OH, OLMEDO!

Olmedo Saenz likely had a good feeling when he showed up to the A's clubhouse at McAfee Coliseum to begin the second half of the 1999 season, and not just because he'd finally established a role for himself in the majors. Several members of his family had arrived from his native Panama and would be watching Saenz for the first time.

Giants manager Dusty Baker may have had an apprehensive feeling. His team led the National League West by 2 1/2 games, but terrible second-half starts had plagued the Giants for three straight seasons.

Several hours later, one mighty swing from Saenz made the first time unlike any other and made the Giants' second-half concerns very much like all the others.

It all occurred at 10:48 p.m., the moment in the ninth inning that Saenz connected on a pitch from Giants closer Robb Nen with two runners on base, two strikes and two outs and sent it screaming over the wall for a three-run home run that beat the Giants 11-9.

"It was a great moment," Saenz told reporters. "But to me, it was a team effort. ... Everybody put a little bit in, and we won the game. Today, it was a special game for me with my family here."

For the A's, it also was a much-needed one. The A's offense was supposed to provide many fireworks that year, but it spent the first half hitting an AL-worst .244. Without its resuscitation, finishing .500 for the first time in seven seasons was

Saenz's dinger capped a comeback from a 9-4 deficit and helped change the tide. The A's raised their team average 15 points in the second half en route to finishing with 87 victories. Saenz's contribution was mighty, and his blow against Nen set the tone for an eight-homer, 18-RBI second half that was accomplished with only 116 plate appearances.

What it did for the Giants was not so nice. The Giants dropped 18 of their first 26 games in the second half, a dip that emulated the previous three seasons and one that dropped them 8 1/2 games behind the eventual division champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

"He was throwing 95, 96 miles an hour. He still had some pop," Saenz said of Nen. "... He's a great pitcher."

Indeed. But for one moment, Saenz was an even better hitter.