Travis Ishikawa's walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth on Thursday night to clinch the National League pennant for the Giants will be the play everyone is talking about, but a defensive play in the top half of the inning might just be what made it all possible.
After a one-out walk to the Cardinals' Matt Adams was followed by a Randal Grichuk single, Kolten Wong hit a smash to the left side of the infield. It looked like the ball would get through and score pinch-runner Daniel Descalso from second, but third baseman Pablo Sandoval managed to get the tip of his glove on the ball. It took a favorable Giants hop, though, as shortstop Brandon Crawford raced over to backhand it and quickly flipped to second base for a crucial out.
Statcast tracking technology shows that Crawford traveled 24.7 feet on the play, ultimately being in the exact right place at the right time.
Crawford's quick reactions helped him narrowly throw out Grichuk, despite Grichuk having expanded his secondary lead to 13 feet off first base prior to the hit and reaching a maximum speed of 19.1 mph during it.
Crawford's play prevented the Cardinals from loading the bases with only one out. The next batter, Tony Cruz, worked a walk before pinch-hitter Oscar Taverasgrounded out to strand the bases loaded.
That proved to be the final opportunity for the Cardinals in 2014, with Ishikawa delivering the decisive blow in the bottom of the inning.
LCS STATCAST HIGHLIGHTS
NLCS Game 5: Morse's clutch home run
Michael Morse made the most of his lone at-bat in Game 5 of the NLCS, coming off the bench in the eighth inning to tie the game with a home run. Morse's leadoff shot traveled exactly 369.9 feet, according to Statcast tracking technology. It was Morse's first home run since Aug. 15, and his second career postseason homer. Morse also became just the eighth pinch-hitter in postseason history to hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning or later. He was the first NL player to do so since another Giant, J.T. Snow, hit a game-tying, three-run homer in Game 2 of the 2000 NL Division Series against the Mets.
Michael Morse made the most of his lone at-bat in Game 5 of the NLCS, coming off the bench in the eighth inning to tie the game with a home run. Morse's leadoff shot traveled exactly 369.9 feet, according to Statcast tracking technology. It was Morse's first home run since Aug. 15, and his second career postseason homer. Morse also became just the eighth pinch-hitter in postseason history to hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning or later. He was the first NL player to do so since another Giant, J.T. Snow, hit a game-tying, three-run homer in Game 2 of the 2000 NL Division Series against the Mets.
NLCS Game 5: Panda gets doubled off
One of the toughest parts of baserunning has always been reading and properly reacting to line drives. Sandoval was the victim of such a situation in the fourth inning. With two on and nobody out, and the Giants trailing by one, Brandon Beltstepped in and ripped a shot toward Cardinals second baseman Wong. Sandoval was just 11 feet off the bag at the time Adam Wainwright delivered the pitch, but he nearly doubled that distance (20 feet) with his secondary lead. Wong made the catch then quickly flipped to shortstop Jhonny Peralta to complete the double play, despite Sandoval's valiant effort to dive back into the bag.
One of the toughest parts of baserunning has always been reading and properly reacting to line drives. Sandoval was the victim of such a situation in the fourth inning. With two on and nobody out, and the Giants trailing by one, Brandon Beltstepped in and ripped a shot toward Cardinals second baseman Wong. Sandoval was just 11 feet off the bag at the time Adam Wainwright delivered the pitch, but he nearly doubled that distance (20 feet) with his secondary lead. Wong made the catch then quickly flipped to shortstop Jhonny Peralta to complete the double play, despite Sandoval's valiant effort to dive back into the bag.
NLCS Game 5: Jay's RBI double
Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay got the scoring started with a third-inning RBI double. With two on and one out, Jay hit a ball that just narrowly escaped the reach of Giants left fielder Ishikawa. Statcast gives us a detailed look at how baserunners Cruz and Matt Carpenter handled the potentially catchable fly ball. Cruz had extended his lead off second base to 12 feet at the time of Giants starter Madison Bumgarner's delivery. Carpenter had crept 14 feet off of first base at the time of the pitch.
Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay got the scoring started with a third-inning RBI double. With two on and one out, Jay hit a ball that just narrowly escaped the reach of Giants left fielder Ishikawa. Statcast gives us a detailed look at how baserunners Cruz and Matt Carpenter handled the potentially catchable fly ball. Cruz had extended his lead off second base to 12 feet at the time of Giants starter Madison Bumgarner's delivery. Carpenter had crept 14 feet off of first base at the time of the pitch.
On contact, both players broke into a jog, with Cruz freezing halfway to third base and Carpenter stopping approximately three-fourths of the way to second. As the ball escaped Ishikawa's leaping attempt, Cruz and Carpenter entered into full sprints. Cruz scored easily from second, reaching a maximum speed of 18.7 mph, before cruising the last 20 feet into home plate. As for Carpenter, he went from a full stop just shy of second base to a maximum speed of 19.5 mph as he slowed up into third base. Jay reached a maximum speed of 18.3 mph on the double.
NLCS Game 5: Cruz's surprising blast
Cardinals catcher Cruz made his first postseason hit a big one, connecting for a solo home run. Filling in for Yadier Molina, Cruz crushed a go-ahead home run in the fourth inning that traveled exactly 411.2 feet. Cruz was 0-for-4 in his postseason career entering Game 5 of the NLCS. He had hit just three home runs in his big league career, one each in 2012, '13 and '14.
Cardinals catcher Cruz made his first postseason hit a big one, connecting for a solo home run. Filling in for Yadier Molina, Cruz crushed a go-ahead home run in the fourth inning that traveled exactly 411.2 feet. Cruz was 0-for-4 in his postseason career entering Game 5 of the NLCS. He had hit just three home runs in his big league career, one each in 2012, '13 and '14.
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