SFGate/San Francisco Chronicle
Good to know the Giants understand their roles. After Brian Wilson closed a nutty 6-5 victory against the Mets on Sunday, he was asked about a frigid windstorm that turned the diamond into a dump for hot-dog wrappers and every flyball into an "oh no" moment.
"It is not part of my job description to be concerned with wind and garbage," Wilson said with no hint of a smile.
No, Wilson's job is to secure the toughest outs in a game and earn saves. He now has 93 in the majors, none more impressive than Sunday's, when he struck out five batters with the potential tying run on second base. That included David Wright, Ike Davis and Jeff Francoeur in the ninth inning after Jason Bay's popup turned into a wind-blown double.
Wilson was not subtle. Twenty-seven of his 29 pitches were fastballs.
"Every save is important," Wilson said, "but especially going home after losing the first two here. This was a must-win."
Or, as manager Bruce Bochy said after his team ended New York's nine-game home winning streak, a Giants loss Sunday would have been a "tough one to take" because they drew 11 walks for the first time since 2000 and led 4-0 with Tim Lincecum on the mound.
Lincecum allowed two runs in the sixth and watched the Mets take a 5-4 lead in the seventh after Dan Runzler walked two hitters. Bay hit a flyball to left, which at worst should have been a sacrifice fly, that became a two-run single when it hit a wall of wind and fell in front of Andres Torres, who initially went back on the ball.
That tied the game, officially dealing Lincecum his third consecutive no-decision. A David Wright sacrifice fly gave New York the lead.
But Aaron Rowand used every fiber in his body to get the Giants' a win that averted a sweep and completed a 4-2 trip. After Jenrry Mejia walked John Bowker, Rowand blasted a ball that cut through the wind and landed in the bullpen in right-center for the go-ahead home run, his third on the trip.
"That's all I've got," Rowand said. "That home run was as hard as I can hit a ball that way, and I honestly thought it would be caught. I thought it was an out. I play in San Francisco, you know."
Instead, it gave the Giants their second win in 10 games this season when they trailed after seven innings. It also put them in a good mood for a flight home expected to last seven hours because of, well, headwinds.
The Giants needed a lot of help from Mets starter Oliver Perez, who walked seven batters and threw 98 pitches in 3 2/3 innings. The Giants had only one scoring hit in taking a 4-0 lead, a Matt Downs single. Otherwise, they scored on a groundball, a walk and a passed ball.
Later, the wind took control of the game. Bochy surmised that Wilson struck out five because he was determined not to let a Met put the ball in play.
"It was a kind of a circus out there," Eli Whiteside said after catching the 3-hour, 45-minute game. "I'm not a big fan of the circus, especially on a baseball field."
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