PROGRAMMING NOTE: NBC Sports Bay Area is looking back at the Giants' 60 Memorable Moments since the franchise moved from New York to San Francisco. Tune into SportsNet Central at 6pm to see the next two moments you can vote on! Then, after the Giants and Phillies conclude on Saturday, tune into Postgame Live to see which moment will move on to the next round! Make your vote count!
1. Brandon Belt's 18th inning homer against the Nationals in 2014 NLDS (Seven-time winner -- Defeated Yusmeiro Petit's consecutive outs record in 2014)
(From Alex Pavlovic)
By the end of an 18-inning win over the Nationals in Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS, the Giants were drained in every way. It would be understandable if some of them have few solid memories of the six-hour, 23-minute marathon game, but Brandon Belt will never forget the details. His solo shot off Tanner Roark in the top of the 18th was the difference in a 2-1 win. Four years later, the moment is still fresh in his mind, from his preparation for the at-bat to the emphatic bat drop:
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(From Brandon Belt)
"I remember chugging a Red Bull. It was late into the night and that's tough, it's mentally draining and physically draining to be in a game like that, where you're giving everything you've got to win a baseball game. I was drained at that moment to say the least. I remember chugging a Red Bull and going out there and thinking, 'I'm just going to try and get on base and see what happens.' I remember just not trying to do too much and he gave me a pitch that I could handle, that was kind of in my happy zone. It felt like one of the first home runs I ever hit. It's like you're in Little League and you hit a home run and it's like you're in a dream and it's not real life -- it was kind of the same way.
"We had just played so long and it was such a big moment in the game, and the fact that I was able to come through and help us win with such a big hit, it was surreal to me. I felt like I was floating around the bases. I think (the bat drop) was relief, more than anything. When I do that I don't really know I do it. It was really just relief. The way the game was going, we had to assume it was over after that. The bullpen had done so well and everyone was so tired. It was going to be tough for (the Nationals) to come back after that.
"We were just ready to go home. We had a long flight after that. We just put so much effort into it and all the guys did so great. Pablo came up with a big hit in the ninth inning and Petit throwing (six shutout) innings. For me, that was the pivotal game of that entire playoffs. We were playing the best team in the NL and to be able to come home up 2-0 was huge."
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2. Tim Lincecum's 14-strikeout game against Braves in 2010 NLDS
(From former Giants reliever and current NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Javier Lopez)
I often look back at how we went into that postseason and feel so fortunate to have had a front row seat to that pitching staff. All young bucks that could strike you out. I think of it as San Francisco’s version of the Atlanta Braves with their young studs Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine. When those guys pitched you watched and that’s the way I felt about our Giants rotation.
We were finally coming down off the high of winning the division on the last day, and now we were facing a force unlike any we had seen. Bobby Cox was retiring at the end of the year, and the Braves had loaded up a team that was going to give him a solid run at another title. As the “Band of Misfits,” we had our work cut out for us, but if you wanted a guy to lead the charge it was Timmy. His personality was right for the job and for our clubhouse. He was always smiling, laughing, but had an air of confidence that we all fed off of. Timmy was coming off of a hot September were he went 5-1 and pitching like his Cy Young self. It was going to be a tough, but really fun series of two really well balanced teams.
I remember watching Timmy warm up and looking so amped up. He was throwing hard, but you could see some nerves. I think the crowd at AT&T had a lot to do with it. I remember it being so loud that we were yelling to each other in the dugout just to have a conversation. Such a beautiful thing! That’s why that night was extra special. They got to watch the cardiac kids win a division and they deserved another treat. Timmy would not disappoint.
I remember he gave up a lead off double the Omar Infante and thinking well this is just standard Giants baseball. Say it with me, Torture! He ends up throwing 20 pitches and gets out of it unscathed. You know what I found extraordinary about that is that he went on to retire 27 of the next 29 batters he faced. Think about that. That is dominance. It was a game that we would win 1-0 and should have been a heart attack every at bat, except it didn’t feel that way. Timmy was just on point with everything. It felt as if the Braves were starting with 0-2 counts. They only managed one runner past second base. We were all on K watch. Timmy filled up that K wall nicely. Finally when he punched out Derek Lee it was over. A 1-0 victory. A 2 hit shutout and 14 K in 9 innings. To think it took him just 105 pitches with 20 spent in the first. It was a sign of things to come!
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