SF Giants Win 2014 World Series In Seventh Game! Royals Go Down Swinging. #WorldSeries #SFGiants #Royals

Madison Bumgarner,
Greatest Pitcher Ever?

It took seven games, but the San Francisco Giants finally squeaked to victory in Game 7, winning 3-2 over the Kansas City Royals.  The Giants lost three games in this World Series, mainly because their pitching collapsed.  The Royals batters must have intimidated most of the Giants better pitchers, because those pitchers fell apart early, allowing the Royals to score many runs.  Tonight pitcher Tim Hudson disintegrated early, was replaced late in the second inning by Jeremy Affeldt who did a creditable job, until Madison Bumgarner took over pitching in the 5th.

When Bumgarner took over, the score was 3-2, Giants.  Bum kept it that way through five innings of shut-out baseball, allowing the Giants to win their third World Series in five years, and their eighth World Series in franchise history.  The Fox News announcers opined that the Giants are now a baseball dynasty, and have earned a place in sports history.  They also raved about Madison Bumgarner, who they say is one of the best pitchers to ever play the game.

The loss has to be tough to swallow for Kansas City fans.  Their team fought its way down a very long, hard road to reach the 7th game of the World Series, only to lose it all by one run.  The Royals are a fantastic team in my opinion, and I admire and respect them.  I would like to see them win a World Series soon, just not against the Giants.

The Royals last won a World Series 29 seasons ago, in 1985.  I know how that long drought feels.  Before 2010, the Giants had not won a World Series since 1954 -- a wait of 56 years.  I doubt that the Royals will have to wait that long.  They are too good of a team.

Royals Humiliate Giants in Game 6; Final Game of 2014 World Series Tonight #worldseries, #SFGiants #Royals

Back on their home turf and surrounded by dedicated, cheering fans, the Kansas City Royals looked like sure winners on Tuesday night.  They ran up a score of 10-Zip before the final out.

The major cause of their victory, however, was a dismal pitching performance by SF Giant Jake Peavy, the worst of his career (or so say the pundits).  He did terrible in Game 2 as well, for the same reason:  walking batters, loading the bases, then allowing singles and doubles to bring in the runs.

Why Manager Bruce Bochy started Peavy is odd, considering the Game 2 fiasco.  In Game 6, Peavy was pulled after 2 innings.  His replacements were not much better, allowing hits (but fewer walks), and the infield made some dubious defensive plays that allowed runners to reach base.  So Peavy was not the only problem, the entire Giants roster was lackluster.

The Royals started a young pitcher from the Dominican Republic who throws 98 MPH fastballs, and his pitching frustrated Giants batters.  The long and short of it is that the Giants crashed and burned, all to the staccato of Royals bats, who began to sound like a Japanese drum troupe as they laid down a barrage of singles, doubles and one home run.

An announcer stated that of the last World Series ten teams who were 3-2 but lost the 6th game, eight were defeated and only two survived the 7th game.  So it appears statistically probable that the Royals will win their second World Series ever this evening.  They last won in 1985.

I am hoping that the Giants will rally to win Game 7, but if I were a betting man, my money would be on the Royals.  Prove me wrong, Giants, puh-leeze.

Reflections of a Giants Fan: The World Series 2014; Hunter Pence, Hero #worldseries, #SFGiants

Hunter Pence

I've been following the major league baseball playoffs with interest this year.  My favorite team is the San Francisco Giants, because I live in the Bay Area and associate the team with home and family.  The last thing I ever did with my father, the week he died, was to watch the Giants play the Cardinals one Sunday afternoon.  The Giants won 2-0.

The San Francisco Giants are trying for their third Wold Series Win, though it will be the 8th World Series win for the franchise, if it happens.  The Giants won five World Series as the New York Giants, and have appeared in the World Series 20 times, which includes 2014.  The Giants beat the New York Yankees twice, in the World Series of 1921 and 1922.

The Giants won the World Series in 1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954, 2010 and 2012.  Baseball is an American tradition dating back more than a century.  It is very American, and it is very special.

Last night I watched the 4th game of the 2014 World Series, and when the Royals went ahead 4-1 in the 4th inning, I feared the Giants were doomed.  The Royals appeared on their way to their third win of the series, which would put the Giants' backs against the wall.  However, the Giants rallied with a flurry of hits in the 5th, 6th and the 7th, and ran up the score to 11-4, holding on to it until the game ended.  The series is now tied at two games each.  The team that wins 4 games out of a possible 7 will win the series (duh).

