Giants Capture National League West Crown

They stretched it to the final day. The final hours. The final moments. Torture? Yeah, you could say that. But winning the NL West crown sure tastes that much sweeter with the unique struggle.

Jonathan Sanchez was very solid, especially considering the situation. His control was off and on, but he fought through it and the bullpen once again picked up the Giants as they’ve done all year. The Giants squeezed a few runs onto the board and pitched their way to the National League West title – a fitting way to end the final regular season game.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun as a Giant fan. The unique collection of personalities….the cardiac results….the wall to wall finish…you can’t really script it much better as a fan of baseball. To see Jonathan Sanchez grow into a pitcher from a thrower. To watch Buster Posey guide the Giants into the playoffs as a rookie. Seeing Tim Lincecum struggle for the first time in his career, only to regain his Cy Young form when the Giants needed him the most. Matt Cain repeating his dominant 2009 season in 2010 and become the Giants stopper at only 26 years of age. Pat Burrell being left for dead on the side of the baseball highway, only to become an offensive cog in the Giants playoff push. Javier Lopez, Cody Ross, Ramon Rameriez, and Mike Fontent all contributing in their own ways…some more than others, but all playing integral pieces in season shifting wins. To see Aubrey Huff finally make the postseason….to see Pablo Sandoval fight through his downward season and contribute when the Giants needed him the most in the seasons final days.

It’s times like these when there is so much to say, yet, you can’t ever think of the right thing to say.

One thing I do know however, is the San Francisco Giants are 2010 National League West Champions.

Magic inside? I guess maybe it is…

Congratulations to the guys. They fought their asses off, and while they filled up many emergency rooms across the country with their torturous ways, in the end, they’re NL West Champs. And that’s not something I’ll be forgetting anytime soon. This was a special season – remember it – embrace it – cherish it. Seriously, cherish it. It’s been a long six years since the Giants made the playoffs. A long six years since JT Snow chugged around third base plowing into Pudge…an era over before we wanted to believe it. So, remember this season – you never know when you’re going to get another. And thankfully, it’s far from over….

The Giants will open the Divisional Series on Thursday night versus the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park.