Snow’S View Now One-Sided Giants First Baseman Happy With Small Victories As Lefty

In many respects, the experiment still is in its infancy. J.T. Snow has been hitting left-handed exclusively for just over one-third of the regular season - 226 official at-bats from one side after nearly 5,000 professional at-bats from both sides.

For that reason, Snow said he still is measuring his success by the small victories. On Sunday, he was 0 for 3 against Seattle left-hander John Halama, but the day was still a good one.

He drove in two runs with a single to right against Mariners closer Jose Mesa in the eighth inning. He drove in another with a sacrifice fly in the ninth off Aaron Scheffer.

The Giants beat the Mariners 8-4 and escaped the Kingdome having won two of three.

Mesa and Scheffer are right-handers. But, said Snow, that isn’t the point.

“What’s happening now is that I’m seeing everybody from one side of the plate, and that’s important,” he said. “Whereas before, my first three at-bats would have been from the right side, and my at-bat against Mesa would have been my first at-bat from the left side. That’s a big thing.”

Mesa had been successful in all 12 of his previous save opportunities this season, and he was summoned with the Mariners ahead 4-3 and the bases full of Giants.

He got ahead of Snow 1-2. He then missed with a pitch just off the plate. Snow then fouled off a couple. Finally, Snow fought off an inside pitch and rolled one into the hole between first and second. On grass, it likely would have been an out. On the Kingdome’s springy turf, it put the Giants ahead 5-4 and sparked a rare pump of the fist from Snow.

“He had me 1-2, and he made some good pitches and I fouled them off,” Snow said.