When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

06.25.2007
Vaya Con Dios, Shooter

Any miniscule blip of pleasure I got from the Giants series win against the Yankees was wiped out when I heard that Rod Beck was found dead in his apartment this weekend. He was 38 years old and had a history of substance abuse. He definitely liked to drink with teammates, friends and fans, as this article points out.

He made it fun to be a Giant fan for nearly a decade, so instead of telling me how much lousy baseball I missed last week, tell me your favorite Rod Beck story. Here’s mine: if not for Beck, Brian Johnson never would have hit his famous 12th inning homer to beat the Dodgers (Sept. 18, 1997). Just before Johnson’s heroics, Beck worked his way into and out of a bases-loaded jam without L.A. scoring the go-ahead run. When Johnson hit his home run off Mark Guthrie, the upper deck of Candlestick vibrated under our feet. I wasn’t at the 1989 World Series, so I had never felt a stadium shake before.

Here’s the MLB.com report.

Here’s Henry Schulman’s piece in the Chronicle.

Former Giants beat writer Mark Gonzales, now with the Chicago Tribune, invited Beck to his wedding.
Also on the Network:



[June 25, 2007 8:20 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Tom Clifton said

Here is a story about Rod, describing his early days as a starter for the San Jose Giants.

http://www.sjgiants.com/ArDisplay.aspx?ID=83&SecID=27

[June 25, 2007 1:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
GWTFT said

Cocaine is a hell of a drug!

[June 25, 2007 1:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Jeff D said

that 10th inning bases-loaded shutdown of the Dodgers in Sept 97 was such a pivotal moment for the whole club ... can you imagine Benitez out there? I don't wanna. RIP, Shooter.

[June 25, 2007 4:42 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Paul R. said

Going back to that late '97 stretch, Beck had actually struggled mightily in September and Dusty had started to use Roberto Hernandez in save situations (Hernandez closed out the first game of that pivotal series with a two-inning save).

What I remember fondly is that Beck, even though he had been the Giants' closer since '92, didn't bitch or complain about this semi-demotion. He took it like a man and realized that it was for the good of the team. That 10th inning escape job was sort of the moment where he got it all back. Wonderful memory and a class guy.

[June 25, 2007 4:56 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

If memory serves, the night before the 12 inning classic, the Giants won 2-1. Rueter pitched masterfully, Bonds hit a two-run shot off Chan Ho Park in the first inning, and Hernandez blew gas past Mondesi to end the game.

Ah, here 'tis.