Quick recap of the rules, adapted from Jonah Keri's teams entry in his BestCoolest columns:
The team has to have been good, and I have to remember watching them. So, as above, that's 1992 on. But rather than just making it a list of the 10 best teams of the last 24 seasons, I want to focus on teams that I enjoyed watching for some reason or another. In part 1A, I talked about the 2004 Boston Red Sox, 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2015 Toronto Blue Jays, 1999 New York Mets, and 2001 Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox and Diamondbacks were teams that I only really followed for 1 series or so in the playoffs, but with great delight, and both won the World Series in those seasons. The Jays, Mets and Mariners were teams that had good seasons and fun playoff runs, but ultimately lost in their respective League Championship Series round in year. In this part, I'll be focusing on 3 teams that won it all. I've gone with a 4-way tie for number 2, and 3 of those teams were the same franchise, which will be the focus of this entry. The other tie and number 1 are also from the same (but different than this one) franchise. I went with the split because otherwise this was going to turn into a near 10,000 word entry. 2a. 2010 San Francisco Giants I spent 1992 to 2005 pretty closely following whichever team John Olerud was on, though I wasn't particularly cheering for his team in late 2004. After he retired, I became slightly team agnostic for a couple of years. He'll feature in the favourite players list and in one of those longer profiles. However, sometime in 2007 my curiousity and interest were piqued by a young pitcher on the San Francisco Giants. Tim Lincecum's tornado windup and electric stuff were amazing to watch, and I got hooked. This led me to adopting the Giants as one of my favourite teams, and they have remained there ever since, even though Lincecum has struggled over the last couple of years. He will also feature in the favourite players list and the longer profiles. In 2007, their first year with manager Bruce Bochy, the Giants struggled to a 71-91 record, but with the 23-year-old Lincecum joining the 22-year-old Matt Cain in the rotation, Giants fans were getting a peak at the future. The 2008 season was only marginally better at 72-90, but Lincecum exploded, winning his first of back-to-back Cy Young awards. In 2009, they improved significantly to 88-74, but still fell a bit short of the playoffs. In 2010, everything came together. The Giants made it to the All Star break at 45-41, but now featured 23-year-old rookie Buster Posey behind the plate, 23-year-old Pablo Sandoval at third base, 25-year-old Matt Cain, 26-year-old Tim Lincecum, and 27-year-0ld Jonathan Sanchez. Just a couple of weeks before the break, they also called up 20-year-old Madison Bumgarner to fill out their rotation. The team was red-hot in July, going 20-8, but then stumbled in August to 13-15 behind an 0-5 record with a 7.84 ERA from Lincecum. He and the team would rebound in a big way down the stretch, as the Giants finished September and early October with a 19-10 record, and Lincecum went 5-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 52 strikeouts in just under 42 innings. The Giants would win the National League West with a 92-70 record, behind the best pitching staff in the league. With the third youngest average age in the NL among their pitchers, the Giants were first in ERA, hits allowed and strikeouts, and third in FIP and home runs allowed. Their opponents in the first round were the wild-card winning Atlanta Braves, with a fine pitching staff of their own. Game 1 featured Braves starter Derek Lowe against two-time defending Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Lowe came out after 5.1 innings, having allowed 1 run, and 1 run was all the Giants would get. It ended being more than enough though, as Lincecum dominated the Braves. After allowing a double to leadoff the game, Lincecum would set down the next 9 Braves before allowing a leadoff walk in the 4th inning. He then retired 10 straight before allowing his second and final hit in the 7th inning. The Braves wouldn't get another baserunner, as Lincecum finished with a complete game, 14-strikeout masterpiece. The brilliant Joe Posnanski wrote about Lincecum and Roy Halladay, who had thrown a no-hitter in his playoff debut the night before, noting that, by game score, Lincecum was even more impressive than Halladay. In the second inning, Lincecum would strike out the side as Braves hitters swung and missed 9 times in the inning. The whole series ended up being 1-run games, as Matt Cain went 6.2 innings of 1-run ball in game 2, only to see his bullpen ultimately lose the game for him in 11 innings, as the Giants dropped their only game of the series by a 5-4 score. In game 3, Jonathan Sanchez pitched brilliantly, leaving after 11 strikeouts in 7.1 innings. The bullpen would blow the lead, but ultimately the Giants would win 3-2 in 