This series is evenly matched.  Both the Royals and the Giants make heroic hits, impossible saves, pinpoint throws and precision teamwork, with a never-say-die determination that makes each game wild and exciting.

For my money, Giants outfielder Hunter Pence is the hero of the Giants' efforts this year.  Early in Game 4, he stole 2nd base, then stole 3rd base, and finally got home to score the first run of the game.  He was determined that the Giants should score first.  Pence is from Texas.  That makes him doubly likable in  my book.  My father was from Texas, too.

UPDATE:  In Game 5 tonight, Madison Bumgarner, the ace picture of the Giants, threw a nine inning shutout of the Royals, leading the Giants to a 5-0 win and a lead in the series of 3 games to 2.  Game 6 and 7 (if needed) will be played in Kansas City on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.  The Royals need to win both those games to win the World Series; the Giants have to win only one more game to win the World Series.  The energy and momentum of the Giants makes it clear that the Royals have their work cut out for them.

#worldseries Heaven! The Giants Win the World Series, Sweep the Tigers

As a long-time Giants fan (50+ years), I have a deep feeling of satisfaction this morning.  The Giants swept the Tigers to win their 7th World Series title, the second after moving from New York to San Francisco in 1958.  The Giants were behind for the first time, 2-1, but resumed the lead with a home run with a man on base, 3-2, and then the Tigers tied with a home run of their own, 3-3.  Finally, in the top of the 10th inning, Scutero hit a double to drive in Theriot from second, giving the Giants their lead and the final score of 4-3.

Fifty years ago this month, the Giants lost the World Series to the Yankees in seven games.  I was hoping against hope that the Giants would face the Yankees in this World Series and give them a drubbing.  However, the Yankees were swept by the Tigers, who in turn were swept by the Giants.  So with the awesome superiority of the Giants well established beyond all doubt, I am forced to give up my fifty year old dream of revenge against the Yankees.

As for Detroit, I feel for their fans.  Giants fans know how it feels to be swept, as the Giants were swept by the Oakland As in 1989.  We know how it feels to see your team lose, as the Giants were beaten by the Anaheim Angels in 2002, when a win seemed almost certain going into the last three games.  It is heartbreaking, as it is very difficult to get to the Series in the first place.  I hope they get another chance at a Series title, and soon.  As long as it isn't against the Giants, I will root for them!

#WorldSeries: Giants Win Second Shut-Out of Tigers, Are Up 3 Games to 0

It looks like the San Francisco Giants will win the 2012 World Series.  Tonight they beat the Detroit Tigers in Detroit 2 - 0, the same score as for Game 2.  Skunking the Tigers in their own stadium is almost unheard of, but the Giants are an extraordinary team.

What most impresses me about the Giants is not their pitching nor their batting, though both are impressive.  Where they really shine is on defense.  Tonight they made two double plays, once with the bases loaded, to end the inning and prevent any runs by Detroit.  They make incredible plays against hard hit balls that are either caught or scooped out of the dirt for almost impossible throws to first to get the out.

It's never over until the last out and anything is possible.  But there are four possible games remaining and the Giants only have to win one of them to take the series.  Unless they all come down with the flu by, say, tomorrow, that seems to be almost a done deal.  Almost.  Never temp the gods of baseball by being overconfident.

Game 4 is tomorrow in Detroit.

Giants Win First Game of World Series, 8 - 3 Over Detroit Tigers

The Panda Man Can

With only one day to rest from winning the National League pennant, the San Francisco Giants were ready to play tonight in the first game of the 2012 World Series.  Pablo Sandoval was up three times and hit a home run each time, allowing him to join a very exclusive club that includes Babe Ruth (1926, 1928) and Reggie Jackson (1977).  On his fourth at bat, Sandoval had to settle for a single -- oh well, batting 1000 is nothing to sneeze at.  Give that man a raise!

The Giants went on to win 8 - 3.  Giants fans are calling this month "Orange October," after the color of the Giants uniforms (which are black and orange).

The Tigers are tougher than the score indicated.  I doubt that they will go quietly into the also-ran section of the sports history books.  I expect them to come back and make a fight of it.

Giants Going to World Series; Third Presidential Debate

I watched and listened to the third and final presidential debate on my laptop, through headphones, while watching the 7th game of the San Francisco Giants - St. Louis Cardinals semifinal match up.  Both were fights that were important to me.

