SF Giants maintain World Series distinction after Dodgers lose Game 4

SF Giants fans may be feeling down with the Los Angeles Dodgers appearing poised to win the World Series. While that is dispiriting, the Dodgers losing Game 4 did allow the Giants to maintain a World Series distinction.

If the Dodgers had won Game 4, they would have been the first team to sweep the World Series since the Giants did it back in 2012. Take that Dodgers. Bet you don't feel so good now. You let a team that had Ryan Theriot as its DH win a World Series in fewer games than it will take you. You should honestly just forfeit at this point.

SF Giants are still last team to sweep the World Series

Sadly, the Game 4 loss does not change the fact that the Dodgers still have a 3-1 advantage over the New York Yankees nor that no team has ever come down from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series. But when darkness is nigh, sometimes the small victories are all that we have to celebrate.

The Dodgers failing to sweep provides a stark reminder of just how difficult it is to sweep the World Series. It has been done just 21 times in history and has only been done 4 times since 2000. 

When a team has their back against the wall down 3-0, they have no other choice than to sell out and do everything they can to win. The team that is up, whether subconsciously or not, will not feel that same urgency to get a win. 

The Giants beat the Detroit Tigers in 4 games in the 2012 World Series which was remarkable because they were not favored to win that series. The Tigers were seen as having a superior starting rotation with pitchers like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. They also had star players like Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder on offense. Despite that, the Giants shocked the baseball world as they were wont to do in the 2010’s.

Even though the Dodgers are a juggernaut, the Yankees are obviously a very talented team. Perhaps New York’s 11-run Game 4 output is a sign that their bats have finally woken up for this series. I certainly would not be opposed to the Dodgers being the first team in MLB history to blow a 3-0 lead in the World Series.

Even if the Dodgers do end up winning, the Giants at least still have the feather in their cap of being the most recent team to sweep the World Series.