John Shea
SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
After the Giants signed Aubrey Huff in January, the 6-foot-4 first baseman said of his new baseball home, "If Barry Bonds can hit home runs there, I can, right?" Yes, Huff was kidding, but he nonetheless earned bragging rights over Bonds in only his sixth home game at China Basin.
In eight years at the downtown ballpark, Bonds played 494 games and hit 160 home runs. None was an inside-the-parker. None made him as winded as Huff got Wednesday while trudging 360 feet around the bases during the second inning of the Giants' 6-0 victory over the Pirates.
The park's fifth inside-the-parker began a four-run rally, which was plenty for Jonathan Sanchez, who had his "A" game during an eight-inning gem in which he surrendered three hits, issued three walks and struck out 11 batters, matching a career high.
"When I hit it, I thought it was gone," Huff said. "In most parks, it is."
In this park, it took a tricky bounce off the seventh archway in right-center, more than 400 feet from the plate, and ricocheted toward the right-field line, catching the Pirates' outfielders off guard.
There was no play at the plate, but Huff slid anyway because Mark DeRosa signaled for it. "Style points," Aaron Rowand said. Huff pulled himself up and stumbled to the dugout. Asked about his teammates' reaction, he said, "I don't know. I blacked out."
These are good times for the Giants, who had the majors' best record in spring training and have carried it into the season. They're 7-2 after opening last year 2-7, including 0-6 in the first trip to San Diego and Los Angeles.
"We have a more solid lineup than last year, 1 through 8," said Rowand, who hit one of three homers Wednesday, joining Huff and Eli Whiteside. "No easy at-bats for the pitcher."
Huff, the new cleanup hitter, still hasn't hit a ball over an outfield wall and might wonder if he ever will at Third and King. He smacked three balls, also doubling off the right-field wall (minus a goofy bounce) and flying to deep center.
"You know what? I never hit a three-home run game. I'm going to go ahead and chalk this up as a three-home run game in my mind," Huff said. "I just don't know if I can hit a ball any better. Right-center is just ridiculous.
"Everyone in spring training told me, 'When you get to San Fran, you'll see.' I said, 'C'mon, if you get it, it's going to go.' Well, I get it now. It makes it even more amazing what Barry Bonds did. I just can't believe someone can hit 73 homers here. It's mind-boggling."
Whiteside's three-run homer capped the second-inning rally, and Rowand hit his two-run homer in the fifth. Two Pirates reached in the first inning, but Sanchez retired 10 straight batters, six on strikeouts. He was perfect in the seventh and eighth, and manager Bruce Bochy pulled him after 109 pitches and let Brian Wilson finish it.
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