Anaheim's David Eckstein laces one over third base, drives in two runs to give the Angels a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Giambi singles and then Orlando Saenz homers. Across the Coliseum Plaza, the Warriors are losing by 40 points. Gil curses as he walks to the dugout. Somewhere, Sandy Alderson is smiling.
Angels fail to score.
Now we're in business. It turns out the characters, part of an opening-night promotion, took the field without permission. Coliseum security forces didn't stop them. The A's rally and, with one out, load the bases against Anaheim reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa, the best right-hander ever to come out of Ritsumeikan University. Bottom of the eighth.