PROGRAMMING NOTE: NBC Sports Bay Area is looking back at the Giants' 60 Memorable Moments since the franchise moved from New York to San Francisco. Tune into Pregame Live at 6pm to see the next two moments you can vote on! Then, after the Giants and D'backs conclude on Saturday, tune into Postgame Live to see which moment will move on.
1. Travis Ishikawa's walk-off homer wins 2014 NL Pennant (New winner -- Defeated Giants win 2010 National League Pennant)
(From former Giants third base coach and current NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Tim Flannery)
After winning a one-game Wild Card showdown in Pittsburgh and then dramatically defeating the heavily favored Washington Nationals 3 games to 1, we found ourselves one series away from another trip to the World Series. After four tough fought games against the St. Louis Cardinals, we were leading the NLCS 3 games to 1 and back in San Francisco with our ace Madison Bumgarner on the mound with a chance to make history once again.
Bum would be facing the Cards veteran ace Adam Wainwright, who was very familiar pitching win-or-go-home games. The Cards struck first, scoring one in the 3rd inning, but Joe Panik hit a two-run homer to take the lead and get the packed house in China Basin on their feet and going wild. The Cards came right back to quiet the crowd and steal back the momentum with two homers of their own and take back the lead 3- 2. Bumgarner and Wainwright both went into shut down mode retiring the rest of the hitters they saw. With the Cardinals leading by one, relief specialist Pat Neshek took over in the 8th only to surrender a huge pinch-hit homer to Michael Morse who went down and hooked a slider up and out to left field to tie the game.
Santiago Casilla took over in the 9th and after loading the bases, Jeremy Affeldt came in once again and shut down the Cardinals and keep the game tied into the bottom of the 9th.
With Michael Wacha taking the mound for the Cardinals, the crowd at AT&T came to their feet knowing one run would send us to our 3rd World Series in the last five years. Pablo Sandoval singled to start the inning and with one out, Brandon Belt walked. Joaquin Arias pinch ran for Sandoval. Travis Ishikawa came to the plate to hit and with the count 2-0, he went down and crushed a low, sinking fastball to right field hitting a line drive that looked like it had a chance to get over the head of the right fielder. As the third base coach, I immediately checked my runner at second base, and Árias did the correct thing, going half way on the ball in the air. When I looked back to find the ball, everything went into slow motion and deftly quiet, at least in my head. Then I realized the ball was over the outfielder and we were going to win the Pennant.
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At that moment, the quiet in my head erupted into total chaos as the ball continued into the seats for a walk-off, Pennant winning moment that would be part of history forever. Bedlam broke out with Ishikawa running around the bases with his teammates running down the line with him jumping and screaming. Jake Peavy sprinted by me and ran on the field to jump on Travis at second base thinking he hit a double, not a homer to win it. Waiting at home plate, the rest of the team was delirious waiting on Ishikawa to run through the obstacles of people, flying helmets and tears until he touched home plate and sent the Giants to the World Series and his legacy into the history books forever right next to the Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard ‘round the World" as the "Giants win the Pennant, the Giants win the Pennant, the Giants win the Pennant."
Fans, friends and family danced and partied on the field and then into the Clubhouse to celebrate all night, still not believing what had just taken place. A very surreal moment that will never be forgotten.
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2. Tim Lincecum dominates Tigers out of bullpen in Game 3 of 2012 World Series
(From former Giants reliever and current NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Javier Lopez)
Timmy was such a dominant force in the postseason. He was the winner in the 2010 clincher in Texas. He was forever etched as a star in Giant lore. The 2012 postseason things took a different turn for Timmy. He had had a rough first half to the season and was pitching really well in the second half. He had gone 7-5 with a 3.83 ERA in the half but when it can to the postseason Bochy wanted another weapon for his pen. That season we lost Brian Wilson at the beginning of the year and our pen was tested early and Casilla stepped up and closed games. Affeldt got a few as did I then Romo took over at the end of the year.
Bochy wasn't sure how to best use his staff at first. Timmy pitched so well in 2010 and he knew that if a guy could be effective out of the pen he would be that guy. The other starters were built more on routine. They all had their things that they needed to do before the pitched but for Timmy it was always just about getting his arm loose. He was the perfect guy for Boch. The Swiss Army knife!
He became the bridge guy to the back end of the bullpen and he loved it. He would get loose so quickly and I think he loved watching and hanging out with us in the pen. We are fun guys! Tell jokes and keep it loose! He was made for the pen. Strikeout stuff and that's what he did. Split after split and hitters couldn't lay off. He could let it fly because he never needed to worry about pitching deep in a game. He was out there trying to get outs til Boch decided to make a change.
Game 3 in the World Series against Detroit was another feather in his cap. I remember this series so well because my wife had our second child on the off day between Games 2 and 3. I flew in the morning of Game 3 gassed but who do I see but Timmy smiling at me at the hotel. All he said was "You tired bud?" We both laughed. I headed to the yard and I remember that was the coldest weather ever. Huge storms were rolling across the country and the Midwest in October is unpredictable. Vogelsong got the start and pitched with all the heart Giants fans were used to seeing from him but even that couldn't keep him in the game. The Tigers had gotten 104 pitches out of him in 5 2/3 innings and that's when Timmy came in. He entered with one man on and two outs. He got Johnny Peralta to fly out to end the inning. He then proceeded to chew up the Tigers potent lineup that included Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Delmon Young. He wasted no time as he went 2 1/3 innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts. He did it in just 32 pitches and Romo did the rest.
Just another Timmy outing that reminded us all of just how nasty and dominate he could be.
VOTE HERE:
Which @SFGiants 60th Anniversary moment was more memorable?
The winning moment will move on to the next matchup.— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) August 28, 2018
