End Of An Era

Today, March 26, 2020, was supposed to be a day of new beginnings. A day of celebration. It was supposed to be Opening Day. It’s the only day when all teams have the same record, and same opportunity. But it means more than just baseball. Opening Day brings families and friends together. It’s a day that is marked on the calendar as soon as the schedule comes out and is looked forward to immediately after the final pitch of the World Series.

This year was no different until an ugly virus, COVID-19, reared it’s ugly head. As it spread through the country, all major sporting events, and eventually, all events were cancelled in an effort to slow the virus down. This included Major League Baseball which was more than halfway through spring training at the time it was shut down. But it was the right thing to do. You can’t have 15,000 people sneezing and coughing on each other for 3 hours when you’re trying to contain a deadly virus.

So baseball is shut down and at the time of writing this (March 23) there is no Opening Day on the calendar. There is no day to look forward to. Just hope. Hope that the American people can act accordingly and stifle this virus so we can get back to complaining about the strike zone. I miss yelling at the TV. I miss the Giants. Baseball hasn’t even been shut down for a month but that just goes to show you how important it is to people. When we are promised it and it gets taken away, we feel it’s absence deeply. That being said, let’s try and fill the void by talking about the last time the Giants were good.

2016 NLDS Game 3

For the 4th time in 6 years the Giants were in the postseason and I was really getting used to this “even year” thing (which is this year, btw). MadBum did MadBum things in a complete game shutout of the Mets in the Wild Card Game and the Giants found themselves matched up against the Cubs in the Division Series. Just like in 2014 after a Bumgarner complete game shutout, the Giants had to play Game 1 on the road. Despite a brilliant performance by Johnny Cueto that night, the Giants lost Game 1 1-0 on a Javy Baez solo HR in the bottom of the 8th. Game 2 was over almost as quickly as it started as Jeff Samardzija gave up 4 runs in 2 innings, eventually losing 5-2. Now we’re in San Francisco for Game 3.

The Giants would be facing Jake Arrieta. Arrieta really broke out the year before winning the Cy Young by going 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA, leading the league in complete games (4) and shutouts (3). In 2016 he went 18-8 and his ERA was a bit higher at 3.10. But he was still scary and he could also hit. Jake hit 2 homers in each of 2015 and 2016 so Bumgarner wasn’t going to be able to just groove him fastballs (before you go looking it up, Bumgarner hit 3 homers in 2016). The Giants backs were up against the wall and he was dominant. However, Arrieta hadn’t pitched in 12 days so does that mean he’s rusty, or rested?

The Cubs Take The Lead

Bumgarner got through the top of the 1st rather painlessly and after Arrieta struck out 3 Giants in the bottom half, he was back on the mound. Leading it off was Ben Zobrist who would ground out to Crawford after a 6 pitch at bat. Then things started to fall apart. Next up is Addison Russell who will get hit by a Bumgarner fastball on his forearm, but not before coaxing 8 more pitches out of Madison. Bumgarner got out of the 1st inning on only 14 pitches, now here in the 2nd he’s thrown 14 and has 1 out and a guy on first as Javy Baez digs in.

Baez will force the count full and on the 9th pitch of the at bat lines a ball down the 3rd baseline. Conor Gillaspie dives to his right and knocks it down but there is no play and the Cubs are in business with 2 on and 1 out. Gillaspie made a fantastic stop to prevent a double and did the right thing to just eat it. The double play is still in order for Miguel Montero.

Montero will do Bum a favor and lineout to Pence in right field on the first pitch. He hit it hard but it was right at him for the second out. Huge. Now we just have to navigate Arrieta and we’re out of the inning.

Bum’s first pitch misses for a ball. Great. This game is beginning to feel like Bum is not right. He’s already at 39 pitches. In his last start he was at 39 pitches through 3.2 innings. Cubs are really making him work. Arrieta swings through the next fastball at 92 mph and it’s 1-1. It’s at this point that FS1 puts a graphic on the screen that shows that the Cubs pitchers have 3 RBI in this series, while Giants HITTERS have 2. A disgusting fact at a poor time for Giants fans.

The 1-1 is another fastball and Jake swings right through it for strike 2. Just one more strike and we’re out of this. Bum, working fast, gets the sign and comes set. Deals. It’s another high fastball and this time Arrieta is all over it. He smokes a high line drive to straightaway left field and it lands in the 2nd row for a 3 run homer, right in the glove of a Cubs fan. The Cubs’ dugout loses their minds and it’s a 3-0 ballgame. How?

