JASON SCHMIDT

THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
Jason Schmidt slams the Red Sox

June 20, 2004 ...  In one of the most dazzling pitching performances against the Sox since the Yawkey Era ended, Schmidt utterly overpowered them as he unfurled a complete-game one-hitter in a 4-0 victory before 42,568 at SBC Park in the finale of the first-ever regular-season series between the ancient rivals.

And Edgar Alfonzo, who two winters ago nearly signed with the Sox before opting for a longer term deal with the Giants, delivered the death blow. A day after he crushed the Sox with a tie-breaking two-run shot in the seventh inning off Alan Embree, Alfonzo broke a scoreless tie in the eighth inning by cranking a grand slam off Mike Timlin.

Together, Schmidt and Alfonzo sent the Sox home from their six-game swing through Colorado and San Francisco a disappointing 2-4.

Not that Schmidt was any less prickly. Schmidt's gem (he no-hit the Sox until Kevin Youkilis doubled into the left field corner leading off the sixth inning) unfolded 33 days after he went the distance in one-hitting the Cubs, 1-0, at Wrigley Field. He became the first pitcher this year to blank the Sox (they were the last team in the majors to be shut out) and the first to throw a complete- game one-hitter against them since Mike Mussina of the Yankees Sept. 2, 2001.

Schmidt overshadowed a dandy start by Bronson Arroyo, who held the Giants scoreless until Holbrook took center stage in the seventh inning. The Giants, who had mustered only two inconsequential singles and a bloop double against Arroyo through the first six innings, got their first break in the seventh inning when Michael Tucker looped a one-out double down the right-field line while snapping his bat in half.

Arroyo, whose highest previous pitch count was 114 for the Pirates against the Mets in 2001, then walked Marquis Grissom with his 124th pitch of the game. At that, Francona summoned the lefthanded Embree to face the lefthanded legend, Barry Bonds. And for the second straight night, Embree retired Bonds. Or so it seemed. This time, Bonds lofted a pop to shallow left, only for the third baseman, Youkilis, to lose it in the wind and sun. Still, left fielder Kevin Millar cleanly handled it on one hop and fired to Nomar Garciaparra covering third to force out Tucker. Or so it seemed. Then came a bigger break for the Giants. umpire, Sam Holbrook saw things differently, ruling that Tucker beat the throw and sending Francona into a tizzy.

While Francona was ejected for the first time with the Sox, his fielders held their cool, at least until the game ended. The play loaded the bases with one out for Alfonzo, prompting the Sox to summon Timlin, who had held Alfonzo hitless in five career at- bats. Yet Timlin needed to pitch Alfonzo differently with one out and the bases loaded than he would have with two outs and runners at first and second. Timlin needed a double-play ball to escape unscathed. But Alfonzo pounded a 92-mile-an-hour sinker over the left-field wall. In the end, the Sox took consolation in returning to Fenway Park, where they have gone 22-11. They are 17-18 on the road.

The Sox bowed to the Giants without Manny Ramirez in the starting lineup. Ramirez had started 35 straight games and all but one game this season. He missed the game May 10 to become a US citizen in Miami. Ramirez has scuffled through a 4-for-19 stretch (.211), though he led the league in home runs (18) and slugging percentage (.637) and ranked third in on-base percentage (.437) heading into yesterday.  Francona, who did not use Ramirez as a pinch hitter, indicated he also decided to give Ramirez the day off because Kevin Millar, who played left field, was a career 5 for 6 against Giants ace Jason Schmidt. Millar went 0 for 2 with a walk but hit one of the best shots of the day off Schmidt, forcing Barry Bonds to crash into the left-field wall to catch it.

Schmidt threw 133 pitches and fired first- pitch strikes to 22 of the 31 batters.  The attendance for the three-game series was 127,644, just shy of the three-game series record at SBC Park (127,754) set last June against LA.