WATCH: Gillaspie and Panik heroics keep the Giants alive in NLDS against Cubs
The even year magic strikes again
Two innings into Game 3 of the NLDS on Monday night, it looked like the Cubs had driven a stake through the heart of the Giants' even year magic. Jake Arrieta opened the scoring with a three-run home run off postseason demigod Madison Bumgarner to quiet the AT&T Park crowd.
The Giants, however, did not go away. They chipped away in the middle innings against Arrieta before taking the lead against rent-a-closer Aroldis Chapman in the eighth. The big blow? Conor Gillaspie's two-run triple, of course. It turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead. To the action footage:
You don't have to remind Conor Gillaspie it's an EVEN year: https://t.co/9i9hi5BPQi#Postseasonpic.twitter.com/y6hxdNqiJ9
— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2016
Very nearly a dynamite lead-saving catch by Albert Almora Jr. in right field, but alas, he came up just short. That's the very first triple Chapman has allowed to a left-handed hitter in his career, you know. First ever. This was also the first time Gillaspie saw a pitch over 100 mph in his career.
Gillaspie had never seen a pitch over 100 mph in his MLB career (1,467 PAs) until his Triple vs Chapman tonight (101 mph). #Giants#BeliEVEN
— Inside Edge (@InsideEdgeScout) October 11, 2016
Gillaspie turned that pitch around like he knew it was coming. It seems like he guessed fastball and zoned in on a location, and Chapman just so happened to throw it there. It's not often you see a triple-digit heater turned around with that much authority.
That, of course, is only Gillaspie's second biggest hit of the postseason so far. He hit the game-winning three-run home run in the ninth inning of the NL Wild Card Game against the Mets last week. The Giants aren't even playing in the NLDS without that homer.
The Cubs rallied to tie the game in the ninth inning thanks to Kris Bryant's two-run home run off a cartoon car in left field, which sent the game to extra innings. Both teams had numerous opportunities to take the lead in the extras, which usually happens, but it wasn't until the 13th inning that the Giants got The Big Hit.
Against southpaw Mark Montgomery, left-handed hitters Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik strung together back-to-back doubles for the walk-off win (SF 6, CHC 5). Here's the season-saving double off the wall:
Regardless of whether you believe in the even year magic, this Giants have shown they won't go down without a fight. They were five outs away from elimination Monday night before battling back to win the game.
















