It was a long flight home for the San Francisco Giants who returned to SFO in the early morning hours Tuesday. The team, coaches and managers were tired but happy as they arrive at AT&T Park around 3 a.m.
Some sports pundits, including Peter Gammons, say the match-up is so so good they are calling this the real World Series.
The players walked past the gathered TV cameras without comments, all apparently having thoughts of a pillow in their future.
Tuesday was a rest day for the team, with a very tall order ahead: beating the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies are the favorite and the Giants now begin playing the role of underdog. The Phillies are known to have the best pitching in baseball. Their ace Roy "Doc"Halladay has already pitched a no-hitter in the playoffs.
This year the Giants and the Phillie were 3-3. If you take it back to the year 2000, they are 36-36. Those numbers point to a very intense NLCS series ahead that begins at a still to be determined time Saturday in Philadelphia. Halladay will be matched up against Giants-ace Tim Lincecum. Both men will have had plenty of days to rest their arm.
The fans infamous "beat LA" cheer was quickly replaced by Beat Phi-LA by sunrise.
Tickets to next week's home games on Tuesday, Wednesay and Thursday (if needed) have been sold out for more than a week, but brokers and Websites like StubHub are still offering seats for those with extra cash in the bank. StubHub says the average price for a ticket to a game in San Francisco is $253.
Baseball fans love statistics, so here are a few facts courtesy AP:
- The only player to hit at least three career home runs off Lincecum is Phillies' slugger Ryan Howard
- Halladay is 0-2 lifetime vs. the Giants with a 7.23 ERA.
- Pat Burrell got a standing ovation when he returned to Philly for the first time since helping the team win the 2008 World Series.
- Those cheers turned to boos when he homered in his first at-bat
- Burrell homered the next game too.
- Lincecum and Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels both got no-decisions in the Phillies' 7-6 win in 11 innings early in the season. (Lincecum struck out 11, Hamels fanned 10)
- Sanchez went 2-0 vs. the Phillies this season
- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel picked Giants manager Bruce Bochy to be on his NL staff at the All-Star game in July.
Lori Preuitt has hated the Phillies ever since they beat your childhood team the Kansas City Royals back in 1980.
