Sunday, October 20, 2002
Sanders shakes off postseason jinx
Former Red homers in Game 1
The Associated Press
ANAHEIM - The first two rounds of the postseason were quite forgettable for Reggie Sanders. But once he returned to the World Series stage, he was just fine.
The Giants outfielder hit a solo homer his first time up and singled with two out in the sixth, setting the stage for J.T. Snow's home run that extended the Giants' lead to 4-1.
“I felt extremely well today,” Sanders said. “Those four days off gave me a chance to work on what I needed to work on, and tonight was definitely a good testament to that. I saw the ball extremely well. This is definitely a good ballpark to hit in.”
In last year's World Series, Sanders was 7-for-23 — including a 4-for-5 effort in Game 6 — as the Diamondbacks beat the New York Yankees in seven games. He and Kenny Lofton are the only Giants regulars with World Series experience.
The Giants reached this Fall Classic without much help from Sanders, who went 5-for-34 in the first two rounds with one RBI and was benched by manager Dusty Baker for Game 5 of the NLCS against St. Louis.
“It was just a time when Dusty wanted to play Tom Goodwin, and I understood why,” Sanders said. “This is all about teamwork. I understand circumstances and why things happen. I thought it was just a chance for me to get my swing back to where it needed to be.”
In Game 3 against the Cardinals, Sanders came up twice with the bases loaded — but flied out and struck out. He also ended the game with a flyout with the tying run at first in a 5-4 defeat.
Sanders also left the bases loaded in the second inning of Game 4 of the division series against Atlanta, striking out against Tom Glavine.
“We have a lot of confidence in Reggie,” teammate Benito Santiago said. “Reggie was having a bad postseason, but that can go away quickly. He hit a home run tonight, and I'm happy about that. You never know. The man can be the MVP of the Series if he wants.”
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Sanders shakes off postseason jinx
