By Ethan Pileggi, Courier Staff Writer
With a spectacular first half of the season and a trainwreck second half, the San Francisco Giants barely squeezed into the playoffs, but lost in a heartbreaker last Tuesday.
The Giants started off the season by signing several skilled players, such as Denard Span, Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. In the first half of the season, they seemed unbeatable, running an effective hitting and pitching game.
After the Giants headed into the MLB All-Star week with the best record in the league, things began to fall apart. In the second inning of the game, the Giants’ Johnny Cueto gave up two home runs to Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez. As a result, the American League won the home field advantage in the World Series.
After the All-Star week, everything began to fall into disarray. The Giants would start a cold streak in which they couldn’t produce an efficient run support, and their normally reliable bullpen blew crucial saves and experienced out-of-control innings.
The Giants would later trade their future 3rd baseman, Matt Duffy, for starting pitcher Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays, and replaced the 3rd baseman position with Eduardo Núñez from the Minnesota Twins. Another bullpen acquisition was Will Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Giants’ regular season ended with a sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch the final wildcard position. In the wildcard game, the Giants beat the New York Mets on a series of late-game runs, allowing them to advance to the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs.
Facing elimination in game 4 of their series against the Chicago Cubs, the Giants blew a 5-2 lead late in the game, sealing their fate. The Cubs’ furious ninth-inning comeback shocked many Giants fans, ending the Giants’ even year streak of winning the world series.