9 innings. And in game 4, the rookie Madison Bumgarner gave the Giants 6 innings of 2-run ball to send the Giants to a 3-2 victory and a series win. The Giants moved on to the NLCS, facing the 2-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies and their new ace, Roy Halladay, fresh off of his no-hitter in the Division Series. They followed him with Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. In Game 1, Lincecum and Halladay faced off, in what would turn out to be the 10th matchup of multiple Cy Young Award winners in a playoff game. In the top of the third inning, Cody Ross got to Halladay with a solo home run. Carlos Ruiz would lead off the bottom of the inning with a home run of his own. The two pitchers would hold on until the 6th inning, when the Giants scored 3 runs in the top and the Phillies answered with 2 runs in the bottom. Halladay and Lincecum would each go 7 innings, leaving with a 4-3 Giants lead, and eventually a victory by that score. In game 2, Jonathan Sanchez faced Roy Oswalt, but was not quite as successful as in the previous round, allowing 3 runs through 6 innings. The Giants bullpen would allow 3 more, and behind Oswalt's 8 innings of 1-run pitching, the Phillies took a 6-1 victory. Game 3 featured Matt Cain, who continued his postseason excellence, shutting out the Phillies for 7 innings en route to a 3-0 victory. In game 4, the rookie Bumgarner would struggle somewhat, allowing 3 runs in 4.2 innings, but he was backed up by his offense and a faltering Phillies bullpen as the Giants slipped by 6-5 on a walkoff sacrifice fly by Juan Uribe. Game 5 featured a Halladay-Lincecum rematch, and this time Doc prevailed, as Lincecum's 3 runs in 7 innings were one too many, and the Giants dropped the game by a 4-2 score. Game 6 became an all hands on deck game, as Sanchez lasted just 2 innings, and the Giants brought in both Bumgarner and Lincecum out of the bullpen. They would take the lead in the 8th on a Juan Uribe home run, taking the game 3-2 and the series 4-2. Cody Ross would be named series MVP after going 7 for 20 with 3 doubles and 3 home runs. In the World Series, the Giants faced the Texas Rangers, and Cliff Lee, who came into the series with a 7-0 playoff record, including a 1.26 ERA and 77 strikeouts to just 7 walks in 64.1 innings in his playoff career which spanned the 2009-2010 playoffs so far. When the Rangers scored a run each in the first and second innings, things were looking tough for the Giants. But Lee's postseason dominance came to an end as the Giants scored 2 runs to tie it in the 3rd inning, then 6 times in the 5th inning including a 3-run home run by Juan Uribe right after Lee was pulled. The hits would keep coming as the Giants ended up with an 11-7 victory. In game 2, Matt Cain was brilliant again, going 7.2 shutout innings to end his 2010 postseason run with an ERA of 0.00 in 3 starts. The Giants would score just twice in the first 7 innings, but then exploded with 7 runs in the bottom of the 8th en route to a 9-0 victory. In game 3, Jonathan Sanchez struggled again as the Giants lost 4-2 in Texas. Game 4 began Madison Bumgarner's World Series legend, which would culminate 2 entries from here. He went 8 shutout innings, and backed up by a pair of 2-run home runs, the Giants would win 4-0 to take a 3-1 series lead. On to game 5, where Cliff Lee would take the mound once more against Tim Lincecum, with the Giants having a chance to take the series before it went back to San Francisco. Both starters were brilliant through 6 innings, holding their opponents scoreless with just 3 baserunners each. In the top of the 7th, with 2 men on and 2 out, the hero of the 1997 World Series stepped to the plate, and Edgar Renteria delivered. The Giants had a 3-0 lead. Lincecum would allow 1 back in the bottom of the 7th, but ended up going 8 innings, striking out 10, and turning the game over to dominant closer Brian Wilson, who struck out Nelson Cruz for the final out of the series, capping off a masterful game and a brilliant postseason run for the Giants. Wilson and his growing beard had become a fan favourite as the team advanced through the playoffs. The series MVP would go to Renteria, who had hit .412 with 2 home runs in the 5 games. It was the first championship for the Giants in San Francisco, and the first for the franchise since 1954. It started off a fantastic run of success for the team and an incredible embrace by the fans. 2b. 2012 San Francisco Giants Two years later, the Giants were back in the playoffs, this time with a different look. The 2010 team had finished 9th in the NL in runs scored, but 2nd in runs allowed, riding their brilliant pitching to a championship. The 2012 team finish 6th in runs scored behind NL MVP Buster Posey and the Brandons Belt at first base and Crawford at shortstop, plus new addition Hunter Pence in right field. They had added Marco Scutaro during the season to play second base, and he had hit .362/.385/.473 over the final two months of the