World Series 2010: Why San Francisco Giants Won Game 1
There's something beautiful about the Giants.
More than the beards and the rally thongs, an intangible has sparked not only this team but an entire city. The Giants have been the underdog this entire season. But time and time again they have shown that they are a real championship contender.
With that, let's break down the Giants' Game 1 victory over Cliff Lee and the Rangers.
1. Giants' Ability To Hit the Elite Pitchers
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Six earned runs and he didn't get out of the fifth.
That's a stat line that Cliff Lee has never seen in the postseason.
All season long, commentators have talked at length about the lack of offense the Giants have. But for some reason, they can hit elite pitching. Roy Halladay was coming off a no-hitter and the Giants roughed him up for a Game 1 win in the NLCS.
Now the Giants struck with key hits and a two-run-rallly in the fifth to knock out Lee, arguably the most dominating postseason pitcher.
For all the talk, the Giants have players who know how to hit. Pat Burrell had an off game but Buster Posey had a clutch base hit for an RBI and Freddy Sanchez, the former batting champion, was in form.
The Giants that went up against Lee were aggressive and had no problem taking outside pitches to right field.
And 11 runs in one game? Obviously, the Giants can hit at least once in a blue moon.
2. Clutch Pitching
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Timmy wasn't dominating but he had another solid outing.
Early control problems were erased after the second inning and he was able to hand it off to his bullpen with the lead. That usually means a win for the Giants.
Sergio Romo was good in Game 1, helping close out the eighth. Brian Wilson gave up a bad two-run double, but he shouldn't have even been in the game.
If Game 1 is any indication, the Giants have the clear edge in the bullpen. Texas' O'Day gave up an earned run and Lowe gave up three.
3. Right Field
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This was a big question prior to Game 1: Where would manager Ron Washington stick Guerrero?
Well, the Rangers put him in right and it didn't work out. Two errors led to runs. It could prove to be a big deal both for Game 2 and if the series comes back to San Francisco.
Many players and commentators agree that AT&T's right field is a challenge. It will be interesting to see if Guerrero can handle that part of the field.
4. The 5th Inning
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The Giants scored 16 runs total in the NLCS, tallying six runs or fewer in every game. But in Game 1 of the World Series, they went out and scored six in the fifth inning alone.
That's just to put the fifth inning into perspective.
Too much is made of the Giants' lack of offense. Yes, the team bats for a low average and, yes, they don't average a lot of runs. But the Giants have hitters who can hit and are experienced. Uribe has hit a home run in two straight games and Freddy Sanchez is a former batting champion.
The Giants don't have the offense Texas has, but they are just as dangerous.
