After nearly leaving the game of baseball, and signing a minor-league deal, Travis Ishikawa hit a walk-off 3-run home run to send the San Francisco Giants to the World Series. It is the 3rd World Series for the Giants this decade, with them winning the last 2 in '10 and '12. It is the first home run to end an NLCS, and Giants P Jake Peavy didn't think Ishikawa hit it out. Peavy began to mob Ishikawa in between 2nd and 3rd base, thinking the ball went off the wall. Peavy says he was on medication from dental surgery, and Ishikawa had to remind him that he hit it out.
Ishikawa was with the Giants in their 2010 World Series run, but was with the Milwaukee Brewers during their 2012 run. He took advantage of a leadoff single for Pablo Sandoval, and a walk to Brandon Belt to set up the 401-foot game winning shot. Ishikawa began the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was cut and signed to the Giants' minor-league system.
Madision Bumgarner was named NLCS MVP, and pitched 8 innings of 3-run baseball following a slow start. He did surrender home runs to Tony Cruz and Matt Adams, but ended the game with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. He is the first Giants pitcher to be named NLCS MVP, after going 15.2 innings, giving up a combined 3 runs in the series.
The Giants went the previous 6 postseason games without a home run, but smacked 3 out of the park Thursday night. Along with Ishikawa's game-winner, Joe Panik had a 2-run shot, and Michael Morse tied the game with a pinch-hit solo shot in the 8th. Closer Santiago Casilla got himself in a bases-loaded jam in the 9th, but Jeremy Affeldt got ended the Cards' threat. The Giants won the series 4-1, as Michael Wacha suffered his second consecutive loss in an elimination game. He took the loss last year in the Cardinals' World Series Game 6 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
The Giants will begin the World Series Tuesday night at 8:07 p.m. EST. in Kansas City against the Royals. It will be the first World Series where neither team won 90 games during the regular season, and it will be a battle of Wild Card game winners. Both teams come in with a historic postseason streak in tact, with the Royals hold an 11-game postseason winning streak, 1 shy of a record. The Giants have won 8 consecutive postseason series, dating back to 2010.
Ishikawa was with the Giants in their 2010 World Series run, but was with the Milwaukee Brewers during their 2012 run. He took advantage of a leadoff single for Pablo Sandoval, and a walk to Brandon Belt to set up the 401-foot game winning shot. Ishikawa began the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was cut and signed to the Giants' minor-league system.
Madision Bumgarner was named NLCS MVP, and pitched 8 innings of 3-run baseball following a slow start. He did surrender home runs to Tony Cruz and Matt Adams, but ended the game with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. He is the first Giants pitcher to be named NLCS MVP, after going 15.2 innings, giving up a combined 3 runs in the series.
The Giants went the previous 6 postseason games without a home run, but smacked 3 out of the park Thursday night. Along with Ishikawa's game-winner, Joe Panik had a 2-run shot, and Michael Morse tied the game with a pinch-hit solo shot in the 8th. Closer Santiago Casilla got himself in a bases-loaded jam in the 9th, but Jeremy Affeldt got ended the Cards' threat. The Giants won the series 4-1, as Michael Wacha suffered his second consecutive loss in an elimination game. He took the loss last year in the Cardinals' World Series Game 6 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
The Giants will begin the World Series Tuesday night at 8:07 p.m. EST. in Kansas City against the Royals. It will be the first World Series where neither team won 90 games during the regular season, and it will be a battle of Wild Card game winners. Both teams come in with a historic postseason streak in tact, with the Royals hold an 11-game postseason winning streak, 1 shy of a record. The Giants have won 8 consecutive postseason series, dating back to 2010.