season, helping spark the team. They did lose near batting champion Melky Cabrera to a PED suspension, but did not end up missing him come playoff time. They would fall to 5th in runs allowed, but their adjusted ERA+ of 96 showed that they were a slightly below average run prevention team who played in a great park. Tim Lincecum struggled to the worst season of his career, finishing 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA, though his FIP of 4.18 suggested some bad luck had haunted him. This theme would continue over the next few years. This year's ace was Matt Cain, and with a strong number two in Madison Bumgarner, a second strong showing from Ryan Vogelsong after being out of the major leagues from 2007-2010, and one of Barry Zito's best years in a Giants uniform, the Giants would end up moving Lincecum to the bullpen for all but one game in the playoffs. The bullpen still featured holdovers Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, and Javier Lopez, but Brian Wilson had been lost to Tommy John surgery after pitching in just 2 games at the beginning of the season. Like the 2010 team, the Giants hit the All Star Break with a lackluster record at 46-40, and then picked up somewhat through the end of July to a 56-47 record. After adding Pence and Scutaro for the trading deadline, they would heat up 38-21 down the stretch. Having finished with a 94-68 record, the Giants would match up against the 97-65 Cincinnati Reds, with the first 2 games in San Francisco, and the last 3 scheduled for Cincinnati. This format had been used in the first three years of the Division Series in 1995-1997, but was scrapped until 2012 when it was brought back because of scheduling conflicts. It has not been used since. The Reds would be a tough matchup, as they had been the best run prevention team in the National League behind the strong pitching of Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Homer Bailey, and Bronson Arroyo, plus young fireballer Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen. In game 1, Johnny Cueto left in the first inning with a back injury, but the Reds would score 3 runs against Matt Cain and end up rolling to a 5-2 victory. Game 2 fell apart for the Giants when the Reds took a 4-0 lead after 4 innings. The Giants brought in Lincecum for his first appearance out of the bullpen since the 2010 NLCS, and he rewarded them with 2 scoreless innings. The rest of the bullpen would struggle in the 8th, giving up 5 more runs on the way to a 9-0 Giants loss. Down 2 games to none with the last 3 games in Cincinnati looked very bleak for the Giants. Game 3 would be a pitching battle, as the Reds and Giants each scored once by the third inning, and then not again through 9 innings. In the 10th, the Giants broke through on a pair of singles, a passed ball, and an error, giving them a 2-1 lead that Sergio Romo would close out in the bottom of the inning. Game 4 saw Lincecum go 4.1 innings out of the bullpen to help preserve a close game until Pablo Sandoval put things out of reach for good in the 7th inning with a huge home run. Game 5 was a tight affair for the first 4 innings as Latos and Cain traded zeros back and forth. The Giants scored twice in the top of the 5th before loading the bases for Buster Posey, and on a 2-2 count, Posey delivered a grand slam, creating one of the great catcher reaction gif's of all time. The Giants would hold on for a 6-4 victory, and a brilliant come back from being down 2 games to none that were part of what gave me hope following the Blue Jays last year. Hunter Pence would gain fame for his inspirational speeches that started after going down 2-0 to the Reds, which he delivered before every game through the rest of the playoffs. In the NLCS, the Giants would face the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals. In game 1, the ball went to Bumgarner, who struggled again, continuing a worrying trend. His velocity had been down in September and his ERA had been up at 5.47, and he was beaten up in the Division Series. He would last just 3.2 innings in this game, leaving with a 6-0 deficit. The Giants would get 4 back, and saw another 2 scoreless innings from Lincecum out of the bullpen, but lost by a 6-4 score. Game 2 put Ryan Vogelsong on the mound, and after the teams traded runs in the first and second innings, he settled in and finished with 7 innings of 1-run pitching. The Giants would score 4 runs in the 4th thanks to a misplay of a Marco Scutaro single with the bases loading allowing all 3 baserunners to score. They finished the game with a 7-1 victory as the series moved back to San Francisco. In game 3, Matt Cain would pitch fairly well, but the Giants bats went cold, and they last 3-1. In game 4, the Giants gave the ball to Tim Lincecum for what would be his only postseason start in an effort to give Bumgarner some extra rest and see if he might show some of the magic he'd shown out of the bullpen so far. He gave up 2 runs right away in the first