Buster Posey became the Giants full-time catcher in 2010 and the team went on to claim the world championship. Buster was hurt in 2011, missed most of the season, and the Giants finished in second place. Buster was back on the field and in the lineup full-time in 2012 and the Giants won the World Series. Not much more than that needs to be said about Mr. Posey. That's what you call right there "empirical evidence." The guy is a winner. Oh, and he will likely be the NL MVP, too. I've written before about his remarkable sangfroid, particularly his relaxed ease in front of the microphone. The only other player I can remember being such a natural both between the lines and on camera is Derek Jeter. The Yankee captain always manages to look good in his uniform and to say the right things when the tapes are rolling. Posey has that same quality--he expects to be among the elites of the game and he accepts with good grace his role as leader and spokesman of the club. It's a special combination of talent, hard work, and character. When you look up "intangibles" in the Big Book of Baseball, you'll see a picture of those two lads. By the way, here are the four guys drafted ahead of Gerald Dempsey III: Tim Beckham, Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer, and Brian Matusz. Way to go, Giants!
Buster only had nine hits in his 68 plate appearances, but three of them were homers. The first one was in the 6th inning of Game One of the LDS and it was the first run scored by the Giants in the post-season. The second was an epic, series-clinching blast, a massive grand slam off Mat Latos that crushed the Reds dreams in Game Five. It was one of the signature moments of the entire playoffs. The last one was in the final contest, Game Four in Detroit. The Tigers, down three games to none, finally showed some life when their Triple Crown slugger Miguel Cabrera poked a wind-aided ball over the RF fence to take a 2-1 lead in the 3rd inning. But with one out in the top of the 6th and Marco Scutaro (who else?) on first, Buster smacked an errant changeup from Max Scherzer down the LF line just inside the pole to regain the lead and the momentum. It was as clutch a hit as you will find in the history of the organization, and so typically, totally Posey. Oh, and Matt Cain was the starting pitcher in each one of those games. If Tim Lincecum is The Franchise, then that dynamic duo must be The Pillars of Creation.
It's a great time to be a Giants fan.
--M.C.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
25 for 16: The MVPs
The Giants scored 69 runs in the post-season, an average of 4.31 per game, just a tick below (4.43) their regular-season rate. The team slash line (.236/.298/.375) was pretty unimpressive by comparison (.269/.327/.397), but there are only good teams in the playoffs, and a lot of good pitchers, so it is no surprise that hits and walks and whatnot are suppressed. Two guys, however, seemed to thrive on the higher level of competition and delivered a string of big hits on their way to MVP awards.
Marco Scutaro had 21 of the team's 127 hits and also scored 11 runs. He had a memorable week in the LCS against St. Louis, racking up 14 hits in the seven games on his way to the MVP. (You could have made a case for Ryan Vogelsong, but that's quibbling.) Naturally he came through with the game-winner and World Series-clincher in the 10th inning of Game Four in Detroit. You just knew he was going to get the RBI hit in that situation. Sometimes a player gets on a roll and you can throw all the probabilities out the window and just enjoy the moment. He hit safely in 12 of the 16 games and had, at one point, an 11-game hit streak.
Pablo Sandoval had 24 hits, scored nine runs, and racked up 47 total bases (team: 202) with his five doubles and six homers. He put on a display of fearless power-hitting against the best pitcher in baseball in Game One of the Series that stunned not only the Tigers but the national audience. We have watched The Panda do amazing things and we know what a force he can be at the plate, so I think I can safely say we were not surprised by his history-making game. Thrilled, of course. Overjoyed, naturally. But if you had to pick one guy who had been under-performing in the regular season (most likely a result of the injuries) and was due for a breakout it would have been Sandoval. He had at least one hit in 14 of the 16 games and hit safely in the final ten.
The Giants won the World Series with pitching and fielding. But you still have to have hits and runs to seal the deal, and they got an amazing team-wide contribution from a lot of different players. Two guys stood head and shoulders above the rest, though, and they were the number two and number three hitters in the lineup. If you are going to get offense, get it from the top. Both guys had 70 PA, tied for second place behind Angel Pagan (74) and just ahead of Buster Posey (68) and Hunter Pence (65).
--M.C.
Marco Scutaro had 21 of the team's 127 hits and also scored 11 runs. He had a memorable week in the LCS against St. Louis, racking up 14 hits in the seven games on his way to the MVP. (You could have made a case for Ryan Vogelsong, but that's quibbling.) Naturally he came through with the game-winner and World Series-clincher in the 10th inning of Game Four in Detroit. You just knew he was going to get the RBI hit in that situation. Sometimes a player gets on a roll and you can throw all the probabilities out the window and just enjoy the moment. He hit safely in 12 of the 16 games and had, at one point, an 11-game hit streak.
