How can you explain Madison Bumgarner and his band of buddies marching to the tune of their own drum after such a pitiful showing following the All Star Break? We knew they were in it because, after all, it is post season and they’ve done it before and in such spectacular fashion. But how many of us truly expected a shut-out against the Citi-Field warriors Wednesday? Not me, that’s for sure.
Looking back on this band of misfits in prior years almost every game and every series had a new hero. Most memorable for me was Sandoval’s three home runs in one game against the unhittable Justin Verlander in a World Series Game 1. And the entire Giants team when they forced the vocal Rangers pitcher, Cliff Lee, to the bench and out of the game before the 4th inning in World Series play, back in 2010.
Last night a most unlikely hero found his way to the spotlight with a 3 run homer in the top of the 9th. Without that hit who knows how long that game would have gone on? Remember the 18 innings against the Nats in the 2014 NLDS? We could have seen that last night. Not likely, but possible. Syndergaard had already taken the bench and Bum was headed there, but ’twas not to be. Conor Gillaspie, tied at $507,500, for the lowest paid man on the roster, became a hero in postseason play, alongside the legend of legends Madison Bumgarnerwhen he smacked his home run out of the park for the only score of the game.
Rough road ahead you say? But of course. How could it be anything else? Chicago Cubs on the horizon? Who cares? This is post season and it’s the Giants and it’s an “even” year.
How can you help but love this Giants team? Best team in MLB the first half of the season and close to the worst the 2nd half.
It’s the stuff baseball’s made of and no one embraces it better than the San Francisco Giants. Let the torture begin!
Update: Now available at Amazon as Book and Kindle.
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