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October 25, 2012

Playoff Prospectus

World Series Game One Recap: Giants 8, Tigers 3

Guess the MLB.com headline!

a. Panda Express: Giants Jump Out Quickly
b. Mr. Octobear
c. Zito Catches Tigers By The Tail
d. Law Of The Jungle: Panda Bites Tigers
e. Pandamonium Breaks Out in San Francisco
f. Mr. Thrice Guy

Well I'll be honest, there's one perfect answer slipped in here that Joe Peta came up with, and it's wrong. So listen to your gut, then eliminate that answer, and go with what your gut likes second best. Answer at the bottom.

***

And just like that, this World Series has decided what it's about.

On Wednesday, Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs, in a park where only three Giants hit three (or more) home runs all season, against a pitcher who—well, Verlander's home run rate is probably the most human thing about him, besides his opposable thumbs (one of which he uses to deploy his unhuman and dangerously fast assortment of pitches) and his physical attraction to other humans. Also on Wednesday, in the same game, coincidentally, Barry Zito earned a victory by pitching excellently against a team that was expected to hit him, by dint of having brought baseball bats. He also got a base hit and drove in a run against Justin Verlander. Against Justin Verlander he did that. Barry Zito has now matched Pat Burrell's career World Series RBI total. Pat Burrell batted in the middle of the order on two World Series champions. This is all so unthinkable.

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Related Content: World Series, Playoffs, Giants, Justin Verlander, Barry Zito, Pablo Sandoval, Tigers, Postseason

31 comments have been left for this article.

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harderj

This is pretty good redemption for the Panda from 2010.

And in contrast to 2010 there's a left fielder out there for the Giants who can catch the ball.

Oct 25, 2012 03:19 AM

rating: 1

thegeneral13

Sweeto Zito Defeatos Los Tigros?

Oct 25, 2012 05:14 AM

rating: 1

DetroitDale

Really really hard to find anything good about this game if you're a Tigers fan like myself. I could brag about predicting The Tiger's hitters struggling with Zito, but all that does is make me want to channel John McClain in Die Hard and say "I hate it when I'm right."

There were no bad umpire calls but a lot of fluky things happened and it seems every break went the Giants' way. I know that sounds like a sore loser's comment but c'mon, A ball that hits the base that would have been a sure out that prevented Sandoval's second home run and Zito's RBI single? Not one but two miracle diving catches by Pagan? That wierd double play on Delmon and Fielder? There's a lot of random rare events every one breaking for Frisco.

This wasn't just a loss, this wasn't just a big loss, this was the kind of confidence braking loss that makes future wins harder. Their struggling stars (Sandoval and Posey) showed signs of breaking, out ours (Cabrera and Fielder) didnt. Our Ace, who always comes up big in the clutch, completely lost his composure on the mound after the third base fluke and the second Panda Homer. Our closer failed to get through the garbage time stint to get his confidence back. There's no silver lining anywhere to point to better things in better games. And worse, the desperation latch ditch play of brining in Verlander on short rest in game three and game seven, now doesn't look like a plan that'll help.

I can't even complain about Leyland's pinch hitter and pitcher selection. By the time he had to make a decision, it was over.

I'm not jumping off a ledge, because it's still a great season, but I just don't see anything anywhere to help me believe the Tigers are here for anything other than playing Goliath to SF's David.

Oct 25, 2012 05:51 AM

rating: -2

oakwcj

Gregor Blanco, not Pagan, made those catches, and don't call it Frisco!

Oct 25, 2012 06:54 AM

rating: 4

DetroitDale

I regret the error, on both counts

Oct 25, 2012 08:26 AM

rating: 1

greendrummer

overall your takes are exactly right though - EVERY break went the Giants way
tough to win anywhere when that is the case

Oct 25, 2012 11:18 AM

rating: 0

rweiler

The weird double play was a heads up play by Posey and a brain freeze by Young. Young assumed the ball was foul and didn't bother to run. Posey did not. I was hoping for the super slo mo replay on that one because seeing it in regular speed I couldn't tell for sure what happened though there isn't any doubt that Posey fielded the ball in fair territory.

Oct 25, 2012 09:05 AM

rating: 2

Mikeyruler

Could not disagree more. It's super rare that a tapper like Delmon's goes just fair like that. Couple that with the fact that you lose sight of the ball when you hit it like that and pretty much every player, every time will pause and give the illusion of not hustling. Secondly, Delmon's so slow that even if he had run Posey would have plenty of time to throw to 2nd and then double him off. People just want to read into the situation beacuse of Delmon's past issues.

