The Giants didn't make it easy on themselves this year in advancing to the finals of the 45+ Division. With two games to go in the regular season, the Giants needed to win just one of their remaining two games to clinch the top seed and a bye to the semifinals.
But the Dodgers and Black Sox saw to it that they didn't.
So, the Giants entered the double-elimination format as the 2 seed. And on that first Saturday, the Giants defeated the Yankees, 6-3, but lost to the Reds, 5-3, which sent manager Jim K's team to the losers' bracket, forcing it to play two more games the very next day.
The loss to the Reds may have awakened the sleeping Giants, who hadn't played sound baseball in about 5-6 weeks. The Giants' bats woke up and the pitching/defense matched that intensity in 18-1 and 13-0 wins over the Vets and Dodgers, respectively.
Then came this past Saturday when the Giants opened their best-of-3 semifinals with a 13-0 win over the Reds. On Sunday, the Reds buried that loss in their memory banks and came back to threaten a Game 3. But the Giants held on for a thrilling 3-2 win that ended with a Reds base-runner on 2nd and a wicked line drive just to the right of center that settled in the glove of CFer Steve Lounello.
With the victory, the Giants franchise advanced to the finals for the fifth straight year. The Hornets changed their name to the Giants in 2010.
The potent and deservedly-so top-seeded Marlins now stand in the way of the Giants trying to repeat. All the Giants have to do in the best-of-3 finals is beat a team with the league's 2012 batting champion and Hall of Famer Tom Maney along with past batting and HR champion and Hall of Famer Mike Girard, Hall of Famer SS Randy Craft, Hall of Famer Jim McQuade, Hall of Famer Jim Ansel, Hall of Famer Skip Treece, Hall of Famer John Reel, and a slew of potential Hall of Fame candiates, among them Ron Lockner, Phil "Mash'' Gadomski, Mike Clary and Jon LaTorre. (Eh, their whole roster is loaded with 'em!!!)
Not to mention that many of those guys have been battle-tested all year in advancing to the finals of the 35+ Division as well.
Some great baseball to watch and the price is right. Bring a cooler, a grill and enjoy some great baseball this weekend at New Scotland Town Park.
The Giants vs Marlins is a great rivalry that goes way back, even to the 35+ division, where many of this cast of characters were involved with the Silver Marlins vs. the Orioles rivalry that decided many championships in that division.
This year the teams played 3 games (with the Giants winning 2 of 3), that were decided by an aggregate score of Giants 12 - Marlins 10. Game one was a, very early in the season, Golden Marlins 2-1 victory where Jim Ansel and John Latorre combined on a 2-hitter to win a thriller over the Giants 2-1. Games two and three were part of a double header out behind Voorheesville High School in the heat of August. Game two was won by the Giants 7-6. It was a seesaw affair that was decided in the 7th inning when Jimmy K got the last out with the tying run in scoring position. Game three was a pitching duel between Mike Kane and John Latorre that saw the Marlins strike for an early 2-0 lead just to commit 3 errors in the same inning (the 4th) to hand the opportunistic Giants 4 runs and a 4-2 victory.
Pitching and defense should again play a big part in deciding the championship in this 2012 final series. Both teams are solid around the horn on defense, and each team boasts three top flight pitchers (Giants: Kane, Bolt, Lounello / Marlins: Ansel, Gadomski, Latorre). Both staffs will be challenged by hitting line-ups that will be solid 1 through 9. The 9th hitters on either team would hit somewhere in the top of the order on most teams in the division.
My prediction is that the team that makes the least mistakes will win this thing. Both teams thrive when their opponent gives them an extra out. If I weren't playing in this series, I would definitely be in attendance to watch. Hope to see a big crowd out at New Scotland for what looks like a great Finals!!!
Was a beautiful day for baseball yesterday...an Ernie Banks "lets play 2" kinda day. Alas, the Giants were not in the mood, and finished us off in one. Would have loved to get one more game in...
Best of luck to both the Giants and Marlins, as both teams showed they were the class of the league this year. Should be a great series, one that I suspect won't be settled till Sunday!
Yep, definitely the best 2 teams in the 45's ~ BY FAR... And Mike's synopsis is pretty encompassing and I generally agree with... So what time are the games this weekend as yeah, I'll likely be an interested spectator...
