 in May, lost five straight and been outscored 34-4 on the road trip. It was time to unclench the fist.
“We were basically just reminded to relax and stop trying to do too much,” outfielder Matt Holliday said. “We talked about getting back to the same approach we used earlier in the season.”
The Rockies responded, scoring six runs in the fourth inning, taking their first lead in 45 innings. Notably, five of their runs came with two out.
NEW ORDER: Manager Clint Hurdle played a hunch, inserting center fielder Ryan Spilborghs into the second spot in the lineup and moving Garrett Atkins back to the fifth, where he would like to keep him. Spilborghs responded with a two-RBI triple.
Rx FILES: Catcher Danny Ardoin will have his strained left knee examined Tuesday. He is expected to be able to begin a rehab assignment in eight days.