Oct 25, 2012 09:36 AM

rating: 3

rweiler

I don't know anything about Young's past issues, though I concede that he had no idea where the ball was.

Oct 25, 2012 10:17 AM

rating: 0

juiced

The luck whines begin. The Tigers got smoked plain and simple by a team that outplayed them. The Goliath analogy implying that the Tigers are the more talented team is , well, laughable. The great catches by Blanco reflect that the Giants play excellent defense, and Young's bounced throw to home reflects that the Tigers don't. Pagan's ball hitting the bag was the difference between an infield single and double not the difference between a hit and an out. The Tigers are certainly good enough to still win the Series, but the Giants are an exceptional team of exceptional talent not luck

Oct 25, 2012 09:51 AM

rating: 3

anderson721

Which they showed by winning 116 games in the regular season! Oh, wait...

Oct 25, 2012 14:34 PM

rating: 0

lewish

DD - come on especially after last night can't you see how beautifully awesome baseball is?...anything is possible at anytime, and so you better play till the last out is finished...yeah it might be over, if it weren't baseball, but you have Fister tonight who pretty much is a metaphor for possibility...I mean a couple years ago nobody predicted the success he has had.

Oct 25, 2012 10:20 AM

rating: 0

thedaves

Sorry to jump on you here, but I think you're also giving to much credit to the gods of luck here. Pagan would likely have been safe on the slow, high bouncer even if Cabrera had been able to field it behind the bag.

Oct 25, 2012 12:52 PM

rating: 3

Richard Bergstrom

The Tigers sweep the Yankees and now the sky is falling? Gotta have faith for more than one game, or to paraphrase a person in a different thread, "The difference between a casual fan and a longtime baseball fan is that a longtime baseball fan knows anything can happen."

Oct 25, 2012 15:34 PM

rating: 0

juiced

The Giants have twice faced two game deficits in these playoffs needing to win 3 in a row to survive, and they survived. They weren't devastated by their situation. If the Tigers are devastated after going down 1-0 in a 7 game series well then the Giants are simply the better team.

Oct 26, 2012 10:32 AM

rating: 0

Sharky

MLB did ok getting a Panda Express reference in there. Not sensational but a brief moment of (predictable) redemption. Keep em coming, Sam!

Oct 25, 2012 06:04 AM

rating: 0

shmage

Verlander's mistake was mental. He intended first to waste a pitch low and outside and follow with the high inside fastball. But he was so certain of the sequence that he blacked out for a split second and made his second pitch before the first. It's a mistake that has gotten me a zero at the bridge table more than once!

Oct 25, 2012 07:37 AM

rating: 0

DetroitDale

Agreed, I don't even care about the two homers to Panda, that has happened and will happen, my main source of concern is he lost his mental compsure after the ball hit the base and never got it back. If the ball doesn't hit the base Cabrera makes the play and the Giants' big rally never happens, but it's still up to the player to hold concentration and not let something like that throw them, and that never happened to Justin, until today. That more than anything is why I'm scared. This was the equivalent of that point in "Miracle" where the Russian's pulled their goalie, and Rusell pointed it out to the team. It was the first clear sign that the Russians were in trouble.

Besides the obvious issues to the team, this is a blow to his own reputation as well. The talking heads were already making hey over Justin's past problems in the postseason, now that he has a bad game that can't be attributed to inexperience or bad weather, expect that meme to gain strength.

Oct 25, 2012 08:34 AM

rating: 0

gtliles82

Dale, have to disagree. Valverde's meltdown was the lone silver lining in my opinion. At least now we know he's finished, can't be trusted, completely unplayable. If Val smokes the Giants last night, maybe Leyland goes to him in a meaningful spot later this series.

I'd like to think that Delmon's butchery in left field would also relegate him to the bench, but we all know that's not happening.

Oct 25, 2012 07:48 AM

rating: 1

Oldwell89

This kind of stuff is what makes baseball so awesome much more often than any other major sport. The ultimate combination of one on one matchups yet team play woven in. Of course the Tigers can still overcome Game 1 and win.
I will say that after Panda hit that second homer the boys walked by the tube and said "Oh boy he is a chubby fella isn't he!" They are used to seeing the NFL studs or LeBron, so to see a specimen like that is apparently funny to them. I told them his nickname is Panda to which the youngest replied "Ooo he's fatter than a Panda!"

