[新聞] Madison avenue! Giant road show makes it 3-1
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Madison avenue! Giant road show makes it 3-1
Bumgarner's eight shutout innings has club on verge of title
By Chris Haft / MLB.com | 10/31/10 11:33 PM ET
ARLINGTON -- Consider it the calm before the storm.
Madison Bumgarner, who had no idea that a rookie is supposed to be nervous in
situations such as this, coolly subdued the Texas Rangers for eight innings
Sunday night to pace the Giants to a 4-0 triumph in Game 4 of the World
Series -- which left San Francisco one victory shy of capturing the World
Series championship.
"I just went out there and tried to make good pitches, and it worked out most
of the time," Bumgarner said. "I got a lot of ground balls today, and we were
fortunate to get out of there with a win.
"I try to tell myself all the time just to relax and take deep breaths and
control the breathing. That helps me to relax and stay calm and just kind of
act like it's not a big deal. Obviously, it is. It's the World Series. But
I've just tried to go out there and relax, and it's worked out."
For the first time in the franchise's San Francisco history and only the
third time overall, the Giants own a 3-1 Series lead. They have three chances
to eliminate Texas from the best-of-seven competition, win their first Series
since 1954 and launch a celebration like none other they've prompted since
they moved West in 1958.
The Giants became the 45th Series representative to take a 3-1 lead. Of the
previous 44, the team on top has proceeded to win the World Series 38 times,
with 24 of them closing out the Series in five games.
Aubrey Huff, installed in the designated hitter's role, opened the scoring
with a two-run homer in the third inning before Andres Torres, who rapped
three hits, delivered a seventh-inning run with his second double of the
evening. Buster Posey followed with an eighth-inning homer.
But the star was Bumgarner, who at 21 years and 91 days of age became the
fifth-youngest pitcher to start a World Series game. He also was the youngest
to handle this responsibility since another left-hander, Los Angeles Dodgers
favorite Fernando Valenzuela, worked Game 3 against the Yankees in 1981.
"Doesn't show, does it?" Huff said. "We've got some impressive young talent
here, man. Buster Posey behind the dish, him going on the mound, this kid's
fearless, man. I've said it many, many times -- it doesn't seem like he's
ever nervous. When he got to the field today he was just joking around. He
doesn't act like he's got much of a personality, but he really does in the
clubhouse."
Bumgarner yielded three hits as the Giants blanked Texas for the second time
in this Series and posted their fourth shutout of the postseason. Receiving
ample defensive backing, the North Carolina native did not permit a Rangers
runner to reach scoring position until the seventh inning.
Josh Hamilton reached safely on third baseman Juan Uribe's one-out error and
advanced to second on Nelson Cruz's two-out single. Bumgarner responded by
retiring Ian Kinsler, who at the time represented the potential tying run, on
a fly ball to left field.
Texas starter Tommy Hunter, who lasted four innings, looked vulnerable even
while blanking the Giants for the first half of his outing.
Torres opened the game with an infield single and stole second base, but
Freddy Sanchez grounded out to third and could not advance him. Torres was
marooned at third as Huff and Posey grounded out.
One inning later, the Giants had runners at the corners with two outs when
Nate Schierholtz blooped an 0-1 pitch to short right-center field. The ball
appeared destined to fall for an RBI single, but Hamilton made an artful
sliding catch to deny the Giants.
Torres launched San Francisco's third-inning breakthrough with a double to
right field, a ground-hugger that struck first base and skipped over a
lunging Mitch Moreland. One out later, Huff belted Hunter's first pitch an
estimated 404 feet into the upper deck of the right-field pavilion. Huff's
first home run since Sept. 25 at Colorado also happened to be just the 12th
homer by a National League designated hitter in World Series action.
San Francisco added a run in the seventh on Edgar Renteria's third single of
the evening and Torres' two-out double, a drive to right-center field on
Darren Oliver's 0-1 pitch.
Posey completed the Giants' scoring with one out in the eighth as he hoisted
a 2-2 pitch over the center-field barrier. Posey's victim was Darren O'Day,
who induced him to ground out in the eighth inning of Saturday's Game 3 as he
represented the potential tying run. The Giants complemented their all-around
effort with virtually non-stop defensive support for Bumgarner.
After starting an inning-ending double play in the first, Sanchez made a
remarkable leaping catch of Jeff Francoeur's line drive to conclude the
second. Posey threw out Hamilton on an attempted steal of second base in the
fourth inning. Cody Ross contributed a diving grab of Ian Kinsler's liner in
the fifth. San Francisco followed up with yet another double play in the
sixth inning, this time retiring the fleet Elvis Andrus to complete the twin
killing.
"You know, with a win I usually sleep pretty good in the playoffs -- with a
loss, pretty shaky," Huff said. "So hopefully we'll sleep good tonight, and
we've got a big challenge tomorrow with Cliff Lee, and we know he's going to
come out with his really good stuff.
"We got him last game, but you know he's going to come out and really want to
get us, so we've got to get our sleep and come back and try and do it
tomorrow."
Chris Haft is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the
approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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