Bonds, Leyland Reunited This Time, Former Pirates Square Off As Giants, Marlins Vie In N.L. Series
When Barry Bonds steps to the postseason plate today for the first time in five years, his former manager will be there to watch.
And perhaps cringe.
“Barry is a time bomb,” Jim Leyland said Monday.
Once paired in Pittsburgh, Bonds and Leyland will now be pitted against each other in Miami. Neither has been to the World Series, and only one of them will advance beyond this best-of-5 N.L. division series between the San Francisco Giants and Florida Marlins.
Giants lefty Kirk Rueter (13-6, 3.45 ERA) faces right-hander Kevin Brown (16-8, 2.69). It will be the first playoff game in the Marlins’ five-year history, and the first for the Giants since 1989.
Bonds and Leyland made the playoffs three consecutive years with the Pirates in the early 1990s. But Bonds hit just .191 and Leyland went 0-for-3, losing to Atlanta twice and Cincinnati once.
They’ve waited since 1992 to return to the playoff stage, and both are overdue for some postseason success.
Bonds also is overdue against Leyland. He hit .291 with 40 homers, 101 RBIs and 145 walks this year, but Florida pitchers held him to just 3 for 29, a .103 average.
He’s also 1-for-18 in his career against Brown. Why?
“Let’s just hope you’re asking me the same question after (today’s) game,” Brown said. “When you do well against somebody, you’re not sure you want to know the answer.”
The rest of the Giants haven’t done much against Brown, either. He’s 4-0 with an 0.61 ERA in five career starts against them, including a no-hitter June 10.
“He’s probably the toughest guy we’ve faced the last five years,” Giants manager Dusty Baker said after losing to Brown earlier this month. “He throws hard, and the ball moves all over the strike zone. You never get a good swing against him.”
Rueter is the first of three consecutive lefties the Marlins will face. Shawn Estes goes against lefty Al Leiter in Game 2 Wednesday before the series moves to San Francisco.
“We’re hoping to win both,” Rueter said. “But I think if we split, we can come back to San Francisco and, with all the fan support, get the two out of three that we would need.”
The Giants finished the season strong, overtaking Los Angeles to win the N.L. West. The Marlins coasted into the wildcard spot despite losing 15 of their final 24.
San Francisco’s success was a surprise; many prognosticators picked the Giants to finish last in their division. Florida, however, was pegged as Atlanta’s most formidable challenger in the NL.
“The high expectations began when we hired Jim Leyland,” said Jeff Conine, who has been with the Marlins since their first game in 1993. “He came in with a tremendous track record and a level of respect not many managers have.”
Florida is a slight favorite to beat San Francisco. But the Giants like their chances, especially if Bonds gets hot.
xxxx PLAYOFF OPENERS Today: Astros at Braves, 10 a.m., ESPN Giants at Marlins, 1 p.m., ESPN Indians at Yankees, 5 p.m., Fox Wednesday: Orioles at Mariners, 5 p.m., NBC