Pablo Sandoval had 24 hits, scored nine runs, and racked up 47 total bases (team: 202) with his five doubles and six homers. He put on a display of fearless power-hitting against the best pitcher in baseball in Game One of the Series that stunned not only the Tigers but the national audience. We have watched The Panda do amazing things and we know what a force he can be at the plate, so I think I can safely say we were not surprised by his history-making game. Thrilled, of course. Overjoyed, naturally. But if you had to pick one guy who had been under-performing in the regular season (most likely a result of the injuries) and was due for a breakout it would have been Sandoval. He had at least one hit in 14 of the 16 games and hit safely in the final ten.
The Giants won the World Series with pitching and fielding. But you still have to have hits and runs to seal the deal, and they got an amazing team-wide contribution from a lot of different players. Two guys stood head and shoulders above the rest, though, and they were the number two and number three hitters in the lineup. If you are going to get offense, get it from the top. Both guys had 70 PA, tied for second place behind Angel Pagan (74) and just ahead of Buster Posey (68) and Hunter Pence (65).
--M.C.
Monday, November 5, 2012
25 for 16: Angel and the Outfield
Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence are the only two Giants to play all 144 innings of the post-season. They started and finished every game, Pagan in center and Pence in right. Gregor Blanco totaled 135-2/3, missing time in the LDS. His spot in the lineup became the pitchers spot in Game Two, Xavier Nady pinch-hit (and struck out twice) for him in Game Three, and a Sergio Romo double switch with Nady took him out at the end of Game Five. But it was all Blanco after that--every inning of the LCS and World Series in left field. The Giants outfield handled a lot of balls. Pagan had 35 chances, Pence 37, and Blanco 36. Those chances were all putouts for Pagan and Pence. Blanco had one memorable assist (the Prince Fielder play at the plate in Game Two of the Series), and one error (a pop fly by Pete Kozma in Game Six of the LCS). The assist was one of those highlights that will never get old, and the error was a bad call by the scorer, who should have ruled it a hit. Nevertheless, the Giants found their post-Melky OF formula in August and it worked all the way through September and October. All three guys made major contributions with the glove and made most of the rest of the outfielders they faced look positively ponderous. None of the three hit particularly well, but all made key contributions with the bat. Pagan saw the most pitches (287) of anyone in the post-season, and scored 10 runs, had 13 hits (3 2B, 3B, HR), and a clutch steal. Pence had 13 hits (2 2B, HR) as well and scored 7 runs, including the first one in each of the last three World Series games. He also had the most scrutinized broken-bat hit ever, and led the team in steals with two. Blanco chipped in 10 runs with 12 hits (2 2B, 2 3B, HR), 7 walks, and one seriously cool bunt. He also scored on Barry Zito's bunt in Game Five of the LCS. Oddly he never stole a base despite being the fastest guy on the team. The Giants were only 5 for 7 in that department, but led all teams with 14 HR, well above their season average. You see, it's all about pitching and defense!
--M.C.
--M.C.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
25 for 16: The Three-headed Late-inning Monster
Most teams are lucky to have a few good pitchers. The 2012 World Series Champions San Francisco Giants had a whole staff full of them. Here are some numbers: 28 IP, 17 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 27 SO. That's closer stuff from three different guys. We all know that sometimes the most important outs in a ballgame are not the three in the 9th inning reserved for "the closer." Sometimes there are big situations in the 7th or 8th inning that are just as important and are often more important than those final three outs. The Giants had three guys who could close on most teams, and those three delivered a string of big outs in the post-season.
Santiago Casilla faced 32 batters in his 11 appearances and struck out eight of them. He gave up only eight hits, the rest were ground outs (8) and fly outs (6). He hit one batter and walked another. He pitched in all five LDS games, giving up the only runs he allowed in the post-season (2) in the 9th inning of the Game One loss. He finished Game Four, getting the final three outs in the 9th after taking over for Tim Lincecum. He also came in to get the last out of the 8th (whiffing Matt Holliday) after Barry Zito's brilliant 7-2/3 in Game Five of the LCS. In Game Two of the World Series, Casilla got the ball after Madison Bumgarner put up seven zeroes and got a quick 1-2-3 with 10 pitches. It was only a 1-0 lead for the Giants at that point, so you have to figure that was a "high leverage" situation. The power-pitching righty got the "W" in the final game by getting the last out in the bottom of the 9th.
