MercuryNews
For all their dyed facial hair, lucky underpants and goofball antics, the Giants do more than entertain themselves within the clubhouse. Theirs is an arm-in-arm mutual admiration society, too.
In front of another surging, celebratory scene at China Basin, two of their most admired comrades stood in the World Series glow of a 9-0 victory Thursday night.
Matt Cain, underappreciated everywhere but where it most mattered, scolded the Texas Rangers into the eighth inning. And Edgar Renteria, the aging but noble shortstop, added one more graceful swing to his October lore.
Renteria cracked a solo home run into the left-field bleachers to break a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, Cain stood as immovable as a seawall, and the Giants loosened the Rangers' footing in this tug-of-war for a championship.
"Well, the whole world is seeing how good our pitching is," Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff said. "But we're going to their place, and their fans will be fired up. They've been waiting a long time for this, too."
Of 51 teams to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series, 40 have hoisted the trophy, including 13 of the past 14 occasions. The 1996 Atlanta Braves are the only exception.
That's small comfort for anyone old enough to remember Willie McCovey's line drive to Bobby Richardson in 1962. Scott Spiezio's Game 6 home run in 2002 remains a fresh memory, too.
But the Giants have both six-shooters loaded as they continue this series in Texas. At worst, they're guaranteed a minimum of one more game on the shores of McCovey Cove. Renteria added a two-run single during a seven-run eighth inning after the Rangers bullpen lost the GPS coordinates on the strike zone. The binge allowed the Giants to give bearded closer Brian Wilson a night off, letting Guillermo Mota see his first postseason action in a torture-free ninth. The Giants are catching the breaks of a destined team, too -- none bigger than Ian Kinsler's drive in the fifth that dinked off the padded wall in straightaway center field, keeping the Rangers from scoring the game's first run by mere millimeters. "I don't know how that happened," center fielder Andres Torres said. "But things happen for a reason." Kinsler settled for a leadoff double in the fifth, and Cain all but Velcroed him there while retiring the next two hitters. "I cashed it in as one run, then I saw Torres had thrown it in, and he was standing on second," Cain said. "From there, I just said, 'We'll just get the next guy and see how it works out.'" It's working like gangbusters for Cain, who gave up only three other hits in 72/3 innings. He hasn't allowed an earned run in three postseason starts, spanning 211/3 innings. He's the fifth pitcher in major league history to throw at least 20 innings with a 0.00 ERA in a single postseason; Christy Mathewson and Carl Hubbell, two Giants Hall of Famers, are among the others. Spotting his hard but no-frills fastball and flipping his little curveball for strikes, Cain held the Rangers hitless in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position. In the postseason, he's allowed one hit in 15 at-bats in those situations. "That's the Cain I saw the last 31/2 years, and he was probably even better tonight," Rangers catcher Bengie Molina said. "He gets that curveball over for strikes all the time now. He's been a good pitcher for a long time, but wow, he seemed to take it to another level tonight." Renteria, 35, has 2,252 hits in his career and 57 more in the postseason, none bigger than his walk-off single as a rookie in Game 7 to deliver a World Series title to the Florida Marlins. The clip of his youthful exhilaration as he ran to first base has been played and replayed. Now his body is betraying him. He spent three stints on the disabled list and is likely to retire after the season. But the big moment found him again. "He's playing like he did 10 years ago," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. Said Renteria: "It is a long time ago. Thirteen years ago, you know? But I feel great. I was always ready for a moment like now. I'm trying to trust in whatever I've got." Cain issued a walk in the eighth and handed over the baseball with a two-run lead. Then the longest-tenured Giant walked off the mound like a grim Gary Cooper as a sellout crowded roared its appreciation. "It's hard to believe he's 26 years old," Bochy said. "He's the oldest Giant we have here." Will he ever tip his cap? "Aw, you can't do it with runners on base," Cain said. "It just didn't seem right. But it is cool -- really cool. To walk off the field and hear 43,000 people cheering for you "... definitely."
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