inning, but then settled down through the next 3 innings, before allowing 2 more runs in the 5th inning and being pulled with the Giants down 4-1. The Cardinals would tack on 4 more runs before the Giants hit a 2-run home run in the 9th, but it was too little, too late, and they fell 8-3, now trailing 3 games to 1 in the series. Running out of options, they gave the ball to Barry Zito. After putting together a fine 7-year run with the Oakland Athletics, the Giants had signed Zito to a 7-year, $120 million contract prior to the 2007 season, and he had struggled mightily through most of it, even being left off of the postseason roster entirely during the 2010 run. The 2012 season had been superficially his best in a Giants uniform, as he went 15-8 with a 4.15 ERA, but with only 0.2 WAR. He had struggled in his Division Series start, giving up 2 runs in 2.2 innings in the game where Lincecum gave the Giants 4.1 innings. With the season on the line, Zito was brilliant, and after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, finished with 7.2 innings of shutout ball as the Giants left St. Louis with a 5-0 victory, and two games to play at home. Game 6 brought back Ryan Vogelsong, and he managed to be even better than in game 2. He would strike out 9 over 7 innings of 1-run pitching, and the Giants would score 5 runs in the first 2 innings, adding one more in the 8th to send them to game 7 with a 6-1 victory. Game 7 had Matt Cain back on the mound, and he delivered 5.2 innings of shutout ball, which was more than enough when the Giants scored 6 runs in the first 3 innings en the way to a 9-0 victory, and another series comeback. Marco Scutaro would be named series MVP after hitting .500 with an LCS record-tying 14 hits and an iconic shot of him enjoying the game 7 rain in the 9th inning. In game 1 of the World Series, the Giants would face Tigers ace Justin Verlander, who was 78-31 with a 2.95 ERA over the past 4 seasons, and 3-0 with 2 runs allowed in the first two rounds of 2012. The Giants sent Zito back to the mound, and for a second straight start, he pitched very well, giving up just 1 run in 5.2 innings. Meanwhile, Verlander, who had given up a bases loaded triple to Pablo Sandoval in the All Star Game, helping the National League earn home field advantage in the World Series, found himself unable to deal with Sandoval again, as Sandoval would homer twice against Verlander and a third time against reliever Al Alburquerque. This combined with 5 strikeouts from Tim Lincecum in 2.1 innings of relief would send the Giants on their way to an 8-3 victory. In game 2 the Giants would score only 2 runs, but Madison Bumgarner came back strong from his extra rest, throwing 7 shutout innings and continuing his scoreless streak in the World Series. In game 3, Anibal Sanchez would hold the Giants to 2 runs again, but 5.2 scoreless innings from Vogelsong and an additional 2.1 scoreless from Lincecum gave the Giants another 2-0 win and a 3-0 series lead. In game 4, Matt Cain and Max Scherzer would face off with the Giants hoping to close the series out. Cain would go 7 strong innings and with a home run from Buster Posey and strong relief from Jeremy Affeldt, the Giants would go to the 10th inning against Phil Coke, who had struck out the side in the 9th. This time, LCS MVP Marco Scutaro would come through again, and Sergio Romo would finish off the Tigers, freezing Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to strike out the side. The Giants had come out on top for the second time in three years, with their pitching-dominant team morphing into a more balanced team. Pablo Sandoval would win series MVP after hitting .500 over the series and tying a Giants record for hits in a postseason. 2c. 2014 San Francisco Giants (here too) After the 2010 championship, the Giants had fallen to 86-76 in 2011, missing the playoffs as injuries, including Buster Posey's broken leg, cost them important games through the season. In 2013, they had stumbled to 76-86, losing more players to injury and continued ineffectiveness from Tim Lincecum, a major stumble from Matt Cain, and the worst and final season from Barry Zito. In 2014 the Giants got off to a red-hot start, going 37-20 through the end of May. They would be frustrated as the season went on, losing Matt Cain to injury and seeing ineffectiveness from Sergio Romo in the bullpen. Lincecum, who would throw a no-hitter for the second year in a row, would struggle as the season went on, and end up in the bullpen. Tim Hudson, who hit mid-June with a 7-2 record and a 1.81 ERA, would stumble badly, going 2-11 the rest of the way and nearly doubling his overall ERA. They would add Jake Peavy at the trade deadline, and he was excellent in San Francisco, pitching to a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts down the stretch. The Giants would go 51-54 from June 1st through the end of the season, only making the playoffs because of the addition of a second wild card, where they faced the