Another Fall Classic is wrapped up and in the books. Ladies and gentlemen, meet your 2012 World Series champs: the San Francisco Giants.
For the second time in the past three years, they have taken all the marbles, sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four games.
This postseason has been a historic one filled with tons of stories, from the first wild card games played (captured by the Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals), to the benching of A-Rod, but the best tale is the one of the Giants, who used almost the exact same formula, plus or minus a few pieces, to capture this year’s title.
This season’s edition of the Fall Classic got started with a literal BANG. The Tigers sent baseball’s best pitcher, last season’s A.L. MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, to the mound in Game 1. Verlander was supposed to shut down the Giant lineup and deliver the series’ first game on a platter to the fans of Detroit.
Well, that didn’t happen. Instead, Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval picked up right where he left off against Verlander from this season’s All Star Game, sending a solo shot into the seats of AT&T Park.
But Sandoval and the rest of the Giant offense wasn’t done.
They chased Verlander off the mound after just four innings to the tune of five earned runs. Sandoval, AKA Kung Fu Panda, led the charge, becoming just the fourth player ever to homer three times in a World Series game, following Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols.
The Giants won 8-3 behind the bat of Sandoval and the arms of a resurgent Barry Zito, who pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, and embattled ace Tim Lincecum, who struck out five Tigers in 2.1 innings in a dominant performance.
However, Game 2 brought the game back to its roots: pitching and defense.
In a classic pitcher’s duel, Detroit’s Doug Fister and San Fran’s Madison Bumgarner traded shutout inning for shutout inning. Each pitched a gem; Fister worked into the seventh inning and only allowed one run and four hits after being nailed by a line drive in the second inning.
However, Bumgarner pitched better; he went seven scoreless, allowing just two hits while striking out seven Tigers. The Giants captured the low scoring affair 2-0 to take a 2-0 advantage back to Detroit.
After the return to Motown, the Tigers found themselves in a must win situation in Game 3.
Too bad the Giants sent Ryan Vogelsong to the mound. The well traveled right hander continued his remarkable comeback, throwing 5.2 scoreless frames while getting crucial out after crucial out.
He got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to pop out with the bases loaded to escape a jam in the fifth inning. Then Lincecum continued his dominant tour of relief, throwing another 2.1 shutout innings while showing flashes of the Timmy of old.
And then came Game 4. The hometown Tigers were on the ropes.
The Giants and Manager Bruce Bochy, smelling blood in the water, sent ace Matt Cain to the hill to oppose the young fireballer Max Scherzer and the mighty Tiger lineup, which had been just as silent as the Yankee lineup their pitching staff had so superbly shutdown in the four game ALCS sweep.
Cain turned in the least dominant performance of the Giants’ starters, and was still solid, throwing seven innings of five hit, three earned run ball.
Yet the Tigers and Giants were still tied up heading into extra frames. The question was who would break through first. Could it have ended in any other way than a Giants victory and subsequent sweep? Well, the answer is no.
NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro, the little spark plug of a second baseman, drove in designated hitter Ryan Theriot, then San Francisco closer Sergio Romo struck out the Triple Crown winner Cabrera on a called third strike, and the rest is history.
So congrats to the San Francisco Giants on their second title in three years. They saved their best baseball for last, which has been a recurring theme these past few Octobers.
Sandoval captured the MVP after batting .500 for the series with a ton of clutch hits, but the it was the resurgence of Lincecum that will have the baseball world abuzz all winter.
Now it’s onto trades, free agents, firings and hirings of the hot stove season, then a new season starting at the end of next February with spring training.
Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@spartans.ut.edu
Congrats to the Giants for winning the World Series and being named world champions of baseball, but are they really the best team in baseball? Yes, the Detroit Tigers did not pitch well or bring their offense into the World Series, and the Giants took advantage of that and brought out their best October pitching and defense.
The Giants suffered many struggles this season such as the loss of their star closer Brian Wilson, the poor starting pitching of Tim Lincecum (who showed up in the world series as a reliever), and the disappointing 50 game suspension of slugger Melky Cabrera. The Giants will have some serious competition next year. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers will be a team to watch. And don’t count out the new power houses of the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A’s. Next year will be a new adventure for Major League Baseball with new managers, major free agents such as Josh Hamilton, Melky Cabrera, and Anabil Sanchez that are looking to bring their talents to teams that are hungry for a championship.
One thing is for sure, the only news we will probably not be surprised to hear is which celebrity Alex Rodriguez is dating and Magic Johnson spending extra millions on his new pride and joy, the LA Dodgers (no offense Laker fans).