Fear the Beard? Not Scott Hairston.
Sent up to pinch hit to lead off the ninth inning with the score tied, Hairston battled Giants closer Brian Wilson for six pitches, then smacked a slider into the leftfield seats to spark a 5-2 victory for the Mets Friday night at AT&T Park.
"You can't help but stare at it sometimes," Hairston said of Wilson's imposing facial growth. "You've got to be focused. I faced him in the past without the beard, and now he has a beard. I've seen his commercials -- his commercials are hilarious. Give him credit. He's pretty funny. But it's just part of his persona, I guess.
"When the music comes on, he comes in, the fans get excited. As a player, your adrenaline kicks in. I love being in that situation. It's a lot of fun."
Giants manager Bruce Bochy called on Wilson to start the ninth and Terry Collins stuck with Hairston, who had only three hits -- and one homer -- in 24 pinch-hit at-bats. Hairston, batting for winning pitcher Pedro Beato, fell behind 1-and-2 but worked the count full before taking Wilson deep. (continue)
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