Pittsburgh Pirates. This year's edition of the Giants was a middle of the pack pitching team, finishing 7th in the NL in ERA, but they were a stronger hitting team, as they finished 5th in the league in runs scored, with strong offense from rookie Joe Panik, who came up part way into the season, and contributions from Hunter Pence, new addition Mike Morse, and Buster Posey and Brandons Crawford and Belt, when the latter was not injured. The Pirates would face off against the Giants now undisputed ace, Madison Bumgarner, who had just turned 25 but was coming off an 18-win season, his 4th straight with at least 200 innings pitched, and memory of his dominance in the World Series adding to his strong pitching down the stretch, as he had gone 6-2 after August 1st, allowing 3 runs or fewer in 9 of 10 starts.. When Brandon Crawford broke a scoreless tie in the 4th with a grand slam, adding to other Brandon (Belt) reaching base 4 times and driving in 3 runs, the Giants were on their way. As it turned out, the first run was more than enough, as Bumgarner dominated the Pirates, throwing a complete game, 4-hit, 10-strikeout shutout. Was this going to be another case of "Even Year Magic"? In the Division Series, the Giants would face the Washington Nationals, and in game 1, Jake Peavy pitched an excellent game, shutting the Nationals out for 5.2 innings. Hunter Strickland would give up two home runs in the 7th inning, but the Giants held on for a 3-2 victory. In game 2, Tim Hudson and Ryan Zimmermann would go toe-to-toe, as Hudson allowed just one run in 7.1 innings, but Zimmermann made it into the 9th with a shutout intact. After allowing a 2-out walk, the Nationals would pull Zimmermann for closer Drew Storen, who promptly allowed a single and an RBI double to allow the Giants to tie the game. Yusmeiro Petit came out to pitch in the bottom of the 12th, and would hold the Nationals scoreless for an amazing 6 innings out of the bullpen, helping cap off a year when he had set a record by retiring 46 consecutive batters at one point during the season. In the top of the 18th inning, against starting pitcher Tanner Roark, Brandon Belt finally gave the Giants just enough extra offense, with a huge solo home run that would give them an epic 2-1 victory, and send them home with a 2-0 series lead. In game 3, a 7-inning, 3-run performance by Madison Bumgarner would not be enough, as the Giants offense stayed quiet in a 4-1 loss. Game 4 sent Ryan Vogelsong to the mound, and he delivered a strong performance, allowing 1 run over 5.2 innings. In a close game, the Giants would score what would be the series-winning run on a bases-loaded wild pitch, allowing the Giants to advance to the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, a 2012 rematch. Madison Bumgarner would take the mound again, looking to make up for his loss in the NLDS, and would shut the Cards down for 7.2 innings, as 3 early runs against St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright would hold up for a 3-0 victory. In game 2, the Cardinals used 4 solo home runs to pull out a 5-4 victory, as 3 different Giants relievers gave up blasts that would lead to the loss. Game 3 starter Tim Hudson would pitch into the 7th inning, leaving with the game tied 4-4. After two unsuccessful bunt attempts, Juan Perez would swing away in the 10th for a single before another bunt attempt by Gregor Blanco turned into a walk-off throwing error. In game 4, after both starters were knocked out early, Yusmeiro Petit came back for another brilliant relief outing, this time shutting out the Cardinals for 3 innings. Buster Posey would drive in 3 runs and Santiago Casilla would shut the door in the 9th for a 6-4 victory. In game 5, Madison Bumgarner would excel again, going 8 strong innings and leaving with the game tied. In the bottom of the 9th, starter Michael Wacha, who had missed much of the season, was brought in to face literally Travis Ishikawa, who sent the Giants to the World Series with an amazing 3-run walkoff home run. Bumgarner was named NLCS MVP after allowing 3 runs in 15.2 innings over 2 starts for the Giants. In the World Series, the Giants would face the upstart Kansas City Royals, who had turned an amazing Wild Card game into a brilliant, unexpected, and thus far undefeated run to the World Series. The Royals were full of confidence, having swept Mike Trout's Angels and the slugging Baltimore Orioles. In game 1, the Royals would run straight into the buzzsaw that was Madison Bumgarner and the Giants. Before Bumgarner even took the mound, Hunter Pence took James Shields deep, staking Bumgarner to a 3-0 lead without a single pitch thrown. Bumgarner would keep the Royals off balance all night, going 7 innings. He would finally allow his first career World Series run in his third such start, but that was all the Royals would get as they dropped the game by a 7-1 score. Game 2 saw the Giants start off with a bang again, as Gregor Blanco would lead the game off with a solo home run. The