By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Giants can hit a little, too. Make that a lot.

In fact, they looked a lot like the Anaheim Angels Thursday night, ringing up a 16-4 victory in Game 5 of the World Series before a very happy crowd of 42,713 at Pac Bell Park.

J.T. Snow drags 3-year-old Darren Baker, son of Giants manager Dusty Baker, away from homeplate and the path of oncoming baserunner David Bell after scoring in the seventh inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

The Giants go to Anaheim needing a split in the final two games to win their first world championship since 1954. After an off-day today, the series resumes at Edison Field Saturday.

The Giants scored three run in the first inning and three more in the second to take a 6-0 lead. After the Angels cut it to 6-4, the Giants piled on 10 more runs - four on Jeff Kent's two-run homers in the sixth and seventh, and three on Rich Aurilia's three-run homer in the eighth.

In between the homers, Kenny Lofton hit a two-run triple.

To add spice to rout, there was a little hilarity. In the seventh inning, as he was scoring on Lofton's triple, J.T. Snow nearly ran over Giant manager Dusty Baker's 3-year-old son Darrin, who was serving as a batboy. Snow made a great play, grabbing Darrin and lifting into his arms as he crossed the plate.

The Giants now have 12 home runs in the series, equaling the series record set by the 1956 New York Yankees. They Giants have 25 homers in the postseason. Before this year, no team had hit more than 19 homers in a postseason.

Winners of Game 5s in World Series that opened 2-2 have gone on to become champions 26 of 39 times. But recent history favors the losers of Game 5. Only two of the last seven teams that won Game 5 to go up 3-2 have won the series.

Barry Bonds drove in only one run, but his presence was a huge factor in the outcome.

The Angels pitched to him in the first inning and were burned badly.

Lofton opened the inning with a single. He was nearly picked off first when Darin Erstad ran down Aurilia's ball in the gap.

Anaheim starter Jarrod Washburn walked Jeff Kent. The lefty-lefty matchup was enough to get the Angels to challenge Bonds. He lined a 2-1 pitch into right field for an RBI double.

Benito Santiago made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left.

The Angels then intentionally walked Reggie Sanders. Washburn was used to throwing balls because he could not find the strike zone against J.T. Snow or David Bell. He walked Snow to load the bases and walked Bell to force in the third run.

Washburn struck out Schmidt to end the inning.

In the second inning, the Angels didn't challenge Bonds. And they were burned badly.

This time, Lofton singled and Kent doubled. In between, Erstad robbed Aurilia of extra bases for the second straight at-bat. With the open base, the Angels walked Bonds intentionally for the sixth time in the series.

Santiago delivered again, lining a single up the middle to score Lofton and Kent. Sanders followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.

Washburn was lucky it was only 6-0. Remember, Aurilia hit a rocket for the first out in both the first and second inning.

Those pesky Angels weren't done, of course. They got back into the game with a three spot in the fifth, breaking a 10-inning scoring drought.

Orlando Palmiero, pinch-hitting for Washburn, started the inning with a double. David Eckstein followed with a single. Erstad got Palmiero home with a sacrifice fly to right.

Eckstein went to third on Tim Salmon's single and scored on a wild pitch to Garret Anderson.

After Anderson struck out, Troy Glaus doubled to score Salmon and make it 6-3.

After Schmidt walked Scott Spiezio, he was done - one out short of qualifying for win. Lefty Chad Zerbe got Adam Kennedy to end the inning. But the Angels were back in it.

The Angels picked up a run in the sixth on Eckstein's RBI groundout to make it 6-4.

Kent's homer - his second of the series - quickly got the lead back to four. And the rout was on.