Giants eliminate Phillies to win NL pennant
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Phillies coach talks about NLCS loss to Giants
Updated on: 2010-10-24 01:02:49
San Francisco's in for a treat. The Giants are heading to the World Series.
Juan Uribe hit a tiebreaking homer off Ryan Madson with two outs in the eighth inning and the Giants held off the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 Saturday night in Game 6 of the NL championship series.
Surprise star Cody Ross and the pitching-rich Giants reached the World Series for the first time since 2002 and will host the Texas Rangers in Game 1 on Wednesday night. The Giants have never won the championship since moving to San Francisco in 1958.
Slumping Phillies slugger Ryan Howard looked at a called third strike with runners on first and second to end it. San Francisco closer Brian Wilson got the final five outs, finishing off the Phillies' bid to become the first NL team in 66 years to win three straight pennants.
"Right now it's heaven, but it was torture for that final strike," Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff said.
Giants ace Tim Lincecum struggled in the eighth inning, pitching in relief on one day of rest after losing Game 5. But Wilson took over and got Carlos Ruiz to lineout to Huff for an inning-ending double play in the eighth.
Benches cleared in the third inning after Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez hit Chase Utley with a pitch and then yelled at the All-Star second baseman for tossing the ball back toward the mound on his way to first base.
No punches were thrown and nobody was ejected, though Sanchez was pulled. San Francisco used six pitchers, including four lefties.
The Giants are seeking their first World Series title since 1954 when they were still in New York. Led by Barry Bonds, they came within six outs of winning it in Game 6 against the wild-card Angels in 2002 only to lose in the deciding seventh game.
It's been quite a wait for a franchise that moved West in 1958. Even with Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, the Giants couldn't bring a title to the Bay Area.
Now it's up to the Freak, Kung Fu Panda, Pat the Bat, an eccentric closer with a bushy beard that's dyed black, a journeyman outfielder who aspired to be a rodeo clown, and a rookie named Buster.
Those are nicknames that would make the Say Hey Kid, the Baby Bull and Stretch proud.
The Giants overcame a 2-0 first-inning deficit, tied it in the third and went ahead when Uribe hit an opposite-field drive that barely cleared the right-field wall.
Uribe hit a game-ending sacrifice fly off Roy Oswalt to give the Giants a 3-1 series lead in Game 4.
Roy Halladay outdueled Lincecum in Game 5 to send the series back to Philadelphia, where a frenetic, towel-waving crowd -- the 136th straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park -- wasn't ready for "Red October III" to end.
But the Phillies are going home early after leading the majors in wins for the first time in franchise history.
Wilson came in after Lincecum allowed consecutive, one-out singles. He got Ruiz on a liner to escape the inning.
Wilson had to bat in the ninth after Brad Lidge intentionally walked Buster Posey to load the bases. He took three pitches before bouncing out to first base.
Oswalt pitched six effective innings, masterfully working out of trouble throughout the game because he allowed nine hits and hit a batter. Oswalt gave up two runs -- one earned -- three days after losing Game 4 in relief. The three-time All-Star righty -- the 2005 NLCS MVP with Houston -- threw eight superb innings to earn the win in Game 2.
Sanchez lasted just two-plus innings, allowing two runs and three hits. Sanchez, the Game 2 loser, had dominated the Phillies before this series, not allowing more than four hits in his five previous starts against them.
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Víctor Lei
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