Ross lifts SF over Phils, 3-0
Published 2:13 am Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO — Cody Ross keeps doing his best Barry Bonds imitation.
With the home run king watching and cheering from a front-row seat, Ross delivered again, Matt Cain outdueled Cole Hamels and the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 Tuesday for a 2-1 lead in the NL championship series.
Picked up off waivers in August from Florida, Ross added to his quickly growing postseason legacy. He homered three times in the first two games at Philadelphia and hit an RBI single in Game 3 to break a scoreless tie.
“He plays with no fear,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “That’s what you love about the guy.”
The modest Ross insists he’s far from deserving of comparisons to Bonds or Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson.
Bochy even tinkered with his lineup, moving Ross up into the No. 5 spot. The good-natured guy who aspired to be a rodeo clown as a kid came to the plate to chants of “Cody! Cody!”
“It’s an easy name to chant, that’s probably why. Two syllables,” Ross said. “It’s been an unbelievable experience for me so far. A month and a half, two months, ago, I didn’t dream I’d be in this situation. The Giants were awesome to bring me over here. It’s just been a great ride.”
San Francisco grabbed the edge in its best-of-seven series against the two-time defending NL champions — with two more games in their home ballpark.