According to the Elias Sports Bureau...

GIANTS NOT SO PLUCKY
The Mets held the Giants to exactly three hits in each game of their three-game sweep at Shea Stadium. It was only the third time in franchise history that the Mets have allowed three or fewer hits in three consecutive games. They also did it in a three-game home sweep of the Astros in April 1992, and in the last three games of the 1999 season, beating the Pirates twice and the Reds in a wild card tiebreaker game. The Giants have had three or fewer hits in three straight games only one other time since moving to San Francisco for the 1958 season: May 15-17, 1995, a three-game home series against the Cubs.

SCHOENEWEIS FINALLY GETS FIRST METS WIN
Scott Schoeneweis earned his first win in a Mets uniform in his 112th career game for New York. That's by far the most games any Mets pitcher has needed to earn his first win. The previous record was held by Heath Bell, who won his first game for the Amazins in his 50th game in 2005.

NOTE: tonight the Rockies once again got 3 hits, making it the first time in mets history they have allowed 3 or fewer hits in 4 consecutive games... Read More...

SAN FRANCISCO -- With the crack of the bat a brief stillness settled over the right-center field bleachers at AT&T Park as Barry Bonds' record-breaking homer rocketed toward the crowd.

Then the scrum was on.

Police escort the fan who caught Barry Bonds' ball out of the stadium.

As the specially marked baseball landed a few rows up, dozens of fans wrestled for it and the promise of riches it carried. Suddenly, the metal bleachers vibrated with energy. Grunts, cheers and the cries of frightened children broke the silence as parents sought to shield their youngsters from the chaos.

In the middle of it all was 22-year-old New Yorker Matt Murphy, who emerged from beneath the pile holding the ball Bonds hit for career home run No. 756. His face was bloodied and his clothes stretched and torn from his battle in the bleachers.

A team of San Francisco police officers moved in, extracted Murphy from the crowd, and quickly led him through a tunnel and into a secure room.

As he high-fived other fans, Murphy, wearing a New York Mets Jose Reyes jersey and cap, slid the ball into the back pocket of his plaid Bermuda shorts.

Reporters screamed out questions, but all he managed to say was, "I'm Matt Murphy from Queens, N.Y."

"I just hope he didn't get hurt," Bonds said after the game, which the Giants lost 8-6 to the Washington Nationals. He said he had no interest in getting the ball back for himself.

"I don't want the ball," Bonds said. "I've never believed a home run ball belonged to the player. If he caught it, it's his."

Murphy and a friend were en route to Australia and in San Francisco for a one-day layover, a Giants spokesman said. They purchased tickets just before the game.

He and the friend, dressed in New York Yankees regalia, were razzed by nearby Giants fans. "Hey, this isn't New York!," one shouted. Murphy and his friend just laughed it off before settling into their seats.

Murphy declined to make himself available to the media.

Baseball memorabilia experts have pegged the ball's value at $400,000 to $500,000. That's well below the $3 million fetched by the ball Mark McGwire hit to break Roger Maris' single-season home run record in 1998, but still a hefty sum. Read More...