The Skillz Report

Here, in Part 8 of our 2014 MLB Postseason retrospective, we'll revisit the National League Championship Series (SF/STL).

Bumgarner/Wong Non-Call, Game 1

In the bottom of the 7th, the Giants led 3-0—but St. Louis threatened, putting two on with one out against Madison Bumgarner. The Giants ace induced an 0-2 grounder to first from Kolten Wong , then raced to cover the vacated bag. 1B Brandon Belt tossed to Bumgarner, who tagged/collided with Wong! Looking for any break it could get against Bumgarner, St. Louis cried interference, but umps ruled the tag nullified interference, and the play stood as the second out of the inning.

Bumgarner's Uncalled Balk, Game 1

In the NBA, fans regularly complain about officials ruling in the favor of superstars—justified or not. At least for a night, Cardinals fans could relate. Having just benefited from a non-interference call at 1st, Bumgarner (facing Tony Cruz with men on 2nd/3rd) flagrantly balked, starting his windup before suddenly backing off the mound. About the only person in the region to not cry "BALK!" was home plate ump Phil Cuzzi, so instead of a run scoring, Cruz soon whiffed—snuffing out the threat.

Grichuk's Impressive Catch, Game 2

Unable to complete what would have been a spectacular leaping catch 24 hours earlier, Cardinals RF Randal Grichuk closed the deal this time. In the 1st, SF catcher Buster Posey drilled a DEEP drive to right-center that would've scored Joe Panik from first base—had it touched earth. Grichuk prevented that with a sweet sliding catch on the track (following a long run)! Panik was forced to retreat to—and soon stranded at—first base.

Adams' Tiebreaking Bomb, Game 2

The big slugger coming off a productive NLDS. The big reliever coming off an ugly NLDS. The big reliever is due, right? Wrong. Facing Giants RP Hunter Strickland in the 8th inning of Game 2, Cards 1B Matt Adams walloped a 1-2 fastball over the RF wall, putting St. Louis up 4-3. Adams' first hit of the series would be the third of four Cardinal solo bombs in the game.

Yadier Strains Oblique, Game 2

Oblique injuries are more frequent than ever in MLB; Giants LF Mike Morse had been limited by one for weeks. In Game 2, Cards' star catcher Yadier Molina fell victim to the injury at a most inconvenient time. Batting against Jeremy Affeldt in the 6th inning of a 2-2 game, Molina grounded into a 4-6-3 double play—able to advance only steps from the batters' box. He was kept on the roster in hopes of a fast recovery, but ultimately remained sidelined.

Duffy Scores From 2B On WP, Game 2

Down 4-3 entering the 9th, the Giants mounted a rally against STL closer Trevor Rosenthal—Andrew Susac and Juan Perez singled, with Matt Duffy pinch-running for Susac at second base. Two batters later, Rosenthal threw a full-count 57-footer that ricocheted so far off catcher Cruz that he couldn't find it! Duffy, who'd been going on the pitch, came all the way home with the tying run! Rosenthal didn't pitch again in the series.

Kolten Wong Walk-Off HR, Game 2

Homers by Oscar Tavares and Adams in successive innings briefly put St. Louis up 4-3 in Game 2 before SF dramatically tied it in the 9th. However, with both of their lefty relievers burned, SF righty Sergio Romo was forced to face lefty Wong leading off the home 9th. Wong wasted little time taking advantage, lasering Romo's second toss inside the RF foul pole for the game-winner—only the second playoff homer in 18 career IP allowed by the veteran slinger.

Ishikawa Clears The Bags, Game 3

The Giants didn't wait long to strike against Cardinals SP John Lackey, the same man who (as an Anaheim Angel) defeated the 2002 Giants in Game 7 of the World Series. With the bags full and two out in the first, Travis Ishikawa drove a low fastball deep to right-center that initially looked to have home run distance. Wind turned the would-be grand slam into a double low off the wall—still enough to score all three runners (including Belt, who was intentionally walked to get to Ishikawa.)

Kolten Wong's Key Triple, Game 3

Tim Hudson was rolling along, armed with a 4-0 lead entering the 4th. But six pitches into the frame, Cardinals occupied first and second base—trouble. Hudson got the next two hitters, but Wong—he of a walk-off home run and loud double in his previous two at-bats—blasted an 0-1 off-speed pitch high off the bricks in right-center field! The near-bomb plated both runners and halved San Francisco's comfortable lead.

Grichuk Ties It, Game 3

The surprising Grichuk continued to shine as the playoffs unfolded; in Game 3 he delivered the biggest hit of his fledgling career. Hudson had been staked to a 4-0 lead in this one, and he entered the 7th still up 4-3. Following an A.J. Pierzynski fly out, the Giants righty hung a first-pitch changeup to the rookie outfielder, who was 0-for-2 thus far. Grichuk smoked Hudson's mistake off the LF foul pole. Just like that, Hudson's night ended with the score 4-4.

