Brandon Belt lifts Giants to win in 18-inning marathon game
By Jake Misener
After scoring a run in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game at 1-1, the San Francisco Giants needed another nine innings to tally their second run – which came on a solo blast by first baseman Brandon Belt, sending the series between the Giants and Washington Nationals back to the Bay Area with Bruce Bochy‘s club needing just one win to complete a three-game sweep in the NLDS.
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Belt unloaded on a full-count pitch from Tanner Roark, who was used primarily as a starter for Washington during the regular season, sending it deep into the right-field seats, giving San Francisco a 2-1 lead that rookie Hunter Strickland preserved in the bottom half of the 18th, despite issuing a two-out walk to Anthony Rendon, who went 4-for-7 in the contest.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the ninth, the Giants appeared poised to head back to San Francisco tied 1-1 in the series, but the offense delivered after being baffled by Washington starter Jordan Zimmerman all evening long. Rookie second baseman Joe Panik, who impressed in Game 1, drew a two-out walk, spelling the end of the night for the Nationals’ starter, who, at one point, retired 20 straight, pitching 8 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits – eventually being charged with the lone run that scored later in the ninth.
With Panik at first and Washington reliever Drew Storen in the game, Buster Posey singled to center, giving the Giants men at first and second with two outs. Pablo Sandoval followed, slicing a ball the opposite way down the left field line, scoring Panik. Posey was also waved around, but the relay throw from the cutoff man nailed him at the plate – a call that was eventually upheld after the Giants decided to challenge the play.
San Francisco starter Tim Hudson, who has never advanced past the Division Series in his big league career, pitched 7 1/3 innings of dominant baseball – although his effort was overshadowed by another lights-out performance by Zimmerman – who was coming off a no-hitter in the last day of the regular season. The veteran sinkerballer Hudson scattered seven hits, striking out eight on the night.
The lone Washington run came via an RBI single by Rendon off Hudson in the bottom of the third – the only tally for either side until Sandoval’s clutch RBI single in the ninth. With the win, San Francisco extended its National League-best 10-game postseason winning streak.
The game time of six hours, 23 minutes was the longest-ever in MLB postseason history and the 18-inning length matched the previous record, which was set in the 2005 NLDS when the Houston Astros topped the Atlanta Braves.