As the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied 3-3 on Thursday night, all but one run had been the result of balls smacked into the stands.
So it was fitting with Giants first baseman Travis Ishikawa sent a fastball from Michael Wacha into the right-field bleachers to end the game, and the National League Championship Series, in San Francisco's favor. It's the third time in five years the team has reached the World Series.
With the 6-3 win, the Giants advance again to take on the Kansas City Royals, which set a record Wednesday by starting the playoffs with eight consecutive wins. Dating back to their previous playoff appearance in 1985, the Royals are on an 11-playoff-game winning streak.
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