Elements at Pac Bell Present a New Challenge

The World Series resumes tonight at chillier and quirkier Pacific Bell Park, where the Giants are not as offensive as they are on the road, where the game they play is more of the low-scoring type associated with the National League and where Barry Bonds is just as menacing but not as statistically prolific.

“How should I say this diplomatically?” San Francisco second baseman Jeff Kent said, maybe pondering his pending free agency and the opportunity to play in a more advantageous hitter’s environment, “but this is a very pitcher-friendly park that can frustrate [a hitter] at times if he’s not patient.”

Said J.T. Snow, the Giant first baseman: “A lot of the league’s best hitters, especially the left-handers, come down to first base shaking their heads at what they have to do to hit the ball out of this park. I’m sure a lot of them would never consider playing here. The atmosphere is great and the fans are terrific, but we’re definitely a better team on the road offensively.”

The series is tied in games, 1-1, and runs, 14-14, and it remains to be seen what impact Pac Bell has on two torrid offenses -- the Angels have set a postseason record with 21 home runs in 11 games while the Giants slugged seven in two games at Edison Field -- but they had one thing in common while working out Monday.

Both teams were still talking about that home run Bonds hit in the ninth inning of Game 2, certain that the 485-foot estimate didn’t do it justice, certain that NASA could have provided a more accurate orbital yardstick than any computerized tape measure, or as Snow said: “I still haven’t seen it come down.”

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia did and said: “I don’t know where they stopped measuring it, but that was 550 feet if it was an inch. A little wind and it might have been clear out of the stadium. I’d like to have seen him hit it in Yankee Stadium so it could have been measured against some of the most historic home runs.”

Scioscia could smile and reflect in awe Monday because Troy Percival didn’t injure his neck twisting suddenly to view the Bonds’ rocket and because his closer got a popup from the next batter, Benito Santiago, to preserve an 11-10 victory.

It was generally agreed, however, that Bonds’ sixth homer of the postseason was the longest in Anaheim history, one of the longest in World Series history and rivaled a drive, ridiculously estimated at 482 feet, that hit the right-center-field scoreboard at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on June 5.

This one sailed through an entryway halfway up the right-center-field bleachers, bounced off a concession stand and was retrieved by a fan who may reap a financial reward if he doesn’t decide to sign a bonus deal with World Wrestling Entertainment for having out-body slammed others for the ball.

The Bonds blast may have come too late for viewers in the Eastern and Central time zones, who are advised to wire Bud Selig in Milwaukee with their complaints, but irrepressible Angel batting coach Mickey Hatcher saw it clearly and just had to needle Percival.

“I told Troy that Bonds hit it so far that the fans needed a relay to throw it back on the field,” Hatcher said.

Percival could laugh as well and remained convinced he had supplied at least some of the octane with his 97-mph fastball.

“All of the years I’ve been doing this,” he said, “not many have turned around one of my fastballs like that. It was awesome.”

It was also not entirely unexpected in Percival’s view. With two out and a two-run lead, he was determined not to walk Bonds.

“If I had a one-run lead, he wouldn’t have got that pitch,” Percival said. “He still would have got a fastball, but not belt high, middle of the plate.

“The last thing I wanted to do was walk him and set a tone that I’m scared of him. I don’t care if he hits four more off me, I’m not scared of him. I still pitch to [Cleveland nemesis] Jim Thome.”

Percival and Bonds are likely to meet again before the series ends. Maybe tonight, when the Angels play at Pac Bell for the first time since an interleague series in June 2001.

They are ready for October by the bay, having been outfitted Monday in red ski caps among other winter wear.

China Basin may not compare to the numbing elements of Candlestick Point, but it’s still not Anaheim, nor are the Angels conditioned to how balls carom off the 24-foot-high fence that protects McCovey Cove or the sharp angle at the 404-foot mark in left-center or what Kent calls the 421-foot “dead man’s area” in right-center.

“I’ve seen a lot of guys start high stepping around the bases thinking they’ve hit a home run in that area only to have it caught,” Kent said.

Teams playing at home have only a 15-13 advantage in this postseason, but the difference in the Giants at home (50-31) compared to the road (45-35) isn’t reflected so much in their win/loss record but by this:

While their hitters feasted on the road (scoring 69 more runs and hitting 54 more home runs), their pitchers were clearly more comfortable at Pac Bell, compiling a 3.03 earned-run average that was more than a run less than on the road.

“I remember when the Dodger shortstop [Kevin Elster] hit three home runs in the first game here and everyone said that there were going to be a lot of cheap homers hit here,” said Peter Magowan, the Giants’ managing general partner. “This year, Pac Bell was the second hardest park in the majors in which to hit homers, and that’s the way I like it. I don’t want cheap.”

Said Snow: “It’s a doubles park. It’s a good-pitching, good-defense, timely-hitting park. We go into a good hitter’s park like Anaheim and tend to relax, knowing we don’t have to muscle up at the plate. Here, unless you’re Barry, you’ve got to hit it on the nose to get it out. The flip side is that our pitchers have more confidence here. They know they can make a mistake and not have it leave the park all the time.”

The Angels were 45-36 on the road this year and could find the wide gaps of Pac Bell to their aggressive liking, considering they are primarily a doubles team despite their postseason home run record.

Even Bonds hit eight fewer homers in Pac Bell than he did on the road this year, and the one he hit in Anaheim on Sunday night was still rattling around everyone’s mind here Monday.

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Statistics Home and Away

*--* A look at the Angels’ and San Francisco’s numbers at home and away: Angel Batting R 2B 3B HR AVG OB% SLG% Edison Field 404 155 21 71 279 338 428 On road 447 178 11 81 286 343 437 Angel Pitching IP H ER BB SO HRA Avg W-L ERA Edison Field 752 685 298 227 558 70 245 54-27 3.48 On road 700 660 304 249 495 99 249 45-36 3.91 Giant Batting R 2B 3B HR AVG OB% SLG% Pac Bell Park 357 134 24 72 259 339 410 On road 426 166 11 126 273 350 471 Giant Pitching IP H ER BB SO HRA Avg W-L ERA Pac Bell Park 740 674 249 234 508 42 246 50-31 3.03 On road 697 675 317 289 484 74 256 45-35 4.09

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Field Factor on Home Runs

*--* 10 WORST HOME RUN PARKS IN THE MAJORS THIS SEASON Park (Team) Homers Park (Team) Homers Pac Bell Park (San Francisco) 114 Fenway Park 145 (Boston) Comerica Park (Detroit) 122 Turner Field 146 (Atlanta) Pro Player Stadium (Florida) 126 Safeco Field 146 (Seattle) Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego) 135 PNC Park 148 (Pittsburgh) Edison Field (Angels) 141 Metrodome 150 (Minnesota) SIX BEST HOME RUN PARKS IN THE MAJORS THIS SEASON Park (Team) Homers Park (Team) Homers Ballpark at Arlington (Texas) 245 Kauffman Stadium 209 (Kansas City) Coors Field (Colorado) 232 Camden Yards 204 (Baltimore) Comiskey Park (White Sox) 222 Wrigley Field 204 (Cubs)

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