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SAN FRANCISCO — In case Yankee fans forgot, this is what a power-hitting third baseman looks like.
Pablo Sandoval, lovingly known in these parts as Kung Fu Panda, belted home runs in each of his first three at-bats to lead the Giants to an 8-3 victory in Game 1 of the World Series.
Sandoval’s three homers blew out the Tigers, who swept the Yankees in the ALCS as A-Rod went 3-for-25 en route to getting benched.
The first two of Sandoval’s homers came off Justin Verlander, who tasted defeat for the first time this postseason after giving up five runs over four innings. Verlander, who entered the series with a 0.74 ERA in three playoff starts, allowed six hits and a walk.
After watching his team survive six elimination games during the first two rounds, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Tuesday: “You think you’ve seen it all in this game, but there’s always something else.”
Boy, was he right.
Sandoval joined Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players in history to go deep three times in a World Series game.
Barry Zito continued his improbable October, twirling 5-2/3 innings of one-run ball in his first career World Series start. Zito blanked the Tigers through the first five innings before Miguel Cabrera put Detroit on the board with an RBI single, but Zito’s effort and 3-1/3 innings from the bullpen were more than enough to stake the Giants to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro, a pair of ex-Mets, had two hits and two runs scored each, while Scutaro also drove in a pair of runs as he continued his red-hot postseason.
“They know how hard it is to get here and how long they’ve been waiting to get here,” Bochy said when asked about the two veterans before the game. “Those are hungry players, and they’re a big reason why we’re here. They were determined to help this club get to the World Series because they haven’t been here. It’s why you play the game.”
Sandoval helped give the National League home-field advantage in the World Series in July with a three-run triple against Verlander serving as the key hit during the NL’s five-run first inning.
Sandoval got the Giants going in the first inning Wednesday, belting a two-out, solo home run to center field that gave San Francisco a 1-0 lead — the first time since Game 4 of the AL division series that the Tigers trailed in a game.
Verlander seemed to settle in with a 1-2-3 second inning, then opened the third with two quick outs. Pagan hit a grounder down the third-base line that hit the bag, ricocheting into left field as he hustled the whole way for a double.
Scutaro’s single to center scored Pagan for a 2-0 lead, but it was Sandoval’s second homer — this one a two-run, opposite-field shot to left field — that gave the Giants a comfortable four-run lead.
Sandoval became only the fifth player ever to homer twice in a game against Verlander, joining Shelley Duncan, Desmond Jennings, Carlos Quentin and Nick Swisher. Zito helped his own cause in the fourth, singling in a run to push the lead to 5-0. Giants pitchers have now driven in runs in each of their last four games, a major-league postseason record.
With one out in the fifth, Sandoval crushed a 1-1 pitch from Al Alburquerque over the center-field wall for his third homer and a 6-0 lead and a curtain call.
Detroit finally got on the board in the sixth after Cabrera singled in Austin Jackson. Delmon Young’s two-out single put a pair of runners on base, prompting manager Bruce Bochy to bring in Lincecum.
Lincecum, who was lifted from the rotation after pitching poorly in the NLCS, struck out the first three batters he faced after taking over for Zito. He retired seven in a row - five via strikeout - between the sixth and eighth, refusing to give the Tigers a sniff of hope.
The Giants tacked on two more runs in the seventh against former closer Jose Valverde, who hadn’t pitched since his Game 1 meltdown in the ALCS against the Yankees. Sandoval came to the plate with a shot at his fourth homer, but he had to settle for a single to center, completing his 4-for-4 night.
"He has experience of pitching postseason," Bochy said. "He’s done well and he’s dealt with the adversity that you have to deal with as a player. The good ones bounce back. They’re resilient. We certainly feel that way with Madison."
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