So the Wild Card was supposed to be exciting for fans, which it is, and it was also supposed to be a benefit for division winners to take a bye into the DS and wait for their opponent.
Well, the game has actually served as a springboard for San Francisco and for Kansas City, two teams that crushed favorites and will now play for the big trophy starting on Tuesday when the Fall Classic begins, amazingly, in KC!
We will have every single game, live, here, for you. Join us then - for now, good morning, good afternoon and goodnight.
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The Warren C Giles trophy goes to the Giants, but they prefer the rounder uglier hardware that’s now within their grasp.
Giants GM Brian Sabean just referred to his team as cockroaches - see the top of this blog for more on that!
Bruce Bochy tells the fans “Nobody has it better than us!” which is dead right - it’s the best run for a Giants team since John McGraw was the skipper.
Madison Bumgarner is NLCS MVP for allowing three runs in 15.2 innings.
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GAME: EVEN YEAR B.S. @LengelDavid
— Bunter Felt (@HunterFelt) October 17, 2014
Postgame
Well, whoever had Travis Ishikawa as the hero tonight can go get their cash. This postseason continues to throw surprise after surprise after surprise at us. Cards fans might have been surprised to see Wacha, who went from the freezer to the biggest spot of the season, and now theirs is over.
It’s hard to believe the Cards are out, again, at the hands of their nemesis, the San Francisco Giants.
When you look at San Francisco, it’s hard to believe you’re looking at a team that’s now going to its third World Series in five seasons - a club with Gregor Blanco in center, a Travis Ishikawa in left and its best outfielder out for the season - at times they seem like a team of role players, but they always win, and now they’ve done it again.
HOME RUN! Cardinals 3-6 Giants, Final
WE HAVE A NEW HERO AND HIS NAME IS TRAVIS ISHIKAWA!
HE LACES A BALL INTO THE RIGHT FIELD STANDS AND THIS SERIES IS OVER!
THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS ARE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPS AND ARE HEADING BACK TO THE WORLD SERIES, AGAIN!
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th
But no - here is Ishikawa, and Wacha still struggles to find the plate - two straight balls to start the at-bat!
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th
Belt, left handed batter - Wacha, a righty.
It’s four straight balls, and Belt is on first, moving Arias to second base.
Now what does Matheny do now? He better go get him, but I said the same thing about Wainwright in the fourth...
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So, Mike Matheny doesn't trust Wacha to pitch at any point except THE MOST IMPORTANT INNING OF HIS TEAM'S SEASON? @LengelDavid
— Bunter Felt (@HunterFelt) October 17, 2014
He’s the new Shelby Miller, sort of.
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th
Wacha checks Arias at first looking to keep him close.
Pence hits a fly ball- for a second it looks like trouble but Tavares tracks it down for the first out. So Brandon Belt will bat now with Arias still at first base.
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 9th
Enter Michael Wacha, the 2013 NLCS MVP, making his first appearance of the series in what has been an injury riddled season.
His first test is Pablo Sandoval, and that’s a fail - Panda smacks a change up into all that green grass in right center field.
Arias promptly pinch runs for Sandoval...
The NLCS winning run is on for Hunter Pence!
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th
Affeldt, left handed pitcher. Tavares, the kid, also lefty. It’s his moment, what’s he going to do?
It’s a bounce out back to the pitcher - Affeldt runs to the bag and this inning is over!
No runs, one hit, three left on and to the bottom of the ninth we go!
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If you allow a home run to Tony Cruz and then walk him with two outs in the ninth, you deserve to lose the game. @LengelDavid
— Bunter Felt (@HunterFelt) October 17, 2014
I’m waiting for Cruz to rip off his mask and reveal Darrell Porter.
Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th
Wow! Next pitch, another high throw, and Posey looked like he was crossed up there. More importantly, that’s ball four.
The bases are now full of St Louis Cardinals, and now we’re wondering if Bochy is going to get Casilla...
He is. Affeldt is on his way in, rookie Oscar Tavares has been announced as the pinch hitter. Cue the organ...
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th
Casilla airmails it, but Posey grabs it at the last moment, saving a run!
The count is full to Cruz...
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th
Wong takes off, Posey doesn’t care. So now he’s on second base and that kills the force out at second base.
Casilla is behind 2-1 in the count to Cruz...
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th
Jeremy Affeldt is warming up. He may want to warm up a little faster, because Grichuk singles through the hole on the left side.
Adams exits, Descalso comes on to pinch run.
Runners on first and second and one out. Here comes Wong. He sounds like a cigarette - “Pack of Kolton’s please...”
He likes to play the hero these days, quite the change from a year ago.
First pitch swinging - ground ball - Crawford, ranging to his right, deep in the hole - he has it and throws to second for the force out but the throw is not in time to get Wong at first.
So now we have two outs and runners at the corners and here is Tony Cruz...yes, that Tony Cruz.
This is too obvious.
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Cardinals 3-3 Giants, top 9th
Casilla, the Giants closer, comes into a tied game...
Peralta is up. He hits a hard ground ball but it’s right at Crawford who fires to first for the out.
Now it’s Big Matt Adams, burly man, big bear, big boy. Looks mean, looks nasty. Left handed batter, right handed pitcher. The shift is on, everyone moves to the right.
Casilla is behind in the count, 3-1. FOX TV in the US says this is the first time since July Casilla has worked three straight days...
...here’s the pitch - it’s outside for ball four. That’s a one out walk. Here comes stikeout machine Grichuk...and you know what that means.
Starters lines
Both were pretty damn good - Wainwright a bit better in what was a vital start for him and his Cardinals.
Bumgarner
8IP 5H 3R 3ER 2BB 5SO 2HR
Wainwright
7IP 4H 2R 2ER 2BB 7SO 1HR
And now it’s in Gods hands...actually, he’s still on the Cardinals bench.
Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 8th
Posey reaches out and tags one to center field where Peter Bourjos, who just came into the game, makes the catch and ends the inning - a big one for San Francisco as they tie it up heading to the ninth!
Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 8th
Blanco is robbed of a base hit by a sliding Jon Jay in left, then Panik grounds out to second. Now it’s Posey at the plate...
18 inning game? @LengelDavid
— Bunter Felt (@HunterFelt) October 17, 2014
There could not be a worse possible night for that.
HOME RUN! Cardinals 3-3 Giants, bottom 8th
Off the bench and INTO THE NIGHT!!!! A LINE DRIVE HOME RUN OVER THE WALL IN LEFT BY MORSE CODE TIES THIS GAME UP.
WOW!
And that sets the stage for the Cards to something even more ridiculous.
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Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 8th
Exit Wainwright, enter Pat Neshek, and now, here is Mike Morse pinch-hitting...
Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 8th
Holliday pops out to Blanco in center field, side retired. Here come the Giants.
Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 8th
Jay - a little roller to the right side, Belt has it, steps on first, two down. Now manager Bruce Bochy is keeping in Bumgarner to face Holliday...
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Cardinals 3-2 Giants, top 8th
Madison Bumgarner is back out for more, and he has a quick first out - it’s Carpenter, who has been stymied tonight, grounding out making him 0-3 on the evening.
Here is the white hot Jon Jay batting with one down and the bases empty...
Cardinals 3-2 Giants, bottom 7th
Wainwright in full control - it’s 1-2-3, and he’s through seven. Belt, a little pop to center that had Holliday on his horse before making the catch. Ishikawa went down looking, and then Crawford is out on a close play at first, Adams, flipping to the Cards ace to finish off SF in the seventh. Gutsy outing for Wainwright who is probably done.
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