This was now the inning from hell. Our best guy just gave up a huge home run to the opposing pitcher and we were one loss away from going home. That big fly sucked all the air out of Giants fans lungs and the inning was still not over. What made it worse was that there was so many Cubs fans there. It felt like half the yard was cheering during Arrieta’s home run trot. It was awful with all of them in our house like that. Then to make it worse, Dexter Fowler would single on the very next pitch and Bumgarner would walk Kris Bryant on 4 straight balls!

Bum finally got it back together while facing the lefty Anthony Rizzo and getting two quick strikes. Rizzo would have singled on the 0-2 pitch to drive in another run but Crawford was playing directly up the middle and caught the soft liner off Rizzo’s bat for the final out of a 37 pitch inning. I can’t imagine that this was not the worst inning of Bum’s postseason career.

The Giants Scratch Back

Moving on to the bottom of the 3rd it’s still 3-0 Cubs and Cubs fans are starting to think the’ll see their team clinch a postseason series tonight. Arrieta’s been dealing and Madison Bumgarner looks more like Mason Saunders.

Anyway, Bum leads this inning off with a first pitch groundout bringing Denard Span to the plate. This was Span’s first year with the Giants, playing in over 140 games. Actually, Angel Pagan was supposed to start this game but was a late scratch with a sore back so Span was in there, which was a really good thing because he was about to do Span stuff.

Span gets in the hole quickly and it’s 0-2. Arrieta struck out 4 Giants the first time through the order. On the 0-2 pitch, Span lines a sinker that didn’t sink very much over Rizzo’s head into the right field corner! Span jogs into 2nd base easily for the 1 out double. Rizzo leaped as high as he could and was about 1 inch short of snagging it, which was incredibly important it would turn out.

This brings up 2016 Giants home run leader Brandon Belt. He’s 1-9 in this series and is due for a knock. Unlike the Span at bat, Belt gets to a quick 2-0 count, but then pops out to Bryant at 3rd for out number 2. So sits down the Giants home run leader.

Stepping into the box now is Buster Posey. He’s 1-1 already, singling in the first. Arrieta’s first pitch is a ball, inside. Buster fouls off the 1-0 and we’re even at 1-1. Jake paying zero attention to Span on 2nd. On the 3rd pitch to Buster he tries to beat him with a fastball but Posey’s right on it and lines a grounder right back up the middle! Span scores without a throw and the Giants are on the board! RBIs always feel a little bit more special when they’re from Buster.

Span The Spark Plug

The bottom of the 5th starts with Eduardo Nunez batting for Bumgarner. Due to hamstring injuries, Nunez could not start any of these games. He pinch hit in Chicago once and was now in there to start the 5th.

He will groundout quickly to bring up Span. He’s 1-2 with that double and looking for more. Jake misses with a big curveball on the first pitch, then misses up with a slider for a quick 2-0 count. Span fouls the next one off. Jake never throwing fastballs in 2-0 counts. But he does on 2-1 counts as Span hammers the 4th pitch to deepest center field! It one hops into triples alley and Span is on the move! Zobrist finally gets to it but by that time Denard is around 2nd, and slides into 3rd with no play. A clutch 1 out triple in an elimination game.

Now Brandon Belt can be a hero but after 2 pitches it’s 0-2 and Arrieta is a pitch away from another strike out. The 0-2 is way high and so is the 1-2. Both easy takes for Belt and now we’re even. Span takes a big lead off 3rd base, knowing he has to score on a ground ball. Jake gets the sign, takes a look at Span, and deals. It’s a sinker and Belt goes down to get it and catches barrel, sending it to deep right field on a line. Zobrist backs up and catches it just before the track and Span tags and scores easily and now the Cubs lead is down to 1! What a great at bat by Belt who was down early in the count. That’s a great at bat nominee.

Buster will get his 3rd hit of the game 2 pitches later as he rips a liner right back over Jake’s face into center field. Two pitches Pence lines out to right to end the inning.

The Legend Of Conor Gillaspie

The bottom of the 8th started with a Brandon Belt single off Travis Wood. Then Joe Maddon brought in Hector Rondon to face Buster and he walks him on 6 pitches. With 2 on and 0 outs, Maddon then brings in the terrifying Aroldis Chapman to hold the lead. And why not? Chapman is the most feared lefty in the league. This guy throws 100 mph in his sleep.

Pence is the first one to face him and goes down swinging on a 102 mph fastball up out of the zone for the first out bringing Gillaspie to the plate. He’s 0-3 tonight and finds himself in a huge spot. Since he put his name on the map with his Wild Card winning 3 run homer, he’s gone 1-8. Not exactly sizzling, but no one will remember that. Being on deck during the Pence at bat has given hime some chances to time a fastball.

