Underdog San Francisco Giants Give Cincinnati Reds Fans Rooting Interest Against St. Louis Cardinals
By Adam Hughes
Oct 6, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) pitches during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals in game three of the 2014 NLDS baseball playoff game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Reds were long ago dispatched to their winter homes, and the hated division-rival St. Louis Cardinals are in the NLCS for what seems like the hundredth time in a row, but all is not lost. The San Francisco Giants completed their NLDS victory against the mighty Washington Nationals last night, giving Reds fans a legitimate rooting interest as the final NL series of the season ramps up.
There is nothing particularly compelling about this Giants team other than the fact that they almost always seem to win in the playoffs, having won eight post-season series in a row. Their biggest offensive star is their catcher (Buster Posey), and their starting rotation consists of ace Madison Bumgarner and a host of didn’t-you-used-to-be guys who did used to be, but aren’t really any more — Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy — along with oldster Ryan Vogelsong.
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They tied for the Wild Card with the Pittsburgh Pirates before clawing past the Bucs in the WC round, and no one ever mentions that Giants as a real title contender.
But they are a title contender every time they reach the playoffs, as they showed with World Series victories in 2010 and 2012, and as they’re showing this postseason. In a way, they’re like the anti-Bret Saberhagen: if it’s an even year, expect big things from the Giants.
It’s an even year — 2014.
The best thing about the San Francisco Giants and their bullet-proof recent playoff record for fans of the Cincinnati Reds is that they San Fran now stands between the Cardinals and another World Series berth. Aside from having our own Reds in the NLCS, we couldn’t ask for a better gatekeeper.