BOISE, Idaho — This Day In Sports…November 1, 2010:
The San Francisco Giants, who manager Bruce Bochy affectionately called a collection of “castoffs and misfits,” win their first World Series since moving to California in 1958, finishing off the Texas Rangers in five games with a 3-1 victory. The Giants’ pitching was dominant throughout, with ace Tim Lincecum winning the first game and the finale. The Rangers were in their first Fall Classic, while the Giants finally cashed in for the first time since they represented New York in 1954. Bochy would win two more World Series with the Giants—and ironically, he captured a fourth title last year with the Rangers.
Veteran Edgar Renteria was the MVP, capping his Series with a decisive three-run homer in Game 5. Renteria was more castoff than misfit, but he was injured for most of the 2010 season. The Giants wondered if the veteran shortstop would even be healthy enough to include on the postseason roster. Then Renteria told the team near the end of the regular season that, yes, he would be ready. And he was, batting .412 in the Series with two homers and six runs batted in. Renteria would move on to Cincinnati for the 2011 season—and would then retire.
The castoffs and misfits abounded, though. Players had gravitated to San Francisco from places that didn’t want them anymore. How many do you remember now? The list included first baseman Aubrey Huff, second baseman Freddy Sanchez, leftfielder Pat Burrell, centerfielder Andres Torres and rightfielder Cody Ross. All made huge contributions. Who were the stars? They would be rookie catcher Buster Posey and third baseman Pablo Sandoval.
The pitching staff was made up of neither castoffs nor misfits. In addition to Lincecum, the Giants had Matt Cain, who did not allow an earned run the entire post-season. And they introduced a 20-year-old rookie named Madison Bumgarner, who threw eight shutout innings in Game 4 (and you know what he did in Game 7 of the 2014 World Series in Kansas City). The bullpen was nails, featuring closer Brian Wilson, who was a pioneer in the era of the “big baseball beard.”
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