Big moment. Bottom of the 8th, tying run on 2nd, Chapman on the mound. Conor digs in the box, Chapman comes set. The first pitch is at 101 mph and Conor fouls it straight back. On it. Chapman gets a new ball and rubs it up. A lot of time between pitches here.

The old saying is “one to measure, one to rake”. Gillaspie just measured the first one. Time to rake. Chapman looks into Montero for the sign, like it could be anything other than a 100+ mph fastball. He comes set, takes a look at Belt on 2nd, and deals with a big high leg kick. Right on cue Matt Vasgersian doing the broadcast says, “…the biggest moment of the game right here” as Chapman throws. It’s a 102 mph fastball up in the zone and Conor obliterates it to deepest center field.

Albert Almora appears to have a beat on it. I remember watching as a fan thinking he was going to make the catch of the year and held my breath. Almora dives but it’s out of his reach as it bounces up against the fence to the left of the 421 marker! He gets up and tracks down the ball as Giants fans bang on the top of the center field wall three feet above him. Belt scores easily and now Flannery’s waving Posey! Baez’s relay is late and Buster slides in safely and the Giants have taken the lead!

The crowd is going insane! An unbelievable moment to put the Giants in front 4-3! All Chapman can do is walk around with that “are you kidding me” smirk on his face. You know the one.

Next up is Crawford who will battle Chapman for 7 pitches. He fell behind 0-2 on two foul balls before taking a slider low. On the penultimate pitch, Crawford laces a 102 mph fastball past a drawn in Russell at short into center field for a base hit and it’s 5-3 Giants! What great at bats by Conor and Craw! No one’s more excited than Derek Law in the dugout, waving his towel like a true fan while Joe Maddon casually takes notes.

To keep the momentum going, Chapman then walks Joe Panik on 6 pitches and is taken out of the game to the roar of Giants fans.

Justin Grimm comes in to face Blanco and on the 1-0 pitch, it’s high for ball 2 and Montero fires a ball down to 3rd base attempting to pick off Craw but the ball hits him right on his elbow and rolls out to short stop. Panik moves up to 2nd on the play but Crawford is hurt. After a couple minutes with the trainer, we’re good to go.

Blanco will then ground out to 1st, not allowing Crawford to score and Gorkys Hernandez will ground out to end the inning. But not before Conor Gillaspie delivers a legendary hit that will live in Giants history forever.

Freaking Kris Bryant

Sergio Romo comes into the game to close it out and send us to Game 4 but he can’t put Dexter Fowler away and ends up walking him on 8 pitches. So frustrating. Now the Cubs best hitter is up and could tie the game with 1 swing.

This was scary as Bryant was already 2-3 with a walk and a double tonight. Romo’s first pitch to him is a swing and a miss on a low slider and it’s 0-1. Sergio paces around the grass as he does before climbing back up on the hill. Buster sets up outside as Romo deals the 0-1. It’s another slider but this one starts inside and comes right back over the heart of the plate. Bryant doesn’t miss it as he hits this one a mile high down the left field line. Blanco gets to the track, the wall, and leaps but the ball bounces off the very top of the orange car for a game tying 2 run homer. Ugh!

Ugh. All that work to take a 2 run lead erased. This was such a punch in the gut. Cubs fans were loving it and there were too many of them. Get me away from these Cubs fans.

After that devastating blow, Romo calmed down and got the next 3 guys on 9 pitches. But this game was now far from over. We still had to sit through another hour of torturous Giants baseball.

The 13th Inning

We were in the 13th inning at AT&T Park as Ty Blach was about to start his 2nd inning of work.

After getting Addison Russell to ground out on 2 pitches, Javier Baez stepped into the box. He was 1-5 in this game and always a scary hitter as he beat us with a home run in Game 1. Well, on the 3rd pitch of the at bat he shoots a ground ball past Crawford into center field for a 1 out hit.

No here’s Wilson Contreras who works himself into a 3-1 count before singling to right field. Cubs are in business now with guys on 1st and 2nd for pinch hitter David Ross.

Pitching coach Dave Righetti goes out to talk to Blach as Ross digs into the box. Big at bat here as Blach faces the right handed hitter with the go ahead run on second base. First pitch to him is a changeup low and away, ball 1. Blach comes back with a fastball and misses low, 2-0. This is getting really scary. The last time I was at a postseason game where the Giants were eliminated was Game 3 of the 1997 NLDS and the Cubs were threatening to recreate that scene right here.