Jeremy Affeldt faced 40 batters in his 10 appearances and struck out ten of them. He gave up a mere five hits and did not allow a single run. He pitched the 6th and the 7th in relief of Ryan Vogelsong in the pivotal marathon Game Three of the LDS, pitched in back-to-back games twice in the LCS (Games One/Two and Six/Seven), and struck out four in his crucial 1-2/3 in Game Four of the Series. It was a dominating performance by the big lefty. Remember all the whining about how much the Giants "wasted" on relief pitching that could have been spent signing Carlos Beltran? A guy like Affeldt, who can hammer 94 mph fastballs in on the hands to all hitters and them freeze them with unhittable curveballs is not a "fungible" commodity. The Giants recognized his skill set, paid him handsomely for it, and used it to great effect to win another title.
Sergio Romo faced 37 batters in his 10 appearances and struck out nine of them. Four hits, one walk, and one run were the only damage. He got the final out in Games Two, Three, and Five of the LDS, Games Two, Five, Six, and Seven of the LCS, and Games Two, Three, and Four of the World Series. That's a win and four saves if you are keeping track. The skinny right-hander with the magic pitch and the flashy style put himself squarely on the national radar after an exceptional post-season run. How do you top Brian Wilson? Be Sergio Romo, that's how. His finest performance was of course the three strikeouts to close out Game Four. Those 15 pitches were all about movement and location and the hapless Tigers hitters had no chance. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera could only watch helplessly as the final strike scooted past him right down the middle in his "hit me" zone. That was as masterful a display of guile as you will see in a big game. Buster Posey noted afterwards that Romo "shook to the fastball," intending to fool the big slugger who was expecting the slider low and away, just like everyone else in America. His final Series line was nine up, nine down, the final nine outs of the final three games. You can't do much better than that!
The 2012 Giants are the World Series Champions. That makes the 2010 championship a hell of a lot less "flukey," wouldn't you say? I'm not sure the national media will ever appreciate what the Giants have done, but I think 8-1 in the Series and 22-9 overall in the playoffs is pretty damn impressive, as well as the list of victims: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Texas, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Detroit.
Enjoy this off-season, my friends!
--M.C.
Santiago Casilla faced 32 batters in his 11 appearances and struck out eight of them. He gave up only eight hits, the rest were ground outs (8) and fly outs (6). He hit one batter and walked another. He pitched in all five LDS games, giving up the only runs he allowed in the post-season (2) in the 9th inning of the Game One loss. He finished Game Four, getting the final three outs in the 9th after taking over for Tim Lincecum. He also came in to get the last out of the 8th (whiffing Matt Holliday) after Barry Zito's brilliant 7-2/3 in Game Five of the LCS. In Game Two of the World Series, Casilla got the ball after Madison Bumgarner put up seven zeroes and got a quick 1-2-3 with 10 pitches. It was only a 1-0 lead for the Giants at that point, so you have to figure that was a "high leverage" situation. The power-pitching righty got the "W" in the final game by getting the last out in the bottom of the 9th.
Jeremy Affeldt faced 40 batters in his 10 appearances and struck out ten of them. He gave up a mere five hits and did not allow a single run. He pitched the 6th and the 7th in relief of Ryan Vogelsong in the pivotal marathon Game Three of the LDS, pitched in back-to-back games twice in the LCS (Games One/Two and Six/Seven), and struck out four in his crucial 1-2/3 in Game Four of the Series. It was a dominating performance by the big lefty. Remember all the whining about how much the Giants "wasted" on relief pitching that could have been spent signing Carlos Beltran? A guy like Affeldt, who can hammer 94 mph fastballs in on the hands to all hitters and them freeze them with unhittable curveballs is not a "fungible" commodity. The Giants recognized his skill set, paid him handsomely for it, and used it to great effect to win another title.
Sergio Romo faced 37 batters in his 10 appearances and struck out nine of them. Four hits, one walk, and one run were the only damage. He got the final out in Games Two, Three, and Five of the LDS, Games Two, Five, Six, and Seven of the LCS, and Games Two, Three, and Four of the World Series. That's a win and four saves if you are keeping track. The skinny right-hander with the magic pitch and the flashy style put himself squarely on the national radar after an exceptional post-season run. How do you top Brian Wilson? Be Sergio Romo, that's how. His finest performance was of course the three strikeouts to close out Game Four. Those 15 pitches were all about movement and location and the hapless Tigers hitters had no chance. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera could only watch helplessly as the final strike scooted past him right down the middle in his "hit me" zone. That was as masterful a display of guile as you will see in a big game. Buster Posey noted afterwards that Romo "shook to the fastball," intending to fool the big slugger who was expecting the slider low and away, just like everyone else in America. His final Series line was nine up, nine down, the final nine outs of the final three games. You can't do much better than that!
