|
|
|
SAN FRANCISCO - It was the Shot That Shook the Bay. Travis Ishikawa hit the first homer to end an NL Championship Series, a three-run drive that sent San Francisco to a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 on Thursday night. These every-other-year Giants will face the Royals in an all wild-card World Series that begins Tuesday night in Kansas City. A journeyman who began the season with Pittsburgh, Ishikawa connected for the first game-ending home run that sent the Giants into the World Series since perhaps the most famous drive in baseball history — Bobby Thomsons Shot Heard Round the World in a 1951 playoff. Its gratifying, Ishikawa said. If theres an organization Id want to do it for, it would be this one. A role player during the Giants World Series win in 2010, Ishikawa was with Milwaukee in 2012 when San Francisco won another championship. Pablo Sandoval singled to start the ninth inning against Michael Wacha, making his first appearance of the post-season for the Cardinals. After an out, Brandon Belt walked to bring up Ishikawa, who drove a 2-0 pitch into the elevated seats in right field to set off an orange towel-waving frenzied celebration. These guys have been through it, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. They have been battle-tested and they know how to handle themselves on this type of stage, and then add to that the kids that we brought up, and then Ishikawa. I mean, what a great story, Bochy said. Ishikawa knew right away on his first career post-season homer, raising his right arm into the air as he watched his ball sail into the seats. He emphatically threw his helmet down to the dirt in triumph and joined his jubilant teammates at home plate as fireworks shot off from the centre field scoreboard. Pinch-hitter Michael Morse homered leading off the eighth against Pat Neshek, who replaced Adam Wainwright to start the inning, to tie it 3-all. Morse — relegated to a reserve role because of a lengthy oblique injury — was batting for Madison Bumgarner, crowned NLCS MVP. Its unbelievable, Morse said. This team has been on the same page since the beginning. After taking a 3-1 lead in the series on wild throws the past two days, the Giants used the long ball to advance to their third Series in five years by knocking out the defending NL champions. Rookie Joe Panik hit a two-run drive in the third inning off Wainwright for the Giants first homer in seven games. Just a gutty effort through all this and I couldnt be prouder of these guys. They just dont stop fighting, Bochy said. Ishikawa was the Pirates opening-day first baseman, but was soon cut. He re-signed with the Giants, his original team, on a minor league deal and went to Triple-A before making it back to the majors. He moved from his natural first base spot to play left field for the injured Morse. He signed a minor league contract, he more or less picked us, general manager Brian Sabean said. Im not surprised he hit a home run, Im not. Im surprised hes our starting left fielder. Thats amazing to me. Thats the kind of commitment he had to wanting to get on the field. Ishikawa took a winding journey to his winning home run, too. Earlier in the game, he misplayed a flyball to left field that cost his team a run. He more than made up for it with his final swing. I think a lot of us forgot that we had to let him touch home plate, Bumgarner said. We wanted to run and tackle him around second base. We were excited. Bumgarner did not allow a hit after Tony Cruz homered to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead with two outs in the fourth, working eight efficient innings. Matt Adams also went deep in the fourth. Santiago Casilla worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth. Adams drew a one-out walk and Daniel Descalso entered to pinch run. Randal Grichuk singled and Descalso reached third on Kolten Wongs grounder. Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford snagged the chopper that glanced off diving third baseman Sandovals glove, then Crawford threw to second for the force. Cruz walked to load the bases with two outs after consecutive pitches near his head, and Bochy lifted him for Jeremy Affeldt. Pitching for the fourth straight day, the lefty retired pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras on a grounder that Affeldt fielded and sprinted to first. Affeldt earned the win. Out to prove himself, Wainwright rediscovered his old post-season rhythm after a couple of rough October outings, and that still wasnt enough once the bullpen took over with a one-run lead. Once Wainwright left the game, the Giants grabbed their chance. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny turned to Neshek after Wainwright reached 97 pitches and retired his final 10 batters. I was running low on gas, Wainwright said. I think he made the right call. For the bottom of the ninth, Matheny made a move that will be second-guessed all off-season. He went with Wacha, the hard-throwing MVP of the 2013 NLCS. But Wacha had missed much of the summer with an injury and last pitched on Sept. 26. UP NEXT The Giants and Royals have played 12 times since interleague play began, with Kansas City winning nine — including all three this season. Affeldt pitched for the Royals the last time they visited San Francisco — that was in 2005, when Barry Bonds was still the giant name in orange and black. HOME RUN HEROES Three players have homered to end an AL Championship Series: Chris Chambliss (1976) and Aaron Boone (2003) did for the New York Yankees, and Magglio Ordonez (2006) for the Detroit Tigers. Pittsburghs Bill Mazeroski (1960) and Torontos Joe Carter (1993) are the only players to win the World Series with a home run. NHL Jerseys China . I kind of got a taste of being able to pick a suit with the draft lottery, I went with the bow tie. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly. https://www.nhljerseys2020.com/ . Napoli beat high-flying Hellas Verona 3-0 to keep up the pressure on the top two while AC Milan had another disappointing night as four goals from teenage forward Domenico Berardi saw relegation-threatened Sassuolo come back from two goals down to win 4-3. Wholesale NHL Jerseys 2020 . Jones took a beating, the worst one of his record reign, in a bout against Alexander Gustafsson that knocked the light heavyweight champion on the canvas for the first time in his career and put his belt in jeopardy. NHL Jerseys 2020 Store . -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops.Daniela Iraschko-Stolz of Austria dominated Sundays womens ski jumping training sessions at the Sochi Olympics, proving her first-day performance was no fluke. Perhaps as important, shes sending a message to 17-year-old gold medal favourite Sara Takanashi of Japan. Iraschko-Stolz relegated Takanashi, who has 10 World Cup victories this season, to second pplace in two of three training jumps Saturday.dddddddddddd She finished first in two training runs Sunday before deciding not to bother with the third. Takanashi was first in that third session, after coming in second and third in the others. The first Olympic gold medal in womens ski jumping will be awarded Tuesday, ending a decade-long fight to get the sport into the Olympic Games. ' ' '
« Sidney Powell responds after Trump campaign says she is not part of legal team: | for the Blues, who have wo » |
|
Board Statistics
The forum has 2168
topics
and
2220
posts.
0 members have been online today: |