Royals would tied it in the bottom of the first, then take the lead 2-1 in the second before the Giants tied it again in the 4th. The score held at 2-2 until the 6th, when the Royals would tag the Giants bullpen for 5 runs including 2 baserunners that Jake Peavy had put on, ultimately leading to a 7-2 loss. Game 3 starter Tim Hudson allowed a run in the first inning, and then 2 more in the 6th that would ultimately be the difference as the Giants got just 2 back in the bottom of the 6th and ended up dropping the game by a 3-2 score. The Royals were regaining confidence as the series went to game 4 with the Giants down 2 games to 1. When Ryan Vogelsong was chased in the 3rd inning after allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, the Giants looked to be in trouble. After the Giants got two back in the 5th to tie the game at 4-4, the offense woke up further, scoring 3 runs off of Brandon Finnegan in the 6th and 4 more in the 7th to take an 11-4 lead that would hold up as an 11-4 victory, tying the series with Madison Bumgarner coming back for game 5. James Shields would improve on his game 1 performance, allowing just 2 runs through 6 innings, but Bumgarner improved on his as well, finishing with a 4-hit shutout as he lowered his career World Series ERA to a microscopic 0.29 to go with a 4-0 record. He was also up to 47.2 innings pitched in a single postseason, just behind Curt Schilling's 48.1 innings in 2001. The Royals only solace was that he was probably done for the World Series, as there were just two games left. Game 6 was back in Kansas City, and the Royals wasted no time getting to starter Jake Peavy, as he was chased after getting just 4 outs, ultimately charged with 5 runs in what would turn into 10-0 loss. The stage was set for game 7. The Royals had their dominant bullpen ready to go at a moment's notice, and Madison Bumgarner had told reporters the night before that he was available for "maybe 200" pitches. After scoring 2 runs in the second inning against starter Jeremy Guthrie, the Giants would allow 2 runs in the bottom of the inning before pulling Tim Hudson from the game, having recorded just 5 outs. Jeremy Affeldt would come into the game, pitching 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Guthrie was allowed to start the 4th inning, only being pulled after giving up back to back singles and a flyball out. Flamethrowing Kelvin Herrera would come in to try to neutralize slugger Mike Morse, but Morse would fight off a 99 mph fastball for an RBI single into right field. In the bottom of the 5th inning, with the Giants clinging to a 3-2 lead, Madison Bumgarner came jogging out of the bullpen. A pall settled over the Royals fans, as the 3-2 deficit started to feel more like 30-2. After giving up a leadoff single, in the 5th, Bumgarner would settle down and retire the next three hitters. The 6th inning came, and Bumgarner cruised through the Royals 4-5-6 hitters. In the bottom of the 7th, the Royals would go quietly again, and then Bumgarner went through the top 3 hitters in the order in the 8th inning. On came the 9th, and Bumgarner came out for a 5th inning. After getting the first two hitters, he faced Alex Gordon. Gordon lined a single into left field that was badly misplayed by Gregor Blanco. As Gordon flew around second base, fans wondered if he might try for an inside the park home run. At the last minute, he was held by the third base coach, bringing up Salvador Perez, who had the only World Series run scored against Bumgarner in his career, with a game 1 solo home run. As an aside, it was written about many times, but from all available angles, it appears that if Gordon had tried to go home, Brandon Crawford, who has maybe the second best shortstop arm in baseball behind Andrelton Simmons, would probably have thrown him out by at least 30 feet. Bumgarner got Perez to a 2-2 count, and then Perez popped the ball into foul territory, where Pablo Sandoval caught the ball and collapsed in some mixture of joy and exhaustion, giving the Giants their third title in 5 years, leading to discussions of a dynasty. Bumgarner would be named World Series MVP, as his brilliant 52.1 postseason innings capped off an excellent season, lowering his career World Series ERA to 0.25, and ultimately leading to a Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2014. The Giants built 3 world champion teams using an exceptional coaching and development staff, keeping many of the same players through 2 or all 3 championship teams. In particular:
The Giants have been probably my favourite franchise for the nearly the last decade. But the team that started it all waits in the last two entries, and has been coming back into my range of focus over the last couple of years as well. That's coming in the next part.
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Greg JacksonA baseball fan in general. Interested in statistics and analytics. Usually follow the Giants and Blue Jays, fan of all MLB in general. |