ARLINGTON, Texas — SI’s Joe Lemire provides ongoing commentary and analysis throughout tonight’s World Series Game 5 between the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers.
For complete play-by-play, click here. For an updated box score, click here. For a complete game recap, click here.
Postgame
Instant analysis from the Giants 3-1 victory in Game 5 to win the World Series:
• This is the Giants’ first World Series title since moving to San Francisco in 1958. They had won five previous championships back when they called New York home, last winning in 1954.
• By virtue of his three-run homer in the seventh — his second game-winning RBIs of this series and second series-winning RBIs of any World Series, having won the 1997 series — shortstop Edgar Renteria was named Series MVP. He batted 7-for-17 with two homers, six RBIs and six runs in the series.
• Tim Lincecum was brilliant, throwing 71 of his 101 pitches for strikes and getting 16 swing-and-miss strikes, 10 of them on his slider, a pitch he only fully incorporated into his arsenal over the past month. He struck out 10 while allowing only three hits, two walks and one run.
• Seven of the last eight World Series now have ended in four or five games.
Bottom of the Ninth: Giants 3, Rangers 1
Turns out Brian Wilson was a great choice for the ninth inning. He struck out Josh Hamilton, induced a harmless groundout from Vladimir Guerrero and then struck out Nelson Cruz to end the game and the World Series — the Giants are champs.
Top of the Ninth: Giants 3, Rangers 1
Wow. Neftali Feliz was so dominant one has to wonder why he didn’t get a chance to pitch in Game 1 or 2 of this series when the Rangers also trailed late in the game, before giving up too many insurance runs. If Texas rallies, perhaps they’ll have a new game plan. But in three outs, it could be moot.
Bottom of the Eighth: Giants 3, Rangers 1
With the bottom of the eighth inning cleared, Giants manager Bruce Bochy has a three-choice question to answer for the ninth inning. Does he keep starter Tim Lincecum in the game to finish his dominant performance? Does he go to closer Brian Wilson for the final three outs? Or, with lefty Josh Hamilton leading off, does he go to left-handed specialist Javier Lopez?
The vote here is to keep Lincecum — who’s thrown only 101 pitches and against whom Hamilton is 0-for-6 this series — on the mound but with Wilson and Lopez warming. Bring in Wilson if a runner reaches second base, and have Lopez ready just in case, maybe for lefty David Murphy, due up fifth in the inning.
Top of the Eighth: Giants 3, Rangers 1
Even though Cliff Lee basically made just one bad pitch in the seventh, Texas manager Ron Washington removed him from the game without even letting him start the eighth. Washington made the signal to closer Neftali Feliz, presumably to let him pitch the next two innings.
What’s odd is that Feliz has only pitched two full innings three times this season, and Lee had thrown only 95 pitches. Why not let Lee start the inning with Feliz warming in the bullpen in case of trouble?
Bottom of the Seventh: Giants 3, Rangers 1
Nelson Cruz’s solo home run was obviously a much-needed run for the Rangers to start to — pun sadly intended — claw back. (I don’t know how to work “antler” into that sentence.) But the Ian Kinsler walk is also important for two reasons: A few more pitches off Tim Lincecum and another spot cycled through the lineup. That extra spot ensures that Cruz will get another at bat and, even if Texas goes 1-2-3 in the eighth, its slumping middle-of-the-order hitters (Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero and Cruz) will get an extra shot at redemption.
