The San Francisco Giants took a 5-2 lead into the ninth inning of their playoff game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night, yet somehow their season is over. The way the Giants’ wild card game hero feels about the loss is probably a good indication of what the entire organization is thinking.
After San Francisco gave up four runs in the top of the ninth and was eliminated from the postseason, Conor Gillaspie described himself as “shocked.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it happened,” he said, via Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. “It happened so fast. I don’t think the situation hit me until the inning was over. Like, `Man, we’re down.’ There’s nowhere to point a finger. We win as a team and we lose as a team. It’s hard. We pour our whole lives into this. To see it end like this, to be honest, I’m still shocked.”
He’s not alone. This isn’t what the Giants do in the playoffs, especially in even-numbered years. The 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series champions have grown accustomed to being the dream-crushers, not the crushees. When starting pitcher Matt Moore, who threw eight innings of two-hit ball, helped his own cause by driving in a run in the fourth, you almost felt there was no way the Giants wouldn’t force Game 5.
But the bullpen imploded, and it’s nearly impossible to overcome that in October. A rare throwing error from Gold Glove shortstop Brandon Crawford was the icing on the cake.
“With the way the ball bounced that last inning, I hate to use the word destiny, but they have had a great year and that’s quite a comeback they mounted there,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “They got a break there on the throwing error that set up the winning run.”
Of course, Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman put the finishing touches on the win. Yes, the same Chapman who allowed this to happen in Game 3, leading many to believe the dream-crushing Giants of October were going to do their thing against the most tormented franchise in sports.
Not this time.
