But there they were Wednesday afternoon, the winningest team in baseball, hosting the New York Mets in Game 1 of the NL Division Series in front of another packed house. This wasn't a playoff game; it was a love-in. Especially after the 5-1 victory.

"It's electric out there,'' said pitcher Shawn Estes, Thursday night's starter. "There's been a buzz from Day One. You don't want to fail in front of 40,000.''

Ellis Burks (center) is congratulated by Barry Bonds (left) and Jeff Kent after his three-run HR.(AP)

San Francisco hasn't very often. It shared the best home record in the major leagues with the Mets at 55-26, but sported the lowest ERA at 3.45. The Giants went 13-1-2 in their last 16 home series and won 13 of their final 19 games on the new grass.

Maybe that's why Dusty Baker's troops seemed so loose and focused. Trouble, what trouble? No time like the present to capture the first World Series crown in city history.

"One thing this team has always been able to do is relax for big games,'' Estes said. "When the bell rings, we're pretty intense. We're a very confident team and take care of our own business.''

The Giants won five of eight regular-season meetings against the Mets, outscoring them 46-21. In May, San Francisco swept four straight games at Pac Bell Park.

Not that New York was cowering. It brought a five-game winning streak into the postseason and came within two games of facing the Yankees last year in the World Series. This time, it would be different.

Ninety-minutes before game-time, Mets manager Bobby Valentine met the media and got in several sarcastic digs. Asked why he chose to keep 10 pitchers on his playoff roster, Valentine replied, "I think that's all we'll need.''

Valentine seemed unconcerned about his team's unfamiliarity with the ballpark.

"We've had meetings where we've instructed our pitchers to keep the ball in front of our outfielders,'' he deadpanned.

When Al Leiter, Thursday's stating pitcher for New York, was asked what he fears about the Giants, Valentine pretended to snore, covering his face. Either he was bored stiff and anxious to play, or in serious need of a nap.

Baker also met the press and said he was alarmed by the number of manager firings this week.

"It appears it can happen to anybody,'' said Baker. "The managers are under more scrutiny and pressure to win than ever before.''

He was also asked about second baseman Jeff Kent, who hinted Tuesday he might retire if San Francisco wins the World Series.

"I talked to him today, hoping he was not serious,'' Baker said. "He was just trying to deflect some of the questions about the MVP. He's not going anywhere.''

Not unless someone hands him a cattle ranch. Kent is staying put and so is Baker, no matter how much money the Dodgers and Diamondbacks dangle.

If the Giants felt pressure, it was to keep pace with their rivals across the bay, the Oakland Athletics. Surprising winners of the American League West, the A's created a stir by knocking off the defending world-champions Yankees on Tuesday night in Game 1.

In 1989, the A's beat the Giants in a World Series best remembered for the Loma Prieta earthquake just before Game 3 at Candlestick Park. The 7.1 tremor jolted the Bay Area and the game was canceled. Ten days later, the series resumed and Oakland rolled to a four-game sweep.

None of the current Giants were around then, but would like to create their own history. After all, the A's have four world titles, the San Francisco 49ers five and the Oakland Raiders three. Even the lowly Golden State Warriors won an NBA crown in 1975.

On a crisp, sunny afternoon, the Giants jumped New York starter Mike Hampton for a run in the first. With one out, third baseman Bill Mueller slashed a double to left and moved to third on a single by Barry Bonds. Yeah, that Bonds, the guy who disappears in the playoffs and can't hit left-handers. Kent brought home Mueller on a fielder's choice and San Francisco had the early advantage.

After breezing through the first two innings, Giants starter Livan Hernandez gave up the equalizer in the third. Shortstop Mike Bordick and Hampton collected one-out singles, and leadoff hitter Benny Agbayani walked to load the bases. Center fielder Jay Payton drove in Bordick with a sacrifice fly and Hernandez, Florida's World Series MVP in 1997, escaped further damage.

The same cannot be said for Mets right fielder Derek Bell. In the bottom of the third, he sprained his right ankle chasing a triple off the bat of Bonds, the ball caroming off the wall past him, and had to leave the game. Evidently, Bell missed Valentine's meeting, Mueller scoring all the way from first.

San Francisco wasn't done. After a walk to Kent, right fielder Ellis Burks belted a three-run homer into the left field bleachers, after the ball hit the foul pole.

"I was yelling at it," Burks said. "It was a grand day."

Among the first to greet Burks at home plate was 3-year-old Christopher Burks, his son and part-time batboy. With dad's lumber in hand, the bat almost as tall as he is, Christopher high-fived pop and jogged proudly back to the dugout, the Giants in possession of a 5-1 lead.

It proved more than enough for Hernandez, now 5-0 in the playoffs. He went 7 2/3 innings, allowed five hits and received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 40,430. Hernandez left the bases loaded for reliever Felix Rodriguez, who fanned Darryl Hamilton.

If Estes does his part, the Giants will be tough to beat. Nine of his 15 wins came at Pac Bell Park and he led the majors in run support with six per game.

"There are no weak links in our lineup,'' he said. "But we also expect more out of ourselves than we have in years past. We're going to be real disappointed if we lose in the first round.''