Giants back in familiar groove
SAN FRANCISCO — There’s a tune Tim Flannery once sung that he finds perfectly fitting to describe how his San Francisco Giants get the most out of themselves in the post-season.
Old standbys like Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval mix with rookie faces, giving the Giants a seemingly unique ability to win every other October. Quirky circumstances or injured stars don’t seem to matter, whether it’s the 2010 bunch of castoffs and misfits or a pair of veteran stars making their first World Series trip.
“There’s a line I once sung for Andres Torres: ‘One thing for certain, I promise you will see, it’s never too late to be the person you were meant to be,’ ” Flannery, the thoughtful third-base coach and musician, said after Thursday’s NL Championship Series clincher. “And I’ve seen it here. I’ve seen it night after night. These guys come here and we get the most and we get the best out of them.”
Posey, Sandoval, Santiago Casilla and Madison Bumgarner were all with the Giants in 2010, then Pence joined the fun two years later for those remarkable comebacks in the first two rounds of the playoffs and the surprising World Series sweep of Detroit.
Now, these Giants are determined to win it all once more for those who don’t already have a sparkly championship ring.
Tim Hudson, a 16-year pro, is headed to the World Series for the first time. Michael Morse, who hasn’t started since late August because of a pesky oblique injury, delivered a tying home run as a pinch-hitter in Thursday’s 6-3 win over St. Louis.
“It’s awesome for them,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said. “They’ve had long careers and not been able to get there before, so I’m happy to be a part of it with them. I’m getting a little spoiled, I guess, I’ve had a couple in only a few years. So for them to get there finally, it’s great for them.”
There’s even one who could fit the “castoffs and misfits” description of the 2010 team: Travis Ishikawa contemplated retirement after he was released by Pittsburgh in April, then re-signed with his original big-league team and hit the pennant-clinching homer in October.
General manager Brian Sabean once again made mid-season moves for players who became key. Pitcher Jake Peavy overcame his struggles with Boston to thrive under his former skipper in San Diego, Bruce Bochy. But Sabean, at 18 years the longest-tenured GM in the major leagues, considers constructing a core the key.