The Duke Debates: World Series-San Francisco Giants

While everyone thought the Giants weren’t going to make the World Series, they did. They defied expectations and won six consecutive elimination games to take the title of National League Champions. They will ride this high to win the World Series twice in three years.

The Giants defeated reigning World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-0 Monday night in a slight drizzle to secure their spot in history, their chance to take on the heavily-favored Detroit Tigers.

Don’t count the Giants out. They have the advantage of the hot bat of NLCS Most Valuable Player Marco Scutaro. Scutaro tied the record for most hits in the NLCS with 14 and had three of those in game seven against the Cardinals.

The Giants have momentum, the NLCS MVP and the will to win. They play with a passion unmatched by their former opponents the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. The Giants did not back down and will take this resiliency and determination into the World Series and shock the Tigers. They have the will and the means to reach the end goal; it’s up to them to take full advantage of their strengths and players to become the world champions.

This is a team with not only Scutaro, but Buster Posey, who at this moment has a better batting average than Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera with .336 to Cabrera’s .330. The Giants also have the strength of Matt Cain, whose stats may not be as spectacular as Justin Verlander’s, but are still strong and can lead the Giants to victory. The Giants also have an overall team batting average of .269 is better than the Tigers’.268.

The Giants can ride their momentum to a championship, but it will not come easily. San Francsico plays their best baseball under pressure. Detroit will push them to edge, but the Giants will find a way to fight back and win the championship. Even if it is close, San Francisco will blow it away.

The odds are stacked against the Giants, but that’s only reason to like them more. No one saw the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings coming as they won the Stanley Cup and no one saw the Giants pulling through after so many close encounters with elimination. Even through near-elimination and winning six straight elimination matchups, the Giants have shown the world that they are not a force to be forgotten.

The Tigers may think that they can defeat an easy opponent with their strength, but the Giants aren’t an easy opponent. The Giants won’t be forgotten and they sure aren’t a stepping stone to a Tigers’ championship. The Giants are a legitimate contender and if the Tigers treat them as such, this will be a series to remember. The Giants showed this with their commanding 8-3 win over the Tigers tonight. Giants in seven.