*Photo from ESPN*
This is 2020, the start of a new decade. Since it's the start of a new decade and there's no live baseball to report on at the moment(I don't plan on doing the KBO), I figured I'd break down the teams who won the world series every year of the previous decade, the 2010's. I start off with the 2010 San Francisco Giants.
After several bad years, the Giants made the world series in 2002, only to lose to one of their intra-state rivals in the Los Angeles Angels in 7 games. After more bad years followed suit, the Giants came into the 2010 season not expecting too much, as they finished 3rd in the NL West the previous year. Then, they surged. Led by young catcher Buster Posey playing fantastic baseball and Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum at the top of the rotation, the Giants surprised the baseball world by winning the NL West with a 92-70 record. With old vets like Aubrey Huff, Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand, and Pat Burrell leading young guys like Posey and Pablo Sandoval, the hitting was clicking, and a young man by the name of Madison Bumgarner had just broken into the league and started 18 games for the Giants.
They started off in the NLDS, where they faced the 91 win Atlanta Braves, anchored by Chipper Jones and a burgeoning rookie by the name of Jason Heyward. Atlanta won just one game in that NLDS as the Giants brushed them aside. They walked into the NLCS and had a series against one of the best teams, the 97 win Philadelphia Phillies, just two years off a world series win, and with a dominant lineup and fantastic pitching core, it was going to be an uphill battle for San Francisco. Only one game wasn't close, these were good games to watch. In game 6, with the Giants one win from clinching the pennant, they stifled the Phillies in their own park and advanced to the World Series with a 3-2 win.
In the World Series, the Giants played the Texas Rangers, a team looking to end their championship misery and bring a title home to Texas. The Rangers had a terrific lineup, led by Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz, while the pitching staff featured veterans CJ Wilson, Cliff Lee, and Scott Feldman. The Giants had an offensive explosion in game one, winning by a score of 11-7. In game two, the offense kept pace as Cain pitched a gem and the Giants shut out Texas 9-0. Game 3 was a different story, as the Rangers baffled San Francisco hitters with a 4-2 win. In game 4, Bumgarner threw a fantastic outing as the Giants shut out Texas again, 4-0. In game 5, Tim Lincecum stepped up and threw a great game, as Brian Wilson locked it down in the 9th, as the Giants won 3-1 and won the first world series title since before they moved to San Francisco.
People weren't expecting the 2010 Giants to do much. They didn't listen to the talking heads. They won the NL West with 92 wins, and then went on a magical postseason run. They are an example of the true underdog story, and their run to the title was a great start to a great decade of baseball.
Comments
Post a Comment