With the start of Major League Baseball, my oldest son asked: “Dad, have the Giants won a World Series?” I said: “Yes son. They just won.” … and then I realized it was 12 years ago. Wow, that really shocked me. It seemed like just yesterday us Giants fans were celebrating. It seemed like just yesterday we were saying “Even Year.” Well, the reality is; it was not yesterday. It was a dozen seasons ago and six “even years” have come and gone. Wild, right/ However, I took the opportunity to reflect and reminisce about the dynasty that took place in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Heading into the 2010 season, I was very optimistic. I was living in my apartment in Turlock and my apartment was covered in Giants memorabilia. I was also working at Wal-Mart as well and my co-worker’s husband, my “Uncle” Larry made a comment early in the season. He said; “Same old Giants. Every year, Dennis, you should just call it and become a fan of the Athletics. At least they have no expectations but are competitive every year.” Mind you, he is a Giants fan. I remember telling him: “Uncle Larry, I live for the torture and love my Giants. Some day they’ll win.” With a stacked roster that featured a young Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Pablo “Panda” Sandoval, Tim Lincecum, Aubrey Huff, Edgar Renteria, Juan Uribe and Brian Wilson; we were spoiled. I went to a few games that year, including a thrilling win over the Padres on my birthday. When they made the postseason, I was so excited! I was also very nervous. They opened up against the Braves and won that series and advanced to the NLCS against a stacked Philadelphia team. The Giants won the series 4-2 and advanced to their first World Series since 2002. Standing in their way were the American League Champion Texas Rangers (my favorite American League team). On November 1, 2010 the Giants won game five of the series 3-1 in Texas for their first World Series title since moving to the Bay Area. I watched the game with my friends at a pizza place in Turlock called “Me and Ed’s” and when the game was over, I fell to my knees and cried. I was so happy.
In 2012 the roster looked a little different, Hunter Pence joined the team and guys like Angel Pagan, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford and Marco Scutaro helped charge the team. The Giants won the division and faced Cincinnati in the first round. The Reds won game one, 5-2, then took game two, 9-0. It seemed bleak. However, us Giants fans just kept believing. A game three road win kept the series alive. The Giants hit three home runs in game four in an 8-3 win. In the deciding game five, Buster Posey hit two home runs to carry the Giants to a remarkable comeback and series victory. They took on St. Louis in the NLCS. The Cardinals took a 3-1 series lead and once again the Giants’ backs were against the wall. In game five it was a 5-0 road win by the Giants, followed by 6-1 thumping in game six. Game seven the Giants shut out the Cardinals 9-0 to return to the World Series against the Detroit Tigers, featuring a powerhouse roster including Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Miguel Cabrera, Jhonny Peralta, and Prince Fielder. The Giants made short work of the Tigers and won in five games.
Fast forward to the next “even year” and the Giants were right back in the postseason. With a Wild Card winner take all game against Pittsburgh, Brandon Crawford’s grand slam powered the Giants past the Pirates. For their efforts they had to take on the top seeded Washington Nationals. Game two will go down as one of the greatest (and longest) postseason games in Giants history. It was a Brandon Belt home run in the 18th inning that gave the Giants a 2-0 series lead. The Giants went on to win the series and advanced to their third NLCS in five years. They took on the Cardinals in a very memorable series. It was game five that many remember the most. The Giants scored three runs in the ninth inning including a walk off blast by Travis Ishikawa (a ball that a very good friend of mine caught, by the way). The Giants won the series and advanced to the World Series against the Royals. The Giants ultimately captured game seven, with a 3-2 road win securing the championship.
I went to the trophy tour in Modesto and still have that picture. I showed it to my son and he said “Hopefully they can get back to the World Series for you again dad. You look very happy in the photo.”
That’s one smart kid.
Dennis D. Cruz is a staff reporter for The Oakdale Leader, The Riverbank News and The Escalon Times. He may be reached at drcruz@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.
