Sax Goes 0 for 7, Dodgers Go 5:45 and Lose, 6-5 : 52 Players See Action Before Brenly’s Hit Helps Giants Win in 16th Inning

It was a long day for the Dodgers.

It took the Dodgers 5 hours 45 minutes to lose to the San Francisco Giants, 6-5, Sunday and Steve Sax, despite going to the plate seven times, failed to extend his 25-game hitting streak.

Sax is now hitting .326, while Montreal’s Tim Raines, the National League leader, remains at .337. San Diego’s Tony Gwynn is hitting .329.

The Dodgers used 27 players, tying a major league record, and the Giants used 25. The total of 52 players used is one shy of the major league record. The Giants set a record by stranding 22 baserunners.

Giant Manager Roger Craig had to resort to using pitchers in the outfield and batting them in crucial situations.

In the end, reliever Greg Minton, who spent five innings on the mound, the longest stint of his career, delivered possibly the biggest hit of the 17 by the Giants.

Minton, the winning pitcher, doubled with two outs in the bottom of the 16th inning and scored on Bob Brenly’s double to left, giving the Giants the victory and a sweep of the three-game series.

“I’ve always been able to put the bat on the ball, but I never know where it’s going to go,” said Minton (4-4). “When I was running to third, I didn’t know where the ball was and I had reservations about going home because (catcher) Mike Scioscia has a reputation for blocking the plate.”

“When I threw my arms up after crossing the plate it wasn’t because we won, but because Scioscia had moved out of the way,” Minton said. “There’s no way I was going to leave this game. It was my entire season.”

Craig said: “It was a lot of fun. It was a great win because a lot of people contributed. It was like a simulated game in spring training. It seemed everything happened.”

Minton lined his double into the left-field corner off Balvino Galvez (0-1). After Will Clark was walked intentionally, Brenly grounded his game-winning single down the third-base line.

The Dodgers led, 3-1, in the ninth inning, but the Giants tied it. Los Angeles led, 5-3, in the 14th, but the Giants again tied it.

The Giants tied the game, 3-3, with two runs in the ninth. Candy Maldonado hit his 16th homer, and then Chili Davis, who had homered in the seventh, doubled. Tom Niedenfuer relieved Ken Howell and got an out, but Joel Youngblood, pinch-hitting, tied the game with a double.

Jeff Hamilton’s bases-loaded single and Mariano Duncan’s squeeze bunt brought in runs after the Dodgers loaded the bases in the top of the 14th, but Harry Spilman’s two-run, bases-loaded single tied the game again.

In the 9th and 14th innings, the Giants had the winning run on third and two out and let the pitcher hit. Scott Garrelts struck out in the ninth and Minton struck out in the 14th.

Dodger starter Bob Welch allowed three hits over seven innings before Howell relieved.

Pedro Guerrero led off the fourth against Giant starter Kelly Downs with his fourth home run of the season and second in two days.

The Dodgers scored twice in the fifth. Ralph Bryant and Guerrero were hit by pitches with one out, Greg Brock hit a run-scoring double and, after a walk, Hamilton hit a sacrifice fly.

Coach Monty Basgall, who has been in the Dodger organization for 27 years, announced his retirement Sunday.