Giants Complete World Series Sweep With Team Effort

San Francisco Giants closer Sergio Romo struck out Miguel Cabrera to win the World Series. (Ezra Shaw)

Seemingly everyone I talked to prior to the World Series wanted to talk about how amazing the Detroit Tigers were. They had the best pitcher in the world, the best one-two punch in their middle of the lineup and were coming off a sweep of the New York Yankees. I had more people tell me that the Tigers were going to sweep the San Francisco Giants and waltz their way to the World Series trophy and rings.

On paper, it certainly did seem that way. However, if I have learned anything from my almost 22 years of being a baseball fan, there's a reason they play the game. The unlikely becomes the likely. The Cinderella wins at the buzzer. The Hail Mary is somehow caught in a crowd in the endzone. You get the picture.

After he had only pitched two games this season, the Giants lost All-Star closer and fan favorite Brian Wilson to Tommy John surgery. On August 15, Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, who lead the National League in hits and was second in batting average, was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Their two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum struggled badly during the entire regular season, finishing with an ERA of 5.18. As the postseason approached, it was their rival Los Angeles Dodgers who pulled blockbuster trade after blockbuster trade in an attempt to win the NL West.

The Giants could have given up at any of these junctures. They seemed to have too big of obstacles to overcome. But they hung tough and won the division. Their reward was hosting the Cincinnati Reds to start the NLDS. In a best-of-five series, the Giants lost the first two games to the Reds.

They now knew that they had to win three straight in Cincinnati to rally and advance past the Reds. That is just way they did. When catcher Buster Posey hit his grand slam in Game 5, it felt like it was all over. He truly showed why he is one of the favorites to win the NL MVP.

In the NLCS, the St. Louis Cardinals came out strong and took a three games to one lead over the Giants. The Giants knew they would need to win three in a row to stay alive and advance once again. In Game 5, they were forced to give the ball to much maligned veteran pitcher Barry Zito. Zito though was lights out and propelled his team to pull off three straight wins. In Game 7, the Giants offense exploded for nine runs in their shutout win to advance to the World Series.

In Game 1 of the World Series, few people gave the Giants a chance against Tigers ace Justin Verlander. Verlander had been dominant all postseason, but the Giants got five earned runs off of him and chased him after only four innings of work. The Giants never looked back, winning the game 9-3.

In Game 2, the Giants gave the ball to a struggling Madison Bumgarner. In his first two starts of the postseason, he had an ERA of 11.52. But in the World Series, he throws seven scoreless innings, giving up just two hits, while striking out 8. The Giants won the game 2-0.

The series now shifted to Detroit. The Giants' Game 3 starter was 35-year-old journeyman Ryan Vogelsong. Vogelsong and Lincecum combined for eight scoreless innings. Closer Sergio Romo came in and closed out his second game in a row.

Looking to complete the sweep in style, the Giants took the Game 4 lead 3-2 on a Posey solo home run in the top of the sixth inning. But the Tigers designated hitter Delmon Young tied up the score again in the bottom half of the inning with a solo homer of his own. The score remained 3-3 heading into extra innings.

To lead off the top of the 10th inning, designated hitter Ryan Theriot hit a bloop single to right field for a base hit. Shortstop Brandon Crawford sacrificed Theriot over to second. The next batter, center fielder Angel Pagan, struck out for the second out. This brought second baseman Marco Scutaro to the plate with a man on second and two outs. On a 3-1 pitch, Scutaro singled to center and Theriot slide into home for the leading run.

Looking to protect a 4-3 lead, Romo came into to close out his third save in as many games. Romo dominated the Tigers first two batters, center fielder Austin Jackson and pinch hitter Don Kelly, and struck them both out on his lethal slider. This brought AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to the plate with the World Series on the line. With the count 2-2, Cabrera fouled off a slider. He had to be waiting on another one with the next pitch because Romo's 89 mph fastball right down the middle froze Cabrera for a called strike three.

The Giants were World Series champions for the second time in three years. They did as a team and with some of the unlikeliest of heroes. Theriot, who scored the game-winning run, made his first start of the postseason in Game 4. Scutaro, who had the game-winning RBI, was an under-the-radar mid-season acquisition. Romo, who closed out the Giants last three wins of the World Series, was the team's third pitcher to assume the role of closer the team this season.

The Giants weren't the likeliest of World Series champions at any point this season. However, in the end, they played team baseball and stepped up when they needed to. As legendary baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination." The Giants showed their determination throughout the season and now are World Series champions as a result.