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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2012)
October 31, 2012 ^ o rtla n h (©hacruer Page 9 World Series Sweep San Francisco manager calls it ‘destiny’ (AP) -- Kung Fu Panda, The Freak, The Beard and all their seed-throwing buddies are on top of baseball - again. They may be under the radar, unappreciated and unexpected. But they're unassailable, the win ner of two World Series titles in the last three years. Their sweep of the Detroit Ti gers, completed Sunday night with a 4-3, 10-inning win, was simply historic. No National League team had swept a World Series since the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. No NL team had won twice in a three-year span since the Big Red Machine in 1975-76. "I'm numb, really, the fact that we've won two World Series in the last three years," Giants man ager Bruce Bochy said. "This will sink in, but right now, I'm kind of speechless on that." This happens in the NL only slightly more often than appear ances of Haley's Comet. They are just the fifth NL team to accom plish the feat since the 1907-08 Chicago Cubs, joining the 1921- 22 New York Giants, the St. Louis Cardinals of '44 and '46, the Los Angeles Dodgers of '63 and '65, and that Big Red Machine. And these Giants did it with small ball, becoming only the fifth big league team - and the first San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval holds the World Series MVP trophy after his team defeated the Detroit Tigers Sunday in Game 4 to win the MLB World Series baseball championship in Detroit, Mich. since the 1982 Cardinals - to win the title after finishing dead last in home runs during the regular sea son. "Our guys had a date with destiny," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. Marco Scutaro delivered one more key hit this October, a go- ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning against Phil Coke. On a Detroit night of biting cold, stiff breezes and some rain, the Giants sealed the title when Sergio Romo got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to look at strike three for the final out. "Tonight was a battle," said Giants catcher Buster Posey, the NL batting champion. "And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn't stop, and it's an unbelievable feeling." Posey, the only player in the starting lineup when San Fran cisco win the 2010 clincher at Texas, celebrated with his team m ates in the center o f the Comerica Park diamond. In the clubhouse, they hoisted the tro phy, passed it around and shouted the name of each player who held it, "World Series champions!" hollered outfielder Hunter Pence, who started the pregame seed tossing ritual. Pablo Sandoval, nicknamed Kung Fu Panda, was benched for most of the 2010 Series and then went 8 for 16 this year, including a three-homer performance in Game 1, to win MVP honors. "I was ready for the moment," he said. "I was waiting for the opportunity to be in the playoffs again." Cabrera delivered the first big hit for Detroit, interrupting San Francisco's run of dominant pitch ing with a two-run, wind-blown homer over the right-field wall in the third. Posey put the Giants ahead 3- 2 with a two-run homer in the sixth and Delmon Young hit a tying home run in the bottom half. San Francisco then won a battle of bullpens. Ryan Theriot led off the 10th with a single against Phil Coke, moved up on Brandon Crawford's sacrifice and scored on a shallow single by Scutaro, the MVP of the NL championship series. Center fielder Austin Jackson made a throw home, to no avail. "We were very adamant that PSU Basketball Opens Season Portland State opens its schedule with an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 2 against Concordia. The game will be the second in a doubleheader with the Viking women at the PSU Stott Center. The women's game begins at 6 p.m. with the men tipping off at 8:05 p.m. The PSU men are led by fourth-year Head Coach Tyler Geving whose team had a 17-15 finish last year, 10-6 and third place in the Big Sky Conference. • Geving has two returning starters and eight returning letter winners on his roster. The Vikings begin their counting pre season schedule on Friday, Nov. 9, hosting Pacific. It will also be a double- header with the women and tip off at 8:05 p.m. Big Sky Conference play opens at home against Idaho State on Dec. 20. PSU follows on Dec. 22 by hosting Weber State. That begins an expanded 20-^ame Big Sky schedule. we have to step on their throats," Giants pitcher Barry Zito said. "We saw what they did to New York." Santiago Casilla got one out in the ninth for the win. Romo struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th for his third save of the Series. The Giants finished the month with seven straight wins and their seventh Series championship. They handed the Tigers their sev enth straight World Series loss dating to 2006. "O bviously, there was no doubt about it," Tigers manager Jim L ey lan d said . "It was freaky. I w ould have never guessed we would have swept the Yankees and I would have never guessed the Giants would have swept us." Advertise with diversity in 11 ,c Pt irtlard Observer Call 503-288-0033 ads@portlandobserver.com