Blach deals the 2-0 and it’s a fastball on the inside corner at 93 mph for strike 1. Then he comes back with offspeed on the 2-1 for strike 2. Huge. Ross hasn’t even taken the bat off his shoulder yet. A few Giants fans here and there start to make some noise, trying to get the yard excited for the 2-2 pitch. Just before Blach comes set Ross steps out and time is called. As he does this, Matt Vasgersian starts talking about the crowd still hanging around (like we weren’t go to) and the FS1 cameras find me and the old man looking extremely worried in our seats.

Finally we get to the 2-2 pitch and Ross hits a chopper to short. Craw charges it and flips to Panik, Panik to Belt and it’s a double play! Wow! If Crawford doesn’t charge this ball they do not turn this as Ross got down the line well for an old catcher. Panik’s turn was also perfect as he got lit up at 2nd base by Contreras. Not as bad as Holliday and Scutaro but there was a lot of heat on the play. Ross can’t believe it and the Cubs will ask for a replay. Replay shows Ross’s foot is an inch or two above first base when Belt caught the ball. The only chance is that maybe Belt’s foot came off the bag. In the end, Ross is called out and we’re going to the bottom of the 13th.

Let’s Go Home

Speaking of Crawford and Panik, these two guys will start the inning off for the Giants at approximately 11:39pm Pacific. This has been a grueling battle and some of us have to drive home an hour after this. I’d really like to see a win.

Crawford steps in the box to face Mike Montgomery who’s been in there since the bottom of the 9th and has pitched well. He’s at 51 pitches through 4 innings and blows a fastball by Crawford to start the 13th. Craw’s 1-5 in this game and is due for a rap. The 0-1 is another fastball, this time taken by Brandon for strike 2. Craw steps out to reassess. On the 0-2 Montgomery throws a big old curveball that hangs up. Craw sees it early and whallops it into right field. Almora cuts it off just before it reaches the wall and fires it back in but Crawford’s into 2nd base with a lead off double!

Here’s Mighty Joe Panik with a chance to send everyone home happy. He swings and misses on the first pitch and it’s 0-1. Panik is 2-3 tonight with 2 walks, seeing well. Definitely the right guy to have up there. The 0-1 is a fastball outside, 1-1. Panik not showing bunt, but he’s a lefty who can pull the ball, moving Craw to 3rd at least. The 1-1 is a curveball that misses badly, 2-1. Montgomery not locating that curveball well so Panik can eliminate that pitch and sit on a fastball. And that’s exactly what he does.

The 2-1 from Montgomery is a fastball up at 93mph and Panik hammers it to deep right center field! Almora chases after it but it hits the base of the 2nd archway and rolls into deeper center field! Crawford appeared to be tagging up on the play and was late to break for the plate but he scores without a throw and the Giants have somehow won this game 6-5! Joe Panik with the clutch hit we’ve been looking for!

The Giants mob Panik out by third base and the celebration slowly gets pushed into left field as the Giants jump, dance, and shout in glee. An incredible win with their backs up against the wall. Starting with the Game 3 win in Cincinnati in the 2012 NLDS, the Giants have now won 10 elimination games in a row. An incredible streak that will be hard for anyone to break. But that was Giants baseball.

We did not know it at the time but that was the last win of the Golden Era of Giants baseball. The next night the Giants blew a 4 run lead in the 9th inning to end their season in a game I was also at, but have almost zero memory of. Which is great! But looking back on it, I can’t believe Johnny Cueto still hasn’t taken the mound in Game 5 at Wrigley. I keep waiting to hear about that game because I still can’t believe how we lost Game 4. Which is why I won’t spend a second longer on it!

A Great At Bat

Everyone will remember the Conor Gillaspie 2 run triple in the bottom of the 8th off of Aroldis Chapman, but few will recall what happened in the very next at bat. Anytime you’re facing Chapman you don’t just have an at bat, you survive an at bat. They should hand you a t-shirt when you get back to the dugout.

But Brandon Crawford came through in a playoff game with a runner on third. He was down 0-2 and then survived 5 more pitches before smoking a grounder back up the middle for the RBI. You can’t strike out there. You’ve got to hit a flyball or get a base hit. He did the latter, and the better.

Odd Stats

Arrieta was 35-1 in the last 2 seasons with a 3 run lead. He gets a no decision in this one.

Bum threw 24 scoreless innings in the postseason before Jake Arrieta’s 3 run homer.

Game 3 was the Giants’ 7th postseason walk off in franchise history.

This game took 5 hours and 4 minutes but was definitely worth it to witness those moments first hand.

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If you have suggestions for games you’d like me to highlight, please message me and let me know!