The presidential debate on foreign policy was pretty boring, with both candidates repeating a lot of the same talking points they made in the prior two debates.  Obama did his best yet, in my opinion, speaking well off the cuff and looked polished and prepared.  Substance-wise, he was still the same -- full of bovine excrement.

No doubt the media will proclaim Obama the winner, but it is highly doubtful that this debate will give him any bounce.  Obama is all done.

****

The Giants - Cardinals game was quite a bit more exciting than the excruciatingly dull debate.  A few days ago the Giants were down three games to one and all the Cardinals had to do was win one of the next three games.  They lost all three, as the Giants thumped them in convincing fashion.  Tonight, in the top of the 9th, the Cardinals were down 9 - 0 as the clouds burst and drenched the crowd and the field in a downpour.  The Giants got the three final outs and are headed for "the show," the World Series, against the Detroit Tigers.  First game is this Wednesday.

It is really special to me that the Giants are in the 2012 World Series.  I saw them in the 1962 World Series against the New York Yankees and was hoping for a repeat of that contest fifty years later, with the Giants winning this time around -- but the Yankees were swept in their playoff round and it was not to be.  That's okay, I'll accept a Giants victory over the Tigers instead.

San Francisco Giants Win World Series!

The San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series tonight, defeating the Texas Rangers 3 - 1 in game 5.

In recent times, when the Giants made the playoffs or even the World Series, they seemed a fragile affair, an unlikely, star-crossed champion for whom anything could and probably would go wrong, and at the worst possible moment.  In this World Series, however, I did not have that feeling.  The Giants seemed tough as nails, no BS automatons, an unemotional ball-batting and pitching machine, cold-blooded, resolute and unstoppable.

This was the first Giants World Series win in 56 years and the first ever since moving to San Francisco from New York in 1958.  I have waited for this victory since 1962, when the Giants lost to the Yankees in the 9th inning of the 7th game.  I was 17 years old.  Forty-eight years is a long time to wait, but the waiting has ended.  The San Francisco Giants are World Champions.

I love Texas and admire the Rangers.  My parents and older brother were all born in Texas.  My great grandfather, a Confederate veteran of the Civil War, is buried there, as is my decorated uncle who took part in the invasion of Normandy (on D-Day + 1).  Many other relatives are buried there as well. Two of my favorite cousins live there.  I would have been born there had not the Axis started World War II, and I am still mightily pissed off at being denied the honor.  (My father was sent to New Mexico to train air corps flyers on how to use the Norden bombsight, and I was born in Carlsbad.)

For these reasons, I wish the Rangers well.  May they soon win a World Series and more in the future.  However, 2010 belongs to us, the Giants players and fans, and we could not be denied.

Giants History:
The Giants baseball team has played in 18 World Series and won six of them, in 1905, 1921, 1922, 1933, 1954 and 2010.

The Giants played in the World Series 18 times:  1905, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1962, 1989, 2002, and 2010.

SF Giants Win 4th Game of World Series 4 - 0, Lead 3 Games to 1

Tonight the Giants went up 3 games to 1 in the World Series against the Texas Rangers.  They had three home runs, one of which had a man on base, giving the Giants the 4 runs.  Texas is not often shut out in their own stadium, but they were tonight.

Former President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch with his father by his side, the former President George H.W. Bush.

It's beginning to look like a Giants series.  It's hard to come back and win the World Series when a team is down 3 games to 1, but it has been done...six times, as a matter of fact.  The last team to do it was the Kansas City Royals in 1985 against St. Louis.  I have posted a list of the teams that came back from the dead below.

Needless to say, I won't be cheering a San Francisco championship until the last out of the last game.  Nevertheless....GO GIANTS!!

Teams That Won the World Series After Being Down 3 games to 1 in the World Series:

1. 1903 Boston Americans (Red Sox), down 1-3, won World Series 5-3 over Pittsburgh (best of nine format).

2. 1925 Pittsburgh Pirates, down 1-3, won World Series 4-3 over Washington.

3. 1958 New York Yankees, down 1-3, won World Series 4-3 over Milwaukee.

4. 1968 Detroit Tigers, down 1-3, won World Series 4-3 over St. Louis.

5. 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates, down 1-3, won World Series 4-3 over Baltimore.

6. 1985 Kansas City Royals, down 1-3, won World Series 4-3 over St. Louis.

Source:  Answers.com

Ai Chee Wa Wa, SF Giants Win 2nd World Series Game, 9 - 0!

