Ishikawa’s blast gives San Fran NL pennant

San Jose Mercury News

SAN FRANCISCO

From the first day of spring training, the Giants quietly joked about the fact that this is an even year, so of course they would represent the National League in the World Series.

On Thursday night, that became a reality.

Travis Ishikawa’s three-run walk-off homer in the ninth inning gave the Giants a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and put the Giants back in the World Series for the third time in five seasons.

With one out and two on in the ninth inning of a game the Giants trailed throughout, Ishikawa blasted a pitch into the right field arcade section, ending the National League Championship Series in five games. The Giants poured out of the dugout, so eager to celebrate that Ishikawa had to weave around teammates just to get to the plate as fireworks went off behind him.

Pablo Sandoval led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right off Michael Wacha and was replaced by the speedier Joaquin Arias. A one-out walk of Brandon Belt moved the winning run to second, and Ishikawa followed with the biggest hit of a career that nearly ended earlier this season when the Pittsburgh Pirates designated him for assignment.

The Giants will face the Kansas City Royals in the first matchup of league champions that did not win 90 games. Game 1 is Tuesday in Kansas City.

The Giants were down to their final six outs when manager Bruce Bochy fired the biggest bullet he has, sending Michael Morse up to pinch-hit for Madison Bumgarner - who was named the NLCS MVP - in the eight. Morse spent six weeks sidelined with a left oblique strain and had not homered since Aug. 15, but he crushed a hanging slider from Pat Neshek over the left field wall to tie the game at 3. Morse raised both arms the second the ball screamed off the barrel, and he jumped and pumped his first as he crossed first. After a wild celebration in the dugout, he took to the top step to further incite a deafening crowd.

The buzz wouldn’t last long. Santiago Casilla loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth, but Jeremy Affeldt entered and got a ground out. The win was pulled out on a night that looked lost for the Giants.

Bumgarner was a touch off early, and he paid for it. Jon Jay and Matt Holliday singled with one out in the first, and Jhonny Peralta scorched a liner that looked destined for the left-field corner. But it was hit right at Pablo Sandoval, and the third baseman made a leaping grab and then turned and threw a strike to second to double off Jay and get Bumgarner out of trouble.

The lefty would be back in a jam in the third, when he walked Tony Cruz and Matt Carpenter. Jay hit a hard liner to left and for the first time, the Giants were reminded that they have a first baseman in the outfield. Ishikawa overran the ball and then made an awkward stab at the ball. It flew past him and rolled to the wall, allowing Cruz to score the game’s first run.