Desperately Seeking Tsyoshi

This campaign, many things were lacking in San Francisco, not least a decent storyline. Despite the clamor surrounding Barry "Not on Sundays" Bonds and the benign race to 755, the Giants finished the year as baseballs’ biggest overachievers outside LA. Showcasing the type of depth than would best characterize an evening in with the Bush daughters, the team's demise was good news not only for Dodger fans, but for baseball itself. After all, watching Jeff Weaver lose in the post-season might not cater to everyone’s taste, but it beats the hell out of Kirk Reuter – along with eleven other pitchers this year.

Unfortunately for Giants fans, things are probably going to get worse before they get better. Those hoping to celebrate the addition of a big arm, bat, or indeed talent this winter would be better off counting their chickens (in particular the rubber ones used to taunt opposing pitchers at SBC Park) or moreover, the $31.5 million dollars spent on Reuter, Rob Nen, Ray Durham, Edgardo Alfonzo and Jason Christiansen. Eat your heart out, Darren Dreifort.

For his part, Brian Sabean did almost all he could to alter his team's fate. After San Francisco's disgraceful 16-24 start, he confessed to being on the verge of holding a fire-sale, which culminated instead in the release of Jeffrey Hammonds. Then in mid-July, with the bullpen melting faster than you can say the Wicked Witch of the West, Sabean dealt Felix Rodriguez (and his staff-leading 3.43 ERA) to Philadelphia. The organization stuck with this less-is-more ethos to the bitter end, when Wayne Franklin (and his staff-leading 6.22 ERA) served up Steve Finley’s tumultuous grand-slam. In the past two seasons, Franklin had given up 47 home runs and issued 116 walks in 245 innings. A blunt testimony to the overworked, overpaid San Francisco bullpen that ranked 13th in the league in ERA, 13th in WHIP, 16th in strikeouts and blew a total of 17 saves this year – more than the eight play-off teams’ closers combined. By cutting corners in the relief corps, the Giant’s paid the price: Only three teams in the majors lost more extra-inning games than they (10), and only three teams in the NL won fewer one-run contests (18). Last season, San Francisco led the majors in that category with 28. Then again, last season San Francisco’s bullpen didn’t go 30-29 either.

Yet through the wisdom of his craft, Felipe Alou succeeded in making the NL West a contest, if not a particularly good one. The Giant’s tinkering skipper used the most line-ups in the majors this year, presumably as he tried to strike the right balance between stealing bases (43, fewest in the majors) and grounding into double-plays (142, most in the NL). In the end, as his curious interpretation of the term ‘defensive replacement’ showed, he made one change too many. As one furious fan exclaimed: “Thanks for the memories, Cody [Ransom]. Good luck at Safeway.” In fact, pooling the Giant’s roster from the nations’ supermarket employees might not be the worst idea (see Neifi Perez). As a unit, the Giants committed 108 errors in 2004 (8th best in the NL), and would only have made more but for their collective lack of range.

In no small part due to the contribution of Bonds, only the offense has escaped criticism because it scored plenty of runs (850, 7th in MLB). Yet while plating many, the Giant’s stranded many more, leading the Majors with 1289 LOB. Other apologists have noted that the team struck out the fewest times (874) in the land, but there two are sides to that coin. Selectivity and discipline at the plate – currency in the post-season – were seldom found in San Francisco, as evinced by A.J. Pierzynski and Deivi Cruz being ranked one and three in MLB in fewest pitches per at bat. By the same token, Bonds’ had literally a third of the Giant’s walks (232), or ten times that of teammate Pedro Feliz (23). Marquis Grissom (37 BB), Pierzynski (19), and Cruz (17) regularly wasted run scoring opportunities by finding ways to avoid getting on base. To make matters worse the Giants batted .225 with runners in scoring position and 2 outs; their opponents hits .267. Ouch. But perhaps most telling of all was production from the hallowed No.5 slot, the occupants of which hit a criminal .255 and slugged .389. In short, Bonds was about as well protected as police station in Baghdad.

Despite the dull thud of inevitability (i.e. Matt Herges), amid all the season-ending antics, there were a few bright spots for San Francisco: Playing Arizona and Colorado 38 times; Jason Schmidt and his franchise record 251 strikeouts, and the number of promising younger players that emerged in the face of adversity. This red-faced ensemble may well have become the scapegoat of a rotation so thin that it consisted at one time of Schmidt, Brett “2nd half” Tomko, Noah Lowry, Brad Hennessey and A.N.Other (AKA, TBD). Had the ball-club leaned any heavier on its young pitching, then we may well have seen Quasimodo supplanting the deplorable Lou Seal as team mascot.

Bt if there’s one thing for San Francisco to take from 2004, it’s that they’ve been here before, and they’re likely to be here again. In that respect, The latest meltdown was stoically reminiscent of game seven in 2002 the World Series, when Dusty Baker sent out Tsuyoshi Shinjo to pinch-hit in the ninth inning; or, more appropriately, game six when Felix and Co. issued the ultimate reminder that without an ironclad presence in the late innings, doom abides.