{Giants} [MLB}

By Jeremy Kahn

After being behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers for much of the first half of the 2012 season, like they did during their 2010 run to the World Series, the San Francisco Giants made two key acquisitions that helped out their line up.

General Manager Brian Sabean acquired Marco Scutaro from the Colorado Rockies, and Hunter Pence from the Philadelphia Phillies, and both men would definitely make an impact on the Giants in their drive to catch the rival Dodgers.

Unfortunately, before both men could get their feet wet wearing the Orange and Black, the Giants suffered their second significant loss of the season; however this loss was not due to an injury by one of its players.

Melky Cabrera, who named the All-Star Game MVP in the National League’s 8-0 victory over the American League at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, and was leading the NL in batting average was suspended in August for 50 game for use of HGH.

Despite the loss of Cabrera, the Giants overcame the loss of their outfielder and after a six-game trip to San Diego and Los Angeles, where they went 5-1, the Giants moved past the Dodgers and into first place, where they would remain for the remainder of the season.

Unlike the 2010 season, where the Giants nearly blew the division and won it on the final day of the season, this time there was little doubt that the Giants would blow their lead on both the Dodgers and the rest of the National League West.

Finally on September 22, 2012, closer Sergio Romo got San Diego Padres pinch hitter Mark Kotsay to lineout to Angel Pagan in centerfield and the party began at the corner of Third and King, as for the second time in three years, the Giants were Champions of the National League West.

Heading into the Division Series, a familiar foe was in the other dugout for the Giants, as the Cincinnati Reds were the Giants opponents in the first round, marking the return to San Francisco for former Giants manager Dusty Baker, the man who led to trhe 2002 National League Championship.

Things were not looking good for the Giants, as they fell behind their former NL West rivals two games to zero and heading to Cincinnati for the next possibly three games of the season, as the Reds owned home field advantage.

After winning two straaght to tie up the series, the Giants and Reds played for all the marbles to see who would face the defending World Champion St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series and it was up to their Most Valuable Player to get the job done.

Buster Posey hit a huge grand slam that propelled the Giants to an 8-5 victory, and onto the NLCS, where the Cardinals and another former Giant would be waiting for them.

Mike Matheny, who played catcher for the Giants was in ihs first year as manager of the Giants and there was no slowing down the Cardinals after they defeated the Washington Nationals in a thrilling five-game series.

Just like in the NLDS, where the Giants fell behind the Reds with the season on the line and they came up big in the long run, there was no bigger game than Game Five and Barry Zito on the mound.

Zito pitched the game of his Giants career, and the series returned to San Francisco, where the Giants simply demolished the Cardinals in both Game Six and Seven to complete the great comeback and it was on to the World Series for the second time in the last three seasons.

Awaiting the Giants in the 2012 World Series was the Detroit Tigers, the team with the first Triple Crown winner in the Majors since 1967 in Miguel Cabrera and the two-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander.

Pablo Sandoval could really care less about the status of Verlander, as he hit two home runs off of Verlander in his first two at-bats and then put his name into the record books with a third home run, this time off of Al Albuquerque, to become the fourth person ever to hit three home runs in a World Series game, joining Babe Ruth (twice), Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols.

Zito defeated Verlander 10-4, and then it was Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong, with the help from the bullpen, the Giants shutout the Tigers to take a three games to zero lead in the best of seven series.

Going into Game Four of the series, the Giants wanted to put an end to the series, before having to face Verlander in Detroit, where he was dominant on the season.

Scutaro came up with the biggest hit of the season, as he singled to centerfield that scored Ryan Theriot from second base, giving the Giants a huge 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th inning.

Bruce Bochy gave the ball to his new closer, Romo and he gave the Giants their second World Series in three years, as he struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th inning, incluuding Cabrera to end the game and the series.