Laurence Miedema - MercuryNews
The Giants were one out away from a perfect ending to an emotional homecoming for Aaron Rowand when Pat Burrell ruined everything.
Burrell lined a 3-2 fastball from closer Brian Wilson over the left-field wall for a two-run homer, giving the Philadelphia Phillies a 6-5, 10-inning victory Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
"I've played in this park a lot, and if you have a one- or two-run lead going into the ninth, anything can happen here," said Rowand, who played the previous two seasons for the Phillies. "It's not like playing at (AT&T Park). It's tough to hit the ball out of that ballpark. Here, it's part of the game."
The Phillies used three two-run home runs to spoil what would have been a tremendous confidence boost for the Giants in the opener of a six-game trip.
The Giants rallied from a 4-1 deficit with a three-run seventh inning and took a 5-4 lead when Rowand homered into the left-field seats on the first pitch he saw from Phillies reliever J.C. Romero to lead off the 10th.
"Those are always the tough ones," said Manager Bruce Bochy, whose team had a season-high 16 hits. "We've just got to wash this one off. That's for sure."
The Giants stranded two runners in the 10th, and the lack of insurance proved costly. Wilson, who had converted nine of his first 10 save opportunities, allowed a one-out single to hot-hitting Chase Utley before striking out 2006 MVP Ryan Howard looking.
After falling behind 3-0 to Burrell, Wilson worked the count full before leaving a 96 mph fastball over the middle of the plate. It was the Bellarmine College Prep product's third walk-off home run of his career and his ninth homer of the season.
Wilson didn't second-guess his decision to rely heavily on fastballs during the inning.
"If I'm going to lose a game, it's going to be on my best stuff," Wilson said. "I'm sure there are a million other pitches I could have thrown to end the game, but 3-2, I'm going to go with my best pitch. So in that case, my best pitch turned out to be the worst pitch because I didn't locate it."
To that point, the Giants' bullpen had kept the powerful Phillies lineup in check. After Pat Misch, who was taking banished starter Barry Zito's spot in the rotation, allowed four runs in four innings, Giants relievers Keiichi Yabu, Vinnie Chulk, Jack Taschner, Tyler Walker and Merkin Valdez combined on five shutout innings, allowing only one hit.
Taschner worked out of a pivotal jam in the seventh inning, inheriting a two-out, first-and-third situation after the Giants had intentionally walked Utley to pitch to Howard. Taschner struck out Howard looking to keep the score tied 4-4.
Former Giant Pedro Feliz hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead. But Rowand's reunion was by far the most eventful.
The Giants center fielder was a cult hero the previous two seasons with the Phillies, winning the passionate fans over with his rough-and-tumble style of play that saw him break his nose during a face-first crash into the center-field wall in 2006.
Rowand received a mostly warm reception when he strode to the plate to lead off the second inning. He stepped out of the batter's box and tipped his helmet to the crowd.
"It was an emotional moment to know the fans appreciated what I brought to the park every day for two years," Rowand said. "I can't thank them enough. I wasn't sure (what the reaction would be) I know how passionate they are here.
"I was probably more nervous for that at-bat than any at-bat I took during the World Series," in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox.
Rowand struck out in the second inning, and the cheers became less enthusiastic when he belted a two-out double in the fourth that led to the Giants' first run. By the 10th, Rowand was little more than another visiting player.
"The boos got progressively louder," Rowand said. "They were over it after the first at-bat."
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