kevin_standlee (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kevin_standlee) wrote2005-09-27 10:24 pm
kevin_standlee) wrote2005-09-27 10:24 pm
I Always Did Think That Short Porch Was Dumb...
I reckon it was too much to ask for Trevor Hoffman to blow a second save in a row, especially given that Monday night's Giants win was as much dumb luck as anything else. Tonight's game was initially set up as a pitchers' duel, but turned out to be a slug-fest, with Barry Bonds hitting his 708th career home run to spot the Giants three runs at the start, but the Padres scored three of their own, and it was back and forth for four long innings. The end of the scoring came in the bottom of the fourth when Ramon Hernandez hit a grand slam into the "short porch" at Petco Park.
Which brings me to the subject line above: I like odd baseball park designs, but IMO they should be meaningful odd designs. Emperor Norton Field (SBC Park) has such a short right field fence because it's about the only way to squeeze a baseball stadium into the space they had available. Similarly, the way Petco Park works the historic Western Metal Supply Company Building into the design of the stadium (a corner of the old building forms the left field foul pole) is pretty cool. But the deliberate weirdness in right field, where a section of seats juts out into right field, was unnecessary. I thought so when I first saw it, and not just because the Padres hit a grand slam into it tonight, because they would have still probably won tonight even if the fence there was at a more ordinary location -- that ball would have probably bounced off the wall and been at least a double and possibly a triple, scoring enough runs to win the game as it happens.
After the Hernandez home run, the game settled down, unfortunately for the Giants, and the Padres won 9-6. The Giants are now down four games with five left to play. That makes the Giants E-number (the Padres' "Magic Number") 2, which means that the Giants cannot lose any more games this season. If they lose either of the next two games, the best they can achieve would be a tie. We need to win the next two games and hope that somehow the Dodgers sweep the Padres next weekend and the Giants sweep the Diamondbacks. Hope springs eternal, but it's not looking good. Purists who detest the idea of a team with a losing record making the playoffs are happier.
Which brings me to the subject line above: I like odd baseball park designs, but IMO they should be meaningful odd designs. Emperor Norton Field (SBC Park) has such a short right field fence because it's about the only way to squeeze a baseball stadium into the space they had available. Similarly, the way Petco Park works the historic Western Metal Supply Company Building into the design of the stadium (a corner of the old building forms the left field foul pole) is pretty cool. But the deliberate weirdness in right field, where a section of seats juts out into right field, was unnecessary. I thought so when I first saw it, and not just because the Padres hit a grand slam into it tonight, because they would have still probably won tonight even if the fence there was at a more ordinary location -- that ball would have probably bounced off the wall and been at least a double and possibly a triple, scoring enough runs to win the game as it happens.
After the Hernandez home run, the game settled down, unfortunately for the Giants, and the Padres won 9-6. The Giants are now down four games with five left to play. That makes the Giants E-number (the Padres' "Magic Number") 2, which means that the Giants cannot lose any more games this season. If they lose either of the next two games, the best they can achieve would be a tie. We need to win the next two games and hope that somehow the Dodgers sweep the Padres next weekend and the Giants sweep the Diamondbacks. Hope springs eternal, but it's not looking good. Purists who detest the idea of a team with a losing record making the playoffs are happier.