Baker on Beck

During the funeral services today for former relief pitcher Rod Beck, the former Grant High standout who died last Saturday at age 38, Dusty Baker recalled a time when Beck helped the Giants turn a major corner in their 1997 season.
Melissa Isaacson, who covered the service in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the Chicago Tribune, wrote:
Baker recalled perhaps Beck’s most dramatic save — in a September game in 1997 at Candlestick Park against the Dodgers, a game that propelled the Giants to their first division title in nine years.
Beck came on to pitch in the 10th inning and gave up three singles to load the bases as fans showered him with boos.
“Before the game,” Baker said, “this little girl in the stands by the dugout says to me, ‘Dusty, whatever you do, don’t bring in Beck today.’ I smiled and nodded my head and I thought about that little girl when I was on the mound (in the 10th).
“I told Rod, ‘All the knowledge you have gathered in your life, you’d better use it right now in this situation or it
could have a traumatic effect.’ “
Beck then struck out Todd Zeile and got future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray to ground into a double play.
“The franchise turned the corner because of that,” Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. “It empowered us to finish the season and helped us cross that bridge of winning the division title.”
Baker said he last saw Beck when he led the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley last August.
“When I saw him in August, he said he had a staph infection and almost died,” Baker said. “This is tough,
this is real tough.
“Death has no age. Some don’t make it to 38, some way past. I’m just glad we had Shooter around for as long as we did.”