Oct 25, 2012 08:11 AM

rating: 0

junglechef

Nice analysis of Panda's magic night. Sufficient whining by the Tigers fans. Blessed little East Coast press syndrome which posited up until about 5:20 PDT yesterday that the Giants had NO CHANCE AGAINST VERLANDER, and that they should probably not even bother dressing for Game 1. This is precisely what happened in 2010. Get used to it, the Giants are an excellent baseball team.

Oct 25, 2012 08:30 AM

rating: -3

flyingdutchman

JungleChef, first of all, Detroit is not on the East Coast. Those are lakes, not an ocean. Second of all, the national media favored the Tigers for an entirely different reason, and it's because they have more star players. The national media just isn't very sophisticated.

I live in the Bay Area, and I hear this nonsense about media bias all the time. You're going to call the Tigers fans whiners? Maybe they are, but there seem to be a lot of mommy/daddy issues here too, most of them revolving around not getting enough attention from a national media geared for 6th graders.

Get the chip off your shoulder and just enjoy another championship.

Oct 25, 2012 10:07 AM

rating: 3

klipzlskim

Have to disagree with you on the headline. I actually loved "Mr. Octobear" (was that yours?). "Pandamonium" is too easy and has been used a million times already (in fact, Googling "pandamonium pablo" returns almost exactly one million hits). Maybe it's just because I live in the Bay Area and have to hear endless panda puns.

Oct 25, 2012 09:22 AM

rating: 3

SamMiller

BP staff

It's not perfect because it's good; it's terrible! It's perfect because it's exactly mlb.com's kind of terrible. This is really more an exercise in mimicry than art.

Oct 25, 2012 09:40 AM

thegeneral13

Mr. Octobear is undeniably awesome.

Oct 25, 2012 10:56 AM

rating: 4

Lindemann

I was waiting for someone to say this.

Oct 25, 2012 12:03 PM

rating: 0

barryge

Wow to read these comments I guess I am to think the series is over....sure Verlander vs Zito looked like money in the bank but it is still only one game, long way to go. The Tigers starters beyond Verlander are still no easy task so take heart DetroitDale all is not lost.....yet.

Oct 25, 2012 12:03 PM

rating: 1

T. Kiefer

Agreed. The Tigers hit, fielded, and so were not rusty --I was more worried about a 2006 replay, which didn't happen, than a first game loss. Verlander simply just got psyched out, which he suffers from from time to time. Fister has shut down stuff. Now--if Fister gets blown up/melts down, and if Lady Luck still fully resides in the SF camp, then I'll start worrying.

Oct 25, 2012 12:27 PM

rating: 0

rweiler

It's also worth pointing out that for the last months or so, Madison Bumgarner has been terrible. If Bumgarner really has fixed his mechanical issues, it is a much more competitive series. If he hasn't, the Tiger's prospects improve considerably.

Oct 25, 2012 13:48 PM

rating: 0

howlingmoon

No, no, the Series is over. I don't even know why they plan on playing anymore games. Detroit should just go home and head to Florida to play golf.
Man, oh, man, one game with good luck, good D by the Gs, bad luck by the Ts (throwing out Fielder at 2nd was heads up, but a strange play still), is still one game. I mean come on Barry Zito has pitched very, very well the last two games. It don't mean he will the next time he goes out there.
I have been a Giants fan from 1959, and I am greatly enjoying this post-season, but I ain't betting the house on the Giants. I will be happy to see them win four, but I ain't counting chickens yet.

Oct 25, 2012 17:06 PM

rating: 0

Richard Bergstrom

The nice thing about a series like this is, for the first time in a long time, there's not a team or a particular player that I'm rooting for. Usually I get personally invested in a Josh Hamilton or a Roy Halladay and root for a team that hasn't won it in a long awhile. But as a Cubs fan, even the Tigers winning in 1984 seems "recent" and they were in the World Series as recently as 2006. I love Sandoval but his ring's only two years old. etc.

Oct 25, 2012 15:42 PM

rating: -1

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<< Previous Article

Playoff Prospectus: Wo... (10/25)

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Next Article >>
The BP Wayback Machine... (10/26)

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