October 24, 2002: J.T. Snow, Giants roll in Game 5 as batboy close call adds drama

The San Francisco Giants were one win from the franchise’s first World Series title in 48 years after thrashing the Anaheim Angels, 16-4, in Game Five of the 2002 World Series at Pacific Bell Park. In addition to the 16-hit, three-homer battering the Giants delivered, the game was remembered for a close call involving Giants manager Dusty Baker’s three-year-old son Darren as batboy.

Both the Giants and Angels had finished second in their respective divisions before recording surprising Division Series wins: the 95-win Giants over the 101-win Atlanta Braves, and the 99-win Angels over the 103-win New York Yankees. Both had reached the World Series through five-game Championship Series triumphs: San Francisco over the St, Louis Cardinals and Anaheim over the Minnesota Twins. Neither had a recent World Series title: the Giants had lost in both of their World Series appearances since 1954, and the Angels were appearing in the first Fall Classic of their 42 seasons of existence.

When the Angels’ offense dominated Games Two and Three of the World Series, recording 16 hits in each, it looked like the Giants were headed for another disappointing postseason outcome. But the Giants rallied from a three-run deficit to win Game Four, evening the series at two games apiece.

Game Five’s pitching matchup was a repeat of Game One, a 4-3 San Francisco win. Baker looked again to right-hander Jason Schmidt, who recorded the Game One win. Angels manager Mike Scioscia countered with left-handed ace Jarrod Washburn, who had taken the loss. The game was played before a crowd of 42,713 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco.

The Giants wasted no time in getting the lead. In the bottom of the first, Kenny Lofton, who had three hits in Game Four, led off with a single, and Jeff Kent walked. Barry Bonds, the recipient of three intentional walks in Game Four, doubled to score Lofton and move Kent to third. Benito Santiago’s sacrifice fly scored Kent. After Reggie Sanders was intentionally walked, Washburn walked J.T. Snow and David Bell, giving the Giants their third run of the inning.

In the bottom of the second, Washburn didn’t fare any better. He gave up another leadoff single to Lofton, followed by a double to Kent. Scioscia ordered another intentional walk to the dangerous-hitting Bonds, who had set major-league records in 2002 with 198 total walks and 68 intentional passes, on his way to his second of four consecutive NL MVP awards. Scioscia’s move backfired again, as the next batter, Santiago, singled in Lofton and Kent. Sanders hit a sacrifice fly that scored Bonds for a 6-0 lead.

Washburn settled down, holding the Giants scoreless in the third and fourth innings. Meanwhile, Schmidt, who had struck out seven over the first four innings, ran into trouble in the top of the fifth.

With no designated hitter in use because the game was played in an NL park, Orlando Palmeiro, pinch-hitting for Washburn, led off with a double. It was only the fourth hit allowed by Schmidt. David Eckstein singled between third and short, moving Palmeiro to third base. Darin Erstad’s sacrifice fly to right field scored Palmeiro. Erstad advanced to third on Tim Salmon’s single and scored on a wild pitch to Garret Anderson.

After Schmidt made Anderson his eighth strikeout victim, Troy Glaus doubled Salmon home. Following a walk to Scott Spiezio, Baker summoned left-handed reliever Chad Zerbe to replace Schmidt, who had allowed seven hits and three walks in just 4⅔ innings. Zerbe set down Adam Kennedy to get out of the inning with a 6-3 lead.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Anaheim’s Brendan Donnelly, replacing Washburn, retired the Giants in order.

Zerbe came back for the sixth inning but was met with a single by Bengie Molina and a double by pinch-hitter Benji Gil. With runners on second and third and the infield back, Eckstein grounded to the shortstop, as Molina scored the Angels’ fourth run. Scioscia brought in righty Félix Rodríguez to face Salmon, who grounded out to end the inning.

Right-hander Ben Weber relieved Donnelly for the bottom half of the inning. Rich Aurilia, who went 3-for-4 in Game Four, singled with two outs. Kent hit his second home run of the Series to left-center, giving San Francisco some breathing room at 8-4.1

Tim Worrell retired the side for the Giants in the seventh, then San Francisco added four more runs in the bottom half that came with unexpected drama.

