The San Francisco Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-0, to advance to the National League Division Series. Madison Bumgarner threw a shutout. Brandon Crawford hit a grand slam. The Giants will play the Nationals in the National League Division Series. This is a quick thread for you to freak out.
So freak out.
This is the same Giants team that let the Dodgers score 32 runs to clinch at home, the same Giants team that let the Padres sweep them in San Diego when they desperately needed a win. It doesn't matter. There are eight teams left in this silly tournament. The Giants are one of them. Bumgarner allowed four hits and a walk, striking out 10. Did we mention the Crawford grand slam? Probably. But I'm not sure if we've talked about Bumgarner yet. He was good, so danged good.
When the Pirates started to contend again, one of my biggest fears was the Giants eliminating them in a postseason series. I'll evaluate those feelings of shame and triumph in the longer recap tonight, but I will say that the fans who stuck around gave their team a nice ovation at the end of the game. After the last out in the 1997 NLDS, I wanted to stick around and do the same for a team I cheered for all season. No one was with me. Maybe by the dugout and not the upper deck Candlestick seats, but I didn't see it. That's always bugged me. Kudos to the Pirates and their fans.
We'll have a day of recovery and then the Nationals.
More like the Giant League Division Series.