Andrew Baggarly - MercuryNews
Some nights, it takes all 25 guys in the dugout to win.
Or 26, in this case.
A fan ended up in the Giants' dugout before the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, sending players scurrying for cover and the security detail into action.
The man was apprehended and handcuffed within seconds. The Giants' bullpen was similarly effective while protecting a long-sought victory for Kevin Correia. Tyler Walker, Jack Taschner and Brian Wilson retired nine hitters in order to wrap up a 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"At least the guy stayed for eight innings," said Walker, taking a shot at Dodgers fans known to beat the traffic. "He was one of ours. I guess he just wanted to come in and get some high-fives. I wanted to give him a little butt pat, but I didn't think it would be in good taste."
The Giants had plenty of fannies to pat after nearly blowing a 7-0 lead that would have cost Correia (2-5) his first win since April 10. They committed two errors behind Correia in a five-run fifth, but Sergio Romo stranded two runners to escape the sixth inning with a one-run lead intact.
Still, six outs separated the game from Wilson, and the Giants' setup team had been a demolition crew in recent days.
This time, there would be no wreckage. Walker, demoted from the eighth inning, gave up a 395-foot flyout to Jeff Kent but retired three right-handed hitters. Taschner faced two left-handed hitters among his three batters in the eighth, retiring them all. Wilson struck out two while converting his National League-leading 28th save. He has converted 19 consecutive chances dating to a May 2 game at Philadelphia. It's the longest streak by a Giants reliever since Robb Nen saved 28 consecutive in 2000. Before the game, Manager Bruce Bochy told Walker that matchups would dictate how he used his setup men. Walker acknowledged that his numbers against left-handers (.365 average, as opposed to .185 against right-handers) were "pretty ugly." "It was definitely good to have a nice, clean inning," Walker said. "Feels like it's been a while." Correia had the same feeling. He retired 12 of the first 13 hitters to win for the first time in 11 starts, though he had his usual black-cloud moment in the fifth. The inning began with Andre Ethier's chopper that second baseman Jose Castillo bobbled and then threw away for an error. Then came five consecutive hits, the last one a bunt by Juan Pierre in front of the plate that first baseman John Bowker inexplicably charged, leaving nobody to cover the bag when catcher Bengie Molina fielded the ball. "It seemed I was cursed not to get this win," Correia said. "I started thinking, 'When is this going to turn around for me?' I wasn't going to let it happen." Correia threw a 3-2 slider to strike out Kent and end the inning. The Giants had built their lead with nine singles over the third and fourth. Correia even contributed a two-run single. The Giants had a new teammate in the ninth, when a fan walked onto the dugout roof and sat down with his legs dangling over the edge. Rather than drag him back, security guards yanked him into the dugout and hogtied him. "I guess you're not supposed to do that," Walker said. With the trade deadline approaching Friday, Taschner might be pitching his way out, too. "I've been a Giant since before the turn of the century," he said, smiling. "But if it happens, it happens. All I can control is throwing strikes and how good my beard looks."
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