The Giants honored Omar Vizquel before the game for bypassing Luis Aparicio for most games by a shortstop in big-league history.
But Vizquel was the only starting Giants infielder who wasn't involved in the team's first triple play in nine years. Third baseman Jose Castillo, second baseman Ray Durham and first baseman John Bowker had all the fun, though Vizquel watched with glee as his teammates turned three on a grounder to third by San Diego's Kevin Kouzmanoff in the eighth inning.
The previous time the Giants turned three was June 14, 1999 -- Bill Mueller to Jeff Kent to J.T. Snow -- at Colorado. The last time it happened in San Francisco: Guy Sularz to Joe Pettini to Rich Murray.
Friday's was the first at the Giants' 9-year-old downtown ballpark.
"That was awesome," Vizquel said. "I was pulling for that. He hit the ball, and I said, 'Oh, we got a chance for three.' It really surprised me, but it worked out great."
Vizquel loved every moment of it. Then again, it was his day.
Before the game, Vizquel leaped over the short wall in front of the Giants' dugout, ran out to shortstop and slid on the infield dirt.
No, he wasn't losing his mind. He was being introduced during a ceremony that honored him for surpassing Aparicio for most games among all-time shortstops. Vizquel has played short in 2,584 games.
Aparicio, who like Vizquel is from Venezeula, was among the featured guests who came to pay tribute to Vizquel.
Vizquel could have capped the evening in an even more special way if he had produced with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh. But the inning ended in a 3-3 tie. The Giants got the triple play in the eighth (on Keiichi Yabu's only pitch of the inning) and then lost it in the 13th when the Padres scored four times.
By the way, the ball that was hit for the triple play? No one knows where it is. Bowker jogged into the dugout after the inning and flipped it to assistant trainer/bullpen catcher Teira Uematsu, who's also Yabu's interpreter. Uematsu, without thinking of the significance of the ball, used it to play catch with an outfielder the next inning, and now he thinks the ball is one of hundreds in one of the ball bags.
PADRES 7, GIANTS 3 (13 innings): Billy Sadler issued a bases-loaded walk to Khalil Greene with two outs in the bottom of the 13th, and Sadler plunked Michael Barrett to force in another run. Vinnie Chulk then gave up a two-run single to Justin Huber. Greg Maddux didn't get his 351st win, though he allowed two runs in six innings. Matt Cain gave up three runs over seven, and the Giants tied it 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, after Maddux's exit.
