Hey, back for Game 4. Matt Cain tries to finish this one off.
I didn't think that football game was ever going to end. The NFL has become a violent version of flag football.
What a horrible National Anthem! That girl should not be judging anybody!
The hyperventilation crowd over at MCC is freaking out over Ryan Theriot being the DH. No great options. Theriot is the most likely to get a bat on the ball.
Here we go. Pagan leads off with a K.
Scherzer made quick work of the Giants in the top of the first. Now it's up to Cainer to answer that. Berry gives Cain a battle but finally grounds out. Ooh! I'm not sure Cabrera went around on that!
Cain gets out of the first by striking out Fielder but threw a lot of pitches.
Buster Posey is out of sorts at the plate. Another K looking! Pence, on the other hand, seems to be not out of sorts anymore. Brandon Belt comes out swinging and drives in Pence from 2B with a triple that bangs off the RF wall down the line! Yes!!
Blanco at least got the ball in play, but not where it could drive in Belt. Riot put a charge in it but with a bit too much hang time. Giants up 1-0 in the 2'nd. So far, the first team to score has proven to be a huge advantage. Shut 'em down, Cainer!
Nice AB by Crawford who ended up beating out an IF hit. Another ball crushed by Pagan that dies on the warning track. Pablo singles with 2 outs. Time for Buster to come through. Not a strong swing from Buster. He just looks gassed.
Scary play there on the bunt. Nice play by Panda with a good dig by Belt. 2 outs with Miggy Cab at the plate. Wow! That one kept carrying! 2-1 Tigers. Fielder hits a scorcher that knocked Crawford off his feet but Brandon stayed with it and easily throws him out. Giants offense needs to answer back here.
Looks like Scherzer did not want any part of Brandon Belt there. Ump took away a walk for Blanco followed by a K/throw out DP. That wasn't good!
Gotta say, the first and third base umps have a quick trigger on the check swings tonight. Personally, I think most check swings go around and not enough strikes are called on them. Cainer sets 'em down in the 4'th.
Gotta say, every year they play the World Series in ridiculous conditions, although Texas vs SF in 2010 was nice.
Ha! Brandon Belt comes charging in on the bunt by Laird who bunts a line drive that Belt had to leap to catch. Funny looking play! Another nice play by Crawford to keep Cabrera in the on-deck circle!
Scooter beats out a chopper down the 3B line to lead off the 6'th. Time to get a run or two here! Hate to say it, but that's a big K for Scherzer to get Panda there. Come on Buster! Yes!!!
OK. Giants have the lead back. Need a shut down inning here in the bottom of the 6'th.
MCab K's on a nasty slider down and away. Fielder pops up. 2 down. Dang it! A mistake to Young who drives it into the wind tunnel in RF. Game tied. You don't want RH batters hitting it to RF tonight! OK. Peralta is having a bad series. Gotta get him here! Swing and miss at a breaking ball but it was up in the zone. Another one goes foul. Whew! That was close! Cainer looks like he's about done.
Leadoff single by Blanco a good way to start the inning. Stays out of the DP by running. Oh well, it's as good as a sac bunt. Might want to consider PH Arias for Crawford here, but do you take out Crawford's D with the game tied? Lost opportunity. Aaack!
Hold 'em here and Scooter leads off next inning. Cainer gets through 7'th easily. We might even see him in the 8'th. OK, offense. Time for a run or two.
Scooter leads off with a walk. Leyland doesn't turn Sandoval around by brining in Coke. Looks like Bochy just walked over and told Cain is work is done. Dang it! Sandoval hits it hard down the line but right at Fielder who steps in first and hangs up Scooter for the DP. Darn! Buster was going for it on that one swing there. Buster K's. Affeldt coming in to face the heart of the beast.
Affeldt walks Avisail Garcia after a prolonged AB but then gets Cabrera and Fielder easily. And he K's Delmon Young on a nasty breaking ball. Come on, offense!
Pence K's looking. It was a nasty pitch. Two LH batters up now facing the LHP Coke. I'm impressed by Belt's swings here. Good AB so far. Belt K's swinging but he got several healthy cuts in there. Good AB! And Blanco goes down. Looks like this will be a game of bullpen attrition. I think you gotta go with Affeldt for another inning here.
That flyball that Pagan tracked down off Peralta was a bit of an adventure. Casilla in. I'd say there is a high probability that Infante's hand is broken on that HBP. Casilla out of the inning with a fielder's choice grounder by Laird to Sandoval.
Riot delivers a leadoff bloop single. Arias had a bat, but Crawford stays in to bunt. Textbook bunt! Pagan K's on a nasty breaking ball. Come on, Scooter! Yes!!! Scooter comes through once again. He's hitting something like .800 with RISP.
Romo time! Anyone still mad that Riot was the DH? Jackson K's. 2 outs to go! Romo's 2 seam fastball has almost as much movement in the opposite direction as his slider. The LHB K's on 2 seamers. 1 out to go, but it's Miggy Cab! Strike 2! And Romo blows a fastball down the middle for strike 3! Giants are the 2012 World Series Champions!!!!!!
