Giants sweep Tigers, win second title in three years
The San Francisco Giants took 10 innings and got another clutch hit from Marco Scutaro to capture their second World Series title in three years with a 4-3 Game 4 victory over the Detroit Tigers.
2009 photo Y2kcrazyjoker4 via wikimedia commmons
Scutaro, the NLCS MVP, hit a two-out humpback liner off Phil Coke in the 10th that bounced in front of center fielder Austin Jackson and knocked in Ryan Theriot from second to break the 3-3 deadlock.
Sergio Romo struck out the top of Detroit’s lineup in succession to finish off the sweep of the American League champs and give the franchise its seventh World Series crown.
The Giants ended a 56-year World Series drought by winning it all in 2010, and completed this year’s run by staving off six elimination games and winning their final seven contests.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these guys. To be world champions in two of the past three years is amazing,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “If you look at the clubs we played and having our backs against the wall, it’s pretty remarkable what these guys have done.”
The Giants trailed the Cincinnati Reds, 2-0, in the NLDS and claimed the NL pennant after going down 3-1 to the defending-champion St. Louis Cardinals.
“We fought through 162 games. We fought in the last two series,” said Pablo Sandoval, who batted .500 (8-for-16) in the World Series, belted three home runs in opener and was voted the MVP. “It’s a beautiful group we have here.”
The Giants’ pitching staff carried the load in the series, delivering back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3 against a Tigers team that had only been blanked twice during the regular season.
Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the third inning to give Detroit its first lead of the series, but Romo froze the Triple Crown winner on a 2-2 fastball with two outs in the ninth to close out another dominating pitching performance.