I had to go to a tax class tonight so couldn't watch the second game of the World Series.  I kept sneaking peeks at my iPhone Sportacular ap to keep up with the scores.  Finally, after several scoreless innings, the Giants led by 1 - 0, then 2 - 0 going into the 8th inning.  The next time I looked at my iPhone the game was over and the score was 9 to Zip!  I couldn't believe my eyes.

Apparently, Texas's pitching really fell apart in the 8th inning.  The bases were loaded, mainly on walks, and two runners were walked home for scores.  Then a single scored another two.

The Giants scored seven runs in the 8th inning, their greatest number in Giants post-season history.  Their former record was six hits in one inning in the 1937 World Series against the Yankees, a record they tied only yesterday against the Rangers.

I am hoping for a Giants win, but I won't tie myself up in knots with anxiety.  We've been here before and watched the dream crumble at the last minute.

I imagine the atmosphere will be different back in Rangers stadium and the Texans will be charged up for a win.

SF Giants Win First Game of the World Series, 11 - 7

The first game of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers was a high scoring affair, one of the most exciting games I've seen all year.  The Giants prevailed 11 - 7, but the Rangers showed themselves to be a tough team even in defeat.  This won't be a cake walk for either team.  Still, I am gratified that my team, the Giants, won the first game.

The Giants' "bull pen," their reserve of pitchers, wear beards, or at least, most of them do.  Hence the Giants' slogan, "Fear the Beard," with many fans wearing fake beards in the stands.  See video for more details.

San Francisco Giants and My Father's Ghost

My family has lived in California since January of 1954, when we moved here from Joplin, Missouri.  I fell in love with the place right away, enchanted by the palm trees, the orange trees, the salty smell of the sea mixed with the fragrance of citrus.  Eventually, we settled in San Jose and went through all the phases of life, finishing school, launching careers, choosing mates and having children.  Along the way we naturally adopted loyalties to our local sports teams, and most of my family are strong fans of the San Francisco Giants baseball team.

My loyalty to the Giants was cemented in 1962, when they played the New York Yankees in the World Series. It was a very close series, with no team winning two games in a row.  The Yankees won the 7th game, 1-0, in the 9th inning and of course, it broke my heart.  I was sure the Giants would be back the following year to complete their march to glory.  However, they wouldn't be back in the World Series for 27 years, until 1989, when they were swept in four games by the Oakland A's.

My father, now deceased, was a Giants fan.  The last thing we ever did together was to watch a Giants game on television in June of 1991.  The Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2 - 0.  My dad mentioned that the Giants were looking competent and scrappy as he headed for the door on that Sunday afternoon.  I never saw him conscious again.  I know how much a Giants win in the Word Series would have meant to him.

Finally, in 2002 the Giants returned to the World Series against the California Angels.  After five games the Giants led the series 3 games to 2, and their last victory was a 16-4 blowout over the Angels.  In Game 6, the Giants led 5 - 0 going into the 7th inning and things were looking rosy.  We were pretty confident that the Giants would win one of the two remaining games to take the series.  We were wrong.  In the 6th game, with three innings left to play, their 5 - 0 advantage became a 6 - 5 final score in favor of the Angels.  Their spirit broken, the Giants lost the 7th and deciding game 4 - 1.  We became only too acutely aware that, if it were at all possible, the Giants would find a way to lose.  At that point, I dismissed all hopes of a Giants World Series victory in my lifetime, and turned my attention to other things.  This month, however, I learned that the Giants had made the playoffs.  Though very cynical about their chances, I watched the games.  Incredibly, the Giants were up 3 games to 2 headed into game 6.  Would they blow it once again?

Last night I watched the Giants pitcher load the bases in the 9th inning.  I was sure the Phillies would score at least one run to tie the game and send it into overtime; but the pitcher came through, striking out the final batter and winning the game.

It's funny, but the Giants got their name from winning a close game over the Phillies, about 100 years ago (literally).  The manager of the Gothams (as the Giants were then called) stormed into the locker room and shouted, "My big fellows!  My giants!"  The name was subsequently changed to the Giants.

So the Giants will face the Texas Rangers in the World Series.  I would have preferred that they face the Yankees, as I like the Rangers and would root for them against any other opponent.  But this will have to do.  So for this moment, we Giants fans have hope.  Maybe, just maybe, the Giants will win their first World Series in California (the last time they won was as the New York Giants, in 1954).  On to the World Series!  Go Giants!