What a triumph for Brian Sabean, Bruce Bochy and yes, Larry Baer! What a redemption for Pablo Sandoval after getting benched for the 2010 run. What a redemption for Barry Zito too! He was completely left off the 2010 postseason roster! Ryan Vogelsong's journey is now complete too. So many great stories on this team!
Thanks to everybody for following along. Thanks for the great comments. Full Game Wrap to follow, probably in AM.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wow, so impressed with Crawfords play at SS on the biggest stage.. Big play keeping Cabrera from batting. Its time to get some runs with Scutaro coming up!
ReplyDeleteLG
GO GIANTS!
Arias mojo needs to get off the bench for Crawford or Theriot when their spot comes up again.
ReplyDeleteI sense a Lopez Vs. Fielder matchup coming up soon. Should be a funny one... Hopefully it looks a lot like Lopez against Hamels and Howard 2 years ago.
Why is Theriot playing?? Hes awful. Arias should be playing or Hector. No more Theriot please
ReplyDeleteTheriot has had some big hits down the stretch. It's not like Arias or Hector are terrific options either.
DeleteYeah I know. but Arias has been hot in the playoffs and has a little more pop than Theriot. That has been a Giants problem for the past years, the DH in interleagues and both WS have done little to none.
DeleteGreat relief by Affeldt. Great catch there by Pagan. Was really surprise to see the regular season numbers by Phil Coke. The times that I've seen him, he seems to have really good stuff for a lefty.
ReplyDeleteCoke looks nasty to me.
DeleteNevermind. I think Bochy should leave the experience and poise of Theriot in the game. He'll probably score the winning run... :)
ReplyDeleteI take back every bad thing I said about Theriot. Bochy keeps making moves that payoff what a great manager!!! Lets Go Giants!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWorld Series Champions!! YES!!!
ReplyDeleteLG
YEEEESSS!!! I am so excited I will be up all night just watching every post-game show I can and just savoring the moment.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the season no one thought it would happen. Well there it is. Victory. The beginning of a dynasty.
ReplyDeleteBruce Bochy and Brian Sabean are a step ahead of the rest.
Giants Win!!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing team effort.
I vote Romo for MVP.
Romo is not a bad choice. My pick is Gregor Blanco and his defense. Sandoval is worth too, though.
DeleteToo early to start talking about resigning Scutaro?
DeleteI suspect our scouts had a lot to do with our pitching/defense success.
DeleteCan't say it enough Giants Win The World Series!!! Time for a shot or two of tequila. This is amazing.
ReplyDeleteMake that four shots...and another one for DocB's blog. Really enjoyed the baseball conversation here with you all.
DeleteHave to add, that last strikeout pitch by Romo was pure baseball poetry. Like Wilson to Ryan Howard in 2010. Romo to Cabrera. Fastball right there looking - 89MPH and total shock on Cabrera's face.
ReplyDeleteOur skinny kid from Brawley CA punches out the AL MVP, Triple Crown Winner, The Best Hitter on the Planet. Punched out, looking. Wow!
My WS MVP, the Giants pitching staff, all of them.
Yeah, everybody talks about Romo's slider but he has crazy movement on his two seamer in the opposite direction. He got Cabrera so conscious of the slider that when he saw a pitch start out on the outside corner, he quite reasonably figured it would break outside. When it broke back to the middle, he was totally shocked and unprepared. No shame in if for Cabrera. that is just a nasty, nasty combination that there is almost no defense against.
DeleteAbsolutely Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Doc for all the hard work!
Hey, how old is this blog? Does it coincide with Giant success, by chance???
Started it in December of 2009.
DeleteThe giants started winning when DrB started this blog - they should hire him....
ReplyDeleteGreat great win. Romo's fastball to end it will be Giant lore forever and ever. What a beautiful team.
ReplyDeleteDrB is on fire over at Fangraphs. I look forward to tomorrow's summary, and the arguments put forth at F/G. I think Cameron & Co deserves a little egg on their face, so good job doc.
As a total aside - where the hell has Bacci been?
Love your little note Fangraphs, Shank.
DeleteHell, we can lie in weeds and never get the recognition.
Rings are the whole deal. Everything else is pontification and sour grapes.
Yeah Giants! Champs again!
ReplyDeleteThanks DrB for your great blog posts and place for all Giants fans who want real discussions about our favorite obsession.
Go Giants!
Make DrB team doctor!
Have a great off season every one! How sweet it is!!!
Thanks, ogc. You're blog has been of fire lately. Always appreciate your comments.
DeleteI would make a terrible team doctor, so no thanks on that one.
Thx for your live blog, doc. I wasn't able to watch the game during the night here in Paris and reading this morning your blog give me a little of the "live thrill".
ReplyDeleteOnce again thx for this great blog.
GIP
Thank you also for your Blog. I too am unable to see the game live here in Hong Kong, but was able to follow periodically on your blog. Thanks again for the great job.
