The Detroit Tigers’ right-handed weapon, Miguel Cabrera stands at bat at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning. Giants’ closer Sergio Romo is poised at the pitchers mound – breathing slowly with intense focus and determination. With two strikes, two balls, and a foul on the board, Romo pitches a four-seam fastball at 89 mph. As Cabrera strikes out, the entire crowd is silent. But the city of San Francisco goes wild.

With riots in the streets and a parade setting a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) all-time ridership record, the San Francisco Giants 2012 World Series win on October 28 resulted in phenomenal record-breaking, a number of surprises, and over-the-top celebration.

Their revolutionary postseason journey started with the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the Cincinnati Reds from October 6 to 11. The Giants lost the first and second games at home at AT&T Park; Game 3, however, started a streak. The Giants won all six elimination games that they faced through the NLDS and the National League Championship Series (NLCS), and transformed under the pressure of impending defeat.

Forcing a Game 4 and 5 against the Reds after defeating them in Game 3 of the NLDS, the Giants emerged victorious from an initial 2-0 Reds score through winning three consecutive games on the road in a best-of-five series – a feat in baseball history that has never been accomplished before, according to STATS LLC. The Giants ended the NLDS with a score of 3-2; the last three games also marked the first of their two winning three-elimination-game streaks. For less avid baseball fans, the Giants NLCS progression revitalized their interest in the sport.

“I remember freshman year, when they won in the 2010 World Series, I was so excited for them,” Namrata Vakkalagadda (11) said. “This year […] I started following every single game starting from the NLCS.”

Their glory from their NLDS win was short-lived, though, as October 14 brought Game 1 of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals – the 2011 World Series Champions. The Cardinals claimed the win with six runs by the bottom of the fourth inning. In spite of this loss, the Giants redeemed themselves at Game 2 with a 7-1 score. Game 3 moved the teams to Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, where the Giants were once again outdone by the 3-1 Cardinals result.

“They played really hard and it was a close game, so I was proud of the Giants. I know they can come back,” Sarah Bean (10) said about the Giants’ NLCS Game 3 loss.

Down 2-1 in the series, the Giants suffered defeat once again with a 3-8 score  in Game 4 against the Cardinals’ unexpected offensive prowess. Game 5 of the NLCS marked the first of the second three-elimination-game streak that the Giants stepped up to win, with starter Barry Zito bringing them back to San Francisco with a 5-0 win.

Game 6 at AT&T Park began with enthusiastic crowd cheers of “Rally Vogey,” a trend used to show spirit for the Giants’ starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong. Making most of their runs in the second inning, the Giants beat out the Cardinals 6-1.

Game 7 followed a similar path, where the 9-0 score at the hands of Matt Cain clinched the NLCS victory for the Giants, sending them to the 2012 World Series as the National League team.

The first World Series game fell on October 24 at AT&T Park, where the Giants played their American League counterpart, the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers had already swept the New York Yankees six days before in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). The Giants played Game 1 with only a day of rest, but still beat the Tigers 8-3.

The highlight of the game and the reason for their success could be powerhouse Pablo Sandoval, who hit three home runs in his first three times at bat with four RBIs (runs batted in) in total. One of only four people in baseball history ever to hit three homers in a World Series game, Sandoval was also named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2012 World Series. Bruce Bochy, the Giants’ team manager, made use of previous starters Bumgarner and Vogelsong in Games 2 and 3.

Effectively the deciding factor on the winner of the series, Game 4 on October 28, an elimination game for the Tigers, was more suspenseful. With a score of 3-3 by the bottom of the 9th, the game was extended to the 10th inning – where Ryan Theriot of the Giants made the winning run. Ending with Sergio Romo as their closer and a 4-3 score, the Giants established themselves as the 2012 World Series Champions. As Buster Posey sprinted from behind home plate to envelop Romo in a fervent hug, the entire team ran onto the field to celebrate their second World Series win in two years – the first being in 2010 against the Texas Rangers.

“I’ve watched them rise, I’ve watched them fall. […] I’m so happy right now; [the Giants] definitely deserve to win,” Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari (10) said. “Everybody believed that the Tigers were going to totally destroy them, and in reality the Giants just pulled through like they do every year.”

The San Francisco Giants parade was held on October 31, moving down Market Street with an estimated attendance of over 1 million people. The Giants’ regular season will start on April 2, 2013, against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on Nov. 7, 2012.