With Weber still pitching and Snow and Bell on first and second, a two-run triple by Lofton, his third hit of the day, scored both baserunners. During the play, Baker’s three-year-old son Darren, serving as the Giants’ batboy, innocently ran onto the field to retrieve Lofton’s bat. As Snow was about to cross the plate, he realized Bell was quickly on his way home behind him. Fearing Bell might collide with the youngster, Snow grabbed Darren by the collar of his jacket and pulled him into his arms as he crossed the plate. Bell was able to score without incident.2

Kent followed with a two-run homer against Scot Shields that increased the lead to 12-4. He joined Benny Kauff, in 1917, as only the second player in Giants history to homer twice in a World Series game.3

The Giants weren’t finished with their onslaught. In the bottom of the eighth, they added four more runs off Shields, including Aurilia’s two-out, three-run homer, making the final score, 16-4.

The top half of the Giants’ batting order – Lofton,4 Aurilia, Kent, and Bonds – provided the firepower for the day. They accounted for 11 of the Giants’ 16 hits and 11 of their 16 runs. When adding fifth-hole batter Santiago to the group, they accounted for 13 of the team’s RBIs.

Zerbe, who was making his second appearance in the World Series, got credit for the win, while Washburn took his second loss in the Series.

Kent was the brightest batting star for the Giants, as he produced four RBIs with his two home runs and scored four runs. He became only the ninth player to score four times in a World Series game.5

The Giants were undefeated in eight games with Darren Baker as a batboy. After the game, Snow remarked about the near-accident involving Darren, “I don’t think he knew what was going on. But he’s a good luck charm right now. When he’s in the dugout, we do pretty well. So, we can’t have him go down.”6

Upon reaching his office after the contest, Dusty received a scolding phone call from his mother. She had forewarned Dusty that the youngster shouldn’t be out on the field for fear of being hurt. She told Dusty, “I know you listen to me sometimes; just listen to me this time.”7 After the 2002 World Series, Commissioner Bud Selig changed the minimum age for batboys to 14 because of the Darren Baker incident.8

The winning streak with young Darren in the dugout didn’t last. Needing only one more game to clinch their first World Series as a San Francisco franchise, the Giants dropped the next two games in Anaheim, giving the Angels their first-ever World Series championship.9

The 2002 season was Baker’s last of his Giants contract. His status for returning had been under question.10 He had been with them since 1993, Bonds’ first season in San Francisco. Yet even with the best player in the game during that time, he produced only two division-winners and one pennant. His postseason record with the Giants was 11-13. Baker became manager of the Chicago Cubs in 2003.

Like his father, Darren Baker went on to play professional baseball. He was drafted in 2017 out of high school in the 27th round by the Washington Nationals, then managed by Dusty Baker. Instead of signing, Darren opted to attend the University of California at Berkeley. After four collegiate seasons, he was again selected by the Nationals, in the 10th round in 2021. (By then, Dusty Baker managed the Houston Astros, whom he piloted to a World Series championship in 2022.) Darren Baker made his major-league debut with the Nationals on September 1, 2024.11

Acknowledgements

This article was fact-checked by Laura Peebles and copy-edited Mike Eisenbath.

Photo credit: J.T. Snow, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources listed in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN200210240.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2002/B10240SFN2002.htm

Notes

1 Kent had hit a solo homer off Kevin Appier in the third inning of San Francisco’s 11-10 Game Two loss.

2 Ron Thomas, “Kent Has Blast with Two HRs,” San Francisco Examiner, October 25, 2002: 4B.

3 The Giants’ Pablo Sandoval hit three homers in Game One of the 2012 World Series against the Detroit Tigers.

4 The Giants had acquired Lofton from the Chicago White Sox in a three-player deal in July 2002. The 2002 season was his only campaign with San Francisco; he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent in March 2003.

5 Thomas. Since Kent in 2002, two others have scored four runs in a World Series game (as of 2025): the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols in Game Three of the 2011 World Series, and St. Louis’ Lance Berkman in Game Six of the 2011 World Series.

6 Thomas.

7 Randy Harvey, “He Makes Sure All’s Safe at Home,” Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2002: U7.

8 Josh Dubow (Associated Press), “Minimum Age on Batboys Will Rise,” CBS News, December 17, 2002, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minimum-age-on-bat-boys-will-rise/.

9 The Giants won their first World Series championship in San Francisco in 2010, and they went on to win the World Series in 2012 and 2014.

10 Ross Newhan, “Baker’s Status with Giants Is as Clear as Dust,” Los Angeles Times, October 25, 2002: U3.

11 Darren and Dusty had several occasions to oppose each other in spring training games. On March 17, 2023, Darren hit a grand slam home run for the Nationals against his father’s Houston Astros.