ReplyDeleteAnon #1
its bacci and ive been here reading
ReplyDeletesometime on friday night my google acct was hacked and they closed everything...so i havent posted
giants won
everyone goes to the hof
best fans in the world...not really though...just we denizens of the stick count...that includes the crawford clan
sabey sabes sticks tongue out at beane
the entire team show off their wives and gfs and yes, they all trump verlander
verlander still cocky and wants to face pablo again....i was like him as a kid, got my ass kicked every time
leyland really will end up in the hof for being the classiest manager ever...and for still smoking...and doing a heck of a job with the flawed team he was given to work with.
fox went from bad to absurd..watch the wrap show
what is it about crap shoot that people dont get? ever since the playoff system went to the wc and lds, its a crap shoot. so saying that one team is lucky...is exactly right. and the cards were lucky last year. their terrible pen was a bit less terrible than the rangers.
fox lost a bundle on the sweep. numbers were down and they needed series to go 6. ha ha
wonder what the word will be on guys going to winter ball now.
tonite, romo's biggest fan,13 year old ariel rose, started having seizures. her mom freaked...ariel couldnt miss the game...ariel refused to go to the hospital till the game was over. kids with inoperable cancer get the last say. the seizures stabilized till the game was over. she went to the hospital with a huge smile on her face
sometimes its more than a game...especially to a child
giants won, but this is still apropos
"The Green Fields of the Mind "
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. Today, October 2, a Sunday of rain and broken branches and leaf-clogged drains and slick streets, it stopped, and summer was gone
Thanks Bacci. Sorry to hear about your acct. The Fox postgame show got to be too much for me to stomach when AJP had to point out that he was a Giant once and "once a Giant, always a Giant." My whole family started yelling at him through the TV at the same time. Sorry AJP, you were a terrible Giant and we don't want you back!
DeleteGlad to hear that little girl got to see Romo close it out, and did he ever? Funny how a silly thing like grown men playing a game can mean so much sometimes.
the acct thing bugs me cuz i change my pword every month...lost my main email
Deleteit was karros and aj...with the worst being aj
was waiting for all the tweets, but i guess most gfans had already shut off their sets.
im sure the knbr guys will jump on it
did you watch sabes go street on one of the questions?
the game....giamatti's poem/essay spelled it out
so did harwell's poem/speech for his hof induction (that the idiots at fox shouldve played)
they are saying that leyland looked really down. i couldnt tell, as he always seems to have that sad puppy dog look. but his team didnt fail because of his moves. he did a better job with his pen than bochy did...cuz he really had no pen at all. not his fault that his gm picked up fat boy prince. not his fault that miggs got frozen on an 88 mph heater...romo is a genius. not his fault that verlander thinks he is king of the world.
this wasnt a doofus or rook matheny situation. in those, bochy used chess moves and jedi mind tricks to have them make mistakes. leyland didnt fall for any of that. he just wasnt given enough tools to get over the hump and the yank series didnt prepare them for the ws.
btw, how cool is it gonna be when both the o's and the jays finish above the yanks and sox.
did you like all the guys waving their respective country's flag? finally...world series
When they interviewed Leyland it was quite obvious he had been crying, but he held his head up and gave all the credit to the Giants. Said they simply played better baseball.
DeleteSabean sticking tongue out at Beane - in the year Beane's hagiography came no less.
DeleteI am not sure Sabean is getting enough credit for all that he has done, instead of flipping trades, he builds from within and supplements with smart pickups.
From ESPN's Schoenfield:
DeleteIn a crowded tunnel outside the Giants' clubhouse after the game, Sabean quietly deflected the attention away from himself, giving credit to the entire organization and to "all the great players who have played here through the years." He mentioned how many former players remain close to the organization. Pitching coach Dave Righetti is a former Giants player. Former All-Star first baseman Will Clark was in uniform, holding court after playoff games.
All the great ones are humble.
Bacci - sorry to hear your acct got hacked. I was missing your unique commentary here. I agree with your take on Leyland.
Deletejust we denizens of the stick count - Yeah boy, we few, we merry few.
Ugh, that gagged my throat: "once a Giants, always a Giant"? I put him up there with Bobby Mercer on worse Giants ever, and after all the crap he said about the Giants after he left the team, he has the nerve to claim to be a Giant? A "once a Giants, always a Giants" wouldn't have said the stuff he said, I feel the same way about Kent's post-Giants digs at the Giants, though he claims he was either misquoted or joking.
DeleteGood luck to Ariel, wish her all the best! Hopefully Romo's feat will inspire her body to strike out cancer and shut it down.
Thanks for all the kind words, everybody! I'm especially humbled by the folks from out of the country who didn't get to see the game and followed the live blog. To hear you say it helped makes it all worth it many times over.
ReplyDeleteThe season may be over but Dr. B's blog lives on!! I think all of us saw this coming since at the very latest game 7 against the Cardinals. This team had destiny on their side and they were not going to be denied. It will be a long winter of fond memories that will warm my cold heart until I finally get a chance to go to spring training next year!!
ReplyDeleteWhen the camera swung back to the emcee; after AJ's "always a Giant", Harold Reynolds bent his head down and covered his giggling with his hands. Really funny.
ReplyDeleteThis year has been so much fun and it is a pity it has to end. Big bat need not apply, the team concept wins with the Giants.