World Series bound Giants a team built to take on all obstacles
The Giants won Game 5 in dramatic fashion. (USATSI)SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Giants are going to the World Series for the third time in the past five years. I was trying to come up with a quick way to explain why, and I really do think it's perhaps the most simple possible way to do so: They are a team. No, maybe not the literal definition because, obviously, every other team they play is also a team.
But think about when you first start playing sports as a child. When you start learning about team sports and what it means to be good teammates. Think of the better teammates and the worse teammates, from the lowest levels of youth sports all the way up to the top level. If you're teaching kids nowadays what makes teams great, couldn't you just point to the Giants?
In the truest sense, this is a top-to-bottom, well-rounded baseball team. They may not be great at anything (except winning, which is really all that matters), but they aren't bad at anything. They play hard. They never quit. They believe in themselves without being cocky about it. They don't show each other up when mistakes are made.
Quick Hits Giants return to World Series in dramatic fashion
Even in the small sample that are their eight playoff wins, go around the diamond and you can find a big moment or major contribution from almost everyone.
Brandon Belt's 18th inning home run in Game 2 of the NLDS. Joe Panik's two-run homer Thursday night. Brandon Crawford's grand slam in the wild-card game -- not to mention his continued dazzling defense at short. Pablo Sandoval's double to tie Game 2 of the NLDS. Buster Posey driving in runs in bunches. Travis Ishikawa's home run to win Game 5, obviously, but also his three-RBI double in Game 3. Gregor Blanco's excellent defense in center and Hunter Pence made several big plays himself along the way.
The rotation? All four of the starters were great at least once. Yusmeiro Petit was dominant in two long relief outings and the short relievers were mostly outstanding.
How about the bench? Michael Morse's eighth-inning homer to tie it in Game 5. Juan Perez's big single toward the end of Game 3.
It would have been easier to just name who didn't chip in.
As far as Madison Bumgarner winning the NLCS MVP, he said 'I don't know that I'm 100 percent deserving of it,' and that 'you could've picked almost anybody.' He's not wrong.
Another thing a true team does? It picks itself up. That is, if a player messes up or gets in trouble, someone else comes along and gets the job done.
Ryan Vogelsong doesn't have good stuff in Game 4? Enter Petit and the rest of the bullpen. Bumgarner coughs up the lead in Game 5? Enter Morse. Tim Hudson coughs up a four-run lead in Game 3? The bullpen held strong and the offense made things happen. Travis Ishikawa misplays a routine fly, allowing a run to score in Game 5? Panik hits a two-run homer. Santiago Casilla gets in a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning of Game 5? Jeremy Affeldt comes in to get the big out.
Ishikawa, by the way, was released by the Pirates earlier in the season and now he's one of the heroes of the NLCS. Hudson joined the Giants before the season coming off a broken ankle and Jake Peavy was acquired via trade from Boston with a 1-9 record and 4.72 ERA. Hudson was an All-Star and Peavy's been brilliant. Morse only played once since August heading into the NLCS and came through with one of the biggest home runs of the season.
We could keep going on this, too.
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How about this one? The Giants' two highest-paid players ( Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum) didn't appear for a single pitch in the NLCS. We could even say four of the top nine, including Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro. And, still, they won the NLCS in five games.
Things might seem to fall into place, but that's because this is a strong, top-to-bottom, team.
And at the top of the well-rounded team is its perfect fit as leader. Manager Bruce Bochy isn't perfect, as many seem to be writing these days. I thought he left Hudson in too long in Game 3, for example. Still, most of the time he makes the right move and the players love following him. The respect is oozing from that locker room, to a man, for Bochy. They believe in him. And he believe in them.
As far as this silly 'lucky' narrative that seems to be floating around, dismiss it. They were a wild card, yes, but there were stretches in the regular season where the Giants played like the best team in baseball. They had this kind of a run in them all year; the timing just had to be right. And you create your own 'luck.' On that game-ending error, the Giants had already gotten two men on base and then laid down a perfect bunt. They executed. When you execute, you put pressure on the other team and sometimes that leads to errors. That's not 'luck.'
And as far as those people who claim it is, how were those three home runs in Game 5? Did those do anything for you?
Preach on about luck all you wish, but truly well-rounded teams can beat you in any number of ways. Home run droughts like the Giants endured between NLDS Game 2 and Thursday night would bury many teams. The Giants went 4-2 in the six straight games where they didn't homer.
From an entertainment standpoint, the flair for the dramatic definitely doesn't hurt.
We can start looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting World Series soon, but for now, let us just recognize how truly special a baseball team these San Francisco Giants are. They've earned that much.
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