The 2012 Giants are the World Series Champions. That makes the 2010 championship a hell of a lot less "flukey," wouldn't you say? I'm not sure the national media will ever appreciate what the Giants have done, but I think 8-1 in the Series and 22-9 overall in the playoffs is pretty damn impressive, as well as the list of victims: Atlanta, Philadelphia, Texas, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Detroit.
Enjoy this off-season, my friends!
--M.C.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
25 for 16: Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum took the ball six times in the 2010 post-season. Five of them were starts. He took the ball six times in 2012. Five of them were relief appearances. It was a topsy-turvy world for the man they call The Franchise. He had a regular-season to forget, but he remembered he was still The Freak when it mattered most. The Game Two loss at home in the LDS was the low point for everyone. It looked like Cincinnati had taken control and the Giants would soon see their season end. Tim came out of the bullpen to start the top of the 6th with the team down 4-0 and the crowd went nuts. He struck out two and gave up a hit and no runs, facing seven batters to get six outs. It was a good night for Bronson Arroyo who limited the Giant to one hit (they would get one other off reliever Jose Arredondo), so it didn't much impact the game. But it was exciting to see him out there flashing his freakiness. It paid off big time in Game Four when the Giants survived a shaky Barry Zito start and were clinging to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning. Tim came in with two out and two on and struck out Ryan Ludwick (who was 6-18 with 3 HR and 5 BB in the five games) to keep the lid on things. He pitched four more innings allowing two hits and a run while fanning six and the Giants broke it open and won 8-3. The Giants not only forced a Game Five they also flashed a new weapon they would employ to great effect the rest of the way. Tim took a turn in the rotation against St. Louis in the LCS in Game Four that got ugly fast (Game Score 38), but righted the ship in the World Series. He worked 2-1/3 in both Game One and Game Three, slamming the door on any possible Tiger comebacks. He faced 16 batters and struck out eight! It was vintage Freak Time.
The Giants are the 2012 World Series Champions. I can't stop saying it over and over again.
--M.C.
The Giants are the 2012 World Series Champions. I can't stop saying it over and over again.
--M.C.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Discussion Starter
We all know who was the MVP for the LCS, and who was the MVP for the World Series, but who do you think the MVP for the entire late part of the season including the playoffs was? Support your argument with memories of just how awesome your pick or picks were.
Meanwhile, I found this whilst browsing the innertubes:
bluedodgerwhiner.com
I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but I was totally annoyed by the San Francisco Giants who won the World Series of Major League baseball recently.I mean, they are a really good team and all, but did they really have to beat our darling Dodgers in the regular season, which ended back at the beginning of October,and then continue to win after that against some other really good teams, including the American League team, the Detroit Tigers? I mean, during the season, we had some good players, Matt Kemp, Clayton and some other guys.Wait, is that Manny guy with the long, fuzzy hair still one our team? He was so, so right. Anyway, the team became owned by new owners including Magic Johnson. He was a professional athlete himself so is really good at sports, which is part of what I don’t understand about not winning the World Series by the Dodgers. Anyway, Mr. Johnson and some other rich guys not only bought the team and the oldest stadium except for some of the really old ones it cost them a couple of billion dollars and they had to clean Frank McCourt’s piss off of the walls, but rich guys can hire people that appear to be illegal to do that. Anyway, they then went out and paid a lot of money, about another billion dollars, I think, for a bunch of base-ball players who are famous, so that is why they cost so much. But then, they were supposed totally win the baseball games against teams like the San Francisco Giants but for some reason they didn’t. Instead they folded like a cheap suit, and I don’t mean the kind that Mr. Johnson would wear. So I just don’t understand because I saw on television all about Mr. Johnson and the Dodgers and it kind of totally meant that we were supposed to win. We have totally photogenic baseball players because they have to be on TV a lot, so that is another thing. We don’t have players with hair that is too long or have tattoos or something, at least that you can see. Well, I guess Manny has long hair. Anyway, I am pretty sure that the Dodgers should actually win rather than just have another team win. If we ever win, we have wider streets. I don’t know about sidewalks.
