Cardinals vs. Giants: Game 5 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 MLB Playoffs

For the third time in five years, the San Francisco Giants are headed to the World Series.

After going without a home run for nearly two weeks, the Giants scored all of their runs via the long ball Thursday night. Travis Ishikawa sealed the 6-3 pennant-clinching victory over the St. Louis Cardinals with a three-run walk-off shot in the bottom of the ninth.

Madison Bumgarner, who gave up three runs, five hits and two walks in 8.0 innings, was named National League Championship Series MVP, per MLB's Twitter feed:

The 4-1 NLCS win sets up a wild-card World Series against the Kansas City Royals:

ESPN's Keith Olbermann praised Giants head coach Bruce Bochy:

In a matchup between two aces who had looked like complete opposites in the playoffs, it was likely difficult for Cardinals fans to feel comfortable about their chances in Game 5. Bumgarner entered with a 0.76 ERA in three postseason starts, while Adam Wainwright, dealing with an apparent elbow problem, had an ERA of 8.00 through two starts.

Yet Wainwright wasn't worried, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale:

He backed up the talk, giving up just two runs, four hits and two walks through seven innings. He struck out seven.

The only damage Wainwright surrendered came in the third inning when Joe Panik—he of one home run in 287 regular-season plate appearances—sent a towering shot over the right field wall to give the Giants a 2-1 lead.

As the San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami pointed out, it was an unlikely candidate for the Giants' first home run since Game 2 of the NLDS:

But the Cards matched fire with fire. In the very next inning, Matt Adams and Tony Cruz each hit solo shots to put St. Louis back in front, 3-2.

And both were nearly as surprising as Panik's: Adams' because Bumgarner typically dominates left-handers, and Cruz's because he started the day with three career home runs in four seasons.

Baseball Reference and Sports Illustrated each noted the rarity of the hits:

The one-run lead seemed to energize a noticeably fired-up Wainwright. After escaping trouble in the fourth, he cruised through the next three innings in perfect fashion, striking out five with filthy curveball after filthy curveball.

ESPN's Buster Olney and Rotoworld's D.J. Short put it simply:

Of course, Bumgarner settled in at the same time. He retired 13 in a row after Cruz's long ball and finished with eight innings pitched, five hits, three runs, two walks and five strikeouts. It took a while, but the highly anticipated pitchers' duel had finally started, as illustrated by ESPN Stats & Info:

That streak ended in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the eighth. With Pat Neshek in for Wainwright, who was taken out after 97 pitches, Michael Morse hit a pinch-hit homer to left field to tie the game at 3-3.

Sporting News' Jesse Spector put the hit in historical perspective:

The Cards turned to Michael Wacha, who hadn't pitched since September, in a do-or-die situation in the bottom of the ninth, and everything fell into place for the Giants: single from Pablo Sandoval, walk to Brandon Belt and game-winning, history-making home run from Ishikawa.

As Fox Sports' Jon Morosi noted, it's an unbelievable moment for Ishikawa, who considered retirement as recently as this summer:

The Giants, winners of the 2010 and 2012 World Series, will attempt to continue the "even-year trend" against the white-hot Royals, with Game 1 coming Tuesday night in Kansas City.

It's a tantalizing matchup between two similar teams. The Giants have won eight postseason series in a row, while the Royals have won eight consecutive 2014 postseason contests. Both have good pitching, great defense, a lights-out bullpen and an uncanny ability to manufacture runs.

We now know each can turn to the long ball if necessary, as well.