Sandoval's Diving Stop, Game 3

10th inning, two outs, Jon Jay on first, 4-4 tie, Cardinal OF Matt Holliday at-bat vs. Romo. With a full count, Holliday yanked a cutter down the 3B line—enter Pablo Sandoval, who slid to the ground, sucked up the ball, and fired a long strike to first to retire Holliday and preserve the tie! Jay, running on the pitch, might have scored the go-ahead run if not for the nimble Panda.

Juan Perez' Unlikely Single, Game 3

In June 2013, Perez made an amazing catch on his first MLB chance. Soon after, he made a throw almost as eye-popping. Those traits, and speed, keep him on the Giants' roster—not his bat (.170 in 2014; .212 career). So when the kid failed twice to get a key 10th-inning sac bunt down vs. tough Cardinals RP Randy Choate, things looked bleak for the Giants. But Perez battled and wound up cracking a serendipitous base hit to left field!

Randy Choate's Error, Game 3

Southpaw Cardinals RP Choate has lost 14 career games—zero in the playoffs (20 appearances). So, without researching, it's safe to say the 15-year veteran has never endured a tougher loss than Game 3 of the NLCS. After Choate's 10th-inning summons, Brandon Crawford worked him for an eight-pitch walk, Perez turned two foul sac bunts into a single, then Choate flung a Gregor Blanco sac bunt down the first base line, scoring the winning run for the Giants—who went up 2-1 in the series. Ouch.

More Theatrics From A.J., Game 4

Back in the 2005 ALCS, his acting helped his White Sox to a pennant. Nine years later, Pierzynski—only playing because of Molina's injury—reached into his bag of tricks yet again. In the second, with Hunter Pence on first base, A.J. clearly feigned being clobbered by Ishikawa's backswing (when he was actually only tapped), negating Pence's advancement on a wild pitch! As if Giants fans needed another reason to boo their long-unpopular former catcher.

Kolten Wong Strike 3 Into HR, Game 4

Early in Game 4, Giants P Ryan Vogelsong struck Wong out looking for the final out of the 3rd inning. Yet, Wong homered onto the RF arcade on the very next pitch! How could this be? Easy—plate ump Mark Carlson inexplicably called "Ball three" rather than "Strike three!" on the previous pitch. Fortunately, this call ranked far below Martinez/Langston on the Soul-Crushing meter, and Vogey 's teammates turned the resulting 4-1 deficit into an eventual 6-4 win.

Matt Adams' D Helps SF Score, Game 4

Baseball is a humbling game—a guy can smack two crucial postseason homers one week and wear king-sized goat horns the next. The Giants, trailing 4-3 in the sixth, put men on second and third with one out. Blanco tapped to Adams, whose poor throw home allowed Perez to score the tying run. Adams then fielded a Panik grounder and ignored Crawford on third as he tried—and failed—to turn a 3-6 force/tag double play, allowing Crawford to score the eventual winning run!

Ishikawa's Outfield Misplay, Game 5

SF manager Bruce Bochy had gotten away with stashing natural 1B Ishikawa in LF during Morse's absence, but his luck couldn't last forever. Finally, in the 3rd inning of Game 5, Ishikawa's inexperience hurt his team. Facing Bumgarner with one out and two on, Jay lined one to left. A seasoned LF likely makes the play, but Ishikawa was fooled—the ball went to the wall and a run scored. Bumgarner squelched the rally, however, and Ishikawa would later atone for his gaffe in a big way.

Cardinals Re-Take Lead, Game 5

Adams' defense contributed to a loss the night before. Cruz was only playing because the main guy couldn't. Both Cardinals had something to prove entering Game 5, and both came through big-time against an unlikely opponent. With the Giants freshly ahead 2-1 in the 4th on a Panik homer, Adams hooked a Bumgarner slider over the wall in right, knotting the score. Three batters later, Cruz smoked an 0-1 pitch several rows into the LF bleachers, putting St. Louis back up.

Morse Unloads off Neshek, Game 5

Morse, unable to play defense all postseason due to an oblique injury from the regular season, smacked one of the most important home runs in SF Giants history. Pinch-hitting in the 8th against sidewinding All-Star Pat Neshek, Morse deposited a 1-1 Neshek mistake over the wall in left to tie the game—mostly led by St. Louis—at 3! For Morse, who showed schoolboy jubilation as he circled the bases, it was the biggest homer of his 10-year career by far.

Ishikawa Ends The NLCS, Game 5

Unemployed and contemplating retirement at one low point of 2014, Ishikawa stuck it out and wound up quite possibly the least likely postseason hero of his generation. With two on, one out and a 3-3 tie, a simple base hit wins the game for SF. But Ishikawa went a step—okay, a lotta steps—further by driving a 2-0 Michael Wacha heater over the high brick wall in RF, ending the postseason in incredible walk-off style.