Meanwhile, I found this whilst browsing the innertubes:
bluedodgerwhiner.com
I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but I was totally annoyed by the San Francisco Giants who won the World Series of Major League baseball recently.I mean, they are a really good team and all, but did they really have to beat our darling Dodgers in the regular season, which ended back at the beginning of October,and then continue to win after that against some other really good teams, including the American League team, the Detroit Tigers? I mean, during the season, we had some good players, Matt Kemp, Clayton and some other guys.Wait, is that Manny guy with the long, fuzzy hair still one our team? He was so, so right. Anyway, the team became owned by new owners including Magic Johnson. He was a professional athlete himself so is really good at sports, which is part of what I don’t understand about not winning the World Series by the Dodgers. Anyway, Mr. Johnson and some other rich guys not only bought the team and the oldest stadium except for some of the really old ones it cost them a couple of billion dollars and they had to clean Frank McCourt’s piss off of the walls, but rich guys can hire people that appear to be illegal to do that. Anyway, they then went out and paid a lot of money, about another billion dollars, I think, for a bunch of base-ball players who are famous, so that is why they cost so much. But then, they were supposed totally win the baseball games against teams like the San Francisco Giants but for some reason they didn’t. Instead they folded like a cheap suit, and I don’t mean the kind that Mr. Johnson would wear. So I just don’t understand because I saw on television all about Mr. Johnson and the Dodgers and it kind of totally meant that we were supposed to win. We have totally photogenic baseball players because they have to be on TV a lot, so that is another thing. We don’t have players with hair that is too long or have tattoos or something, at least that you can see. Well, I guess Manny has long hair. Anyway, I am pretty sure that the Dodgers should actually win rather than just have another team win. If we ever win, we have wider streets. I don’t know about sidewalks.
25 for 16: Barry Zito
There were a lot of signature moments in the Giants post-season, but if you had to pick one you would not go wrong choosing the bunt single by Barry Zito in Game Five of the NLCS. Not only did Barry-Z pitch a brilliant game, his bunt brought home the final run of the four-run, 4th inning rally that put the Cardinals in a hole they never recovered from. It was a terrific display of athleticism by the much-maligned pitcher and underscored the complete one-through-nine effort that was the hallmark of the 2012 champs. The Giants struck out 12 times in that game yet won convincingly! Zeets also delivered a great start in Game One of the World Series where he was matched up with über-ace Justin Verlander. When he stroked his RBI single off the flame-throwing 2011 MVP to make it a 5-0 lead you knew his redemption was complete.
I'm sure Barry Zito would be the first to tell you he did not need redeeming. Fan are fickle--they love you one day and hate you the next. His performance as a Giant has been well below expectations, but I doubt it was from lack of effort. By all accounts Zito has worked hard and tried his best every season to deliver the goods. Baseball is a difficult game that humbles even the most talented performers. I imagine that Barry has reached a place in his life where the process--the preparation and practice--is paramount, and the results secondary. If you do stuff right, things work out. Usually. But sometimes they don't. You can't get too hung up on outcomes in this crazy world because so many things are random and out of your control. He strikes me as someone who knows that and embraces it. You'd have to be that way to deal with the scrutiny and criticism that comes with being a famous, high-dollar ballplayer. I was happy to see him get the results this season and make such a great contribution to the team. The Giants won the last 14 times Zito pitched, and that includes games where he got bombed. Was that mere coincidence? Or does he bring something to the table as a teammate and competitor that we don't get to see? No matter the answers, it worked out great for us. The 2012 Giants are World Series Champions in a large part because no. 75 made some shit happen!
--M.C.
I'm sure Barry Zito would be the first to tell you he did not need redeeming. Fan are fickle--they love you one day and hate you the next. His performance as a Giant has been well below expectations, but I doubt it was from lack of effort. By all accounts Zito has worked hard and tried his best every season to deliver the goods. Baseball is a difficult game that humbles even the most talented performers. I imagine that Barry has reached a place in his life where the process--the preparation and practice--is paramount, and the results secondary. If you do stuff right, things work out. Usually. But sometimes they don't. You can't get too hung up on outcomes in this crazy world because so many things are random and out of your control. He strikes me as someone who knows that and embraces it. You'd have to be that way to deal with the scrutiny and criticism that comes with being a famous, high-dollar ballplayer. I was happy to see him get the results this season and make such a great contribution to the team. The Giants won the last 14 times Zito pitched, and that includes games where he got bombed. Was that mere coincidence? Or does he bring something to the table as a teammate and competitor that we don't get to see? No matter the answers, it worked out great for us. The 2012 Giants are World Series Champions in a large part because no. 75 made some shit happen!
--M.C.
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