They piled on Joe Panik at home plate in celebration, and just as has been the case so many times before with everything on the line this month, San Francisco’s baseball season was extended another day.
Panik on Monday night doubled off the wall in right-center field to drive in Brandon Crawford with the winning run in the 13th inning, as the Giants staved off elimination by outlasting the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in game three of their National League Division Series.
Further down the west coast, Washington turned Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda’s post-season debut into a nightmare en route to an 8-3 win, which gave them a 2-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in their series.
Photo: Greg M. Cooper, USA TODAY
And the Cleveland Indians, perhaps inspired by their city’s breakthrough NBA triumph this year, scored a 4-3 win for a 3-0 clean sweep of Boston in their American League Division Series, sending cult figure David Ortiz into retirement on a losing note.
The wild-card Giants forced game four back at their raucous, sold-out ballpark, postponing a potential Cubs clinch party. Chicago lead the best-of-five playoff 2-1 and are to send John Lackey to the mound opposite lefty Matt Moore.
San Francisco won their 10th straight game when facing post-season elimination.
“There’s a sense of calmness,” Panik said. “It’s like we’ve been there before.”
Panik came through on the 57th pitch from Mike Montgomery, who was working his fifth inning of relief. His big hit ended a 5 hour, 4-minute game that was only 29 minutes shy of the total time taken to play the first two series games combined last week at Wrigley Field.
On a night when the focus was the marquee pitching matchup between Madison Bumgarner and Jake Arrieta, the bullpens decided this one hours later. Arrieta’s three-run homer in the second held up for most of the night.
Kris Bryant hit a tying, two-run homer off closer Sergio Romo in the ninth inning after San Francisco rallied for three runs to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth against Aroldis Chapman.
Rookie left-hander Ty Blach was the winner, escaping a 13th-inning jam when pinch hitter David Ross bounced into a double play.
In Los Angeles, Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth homered as the Nationals moved within one victory of winning a post-season series for the first time.
Four Washington relievers combined for 4-2/3 shutout innings at Dodger Stadium, putting the Nationals in position to wrap up the series there yesterday.
Playing 23 hours after the Nationals tied the series at home in a rain-postponed game two, Rendon hit a two-run homer in a four-run third that haunted Maeda.
Werth added a solo shot off closer Kenley Jansen in a breakaway four-run ninth.
Maeda, who won a team-leading 16 games, gave up four runs and five hits in three innings, struck out four and walked two in his first career start against Washington. He found immediate trouble when he loaded the bases in a 28-pitch first inning on consecutive two-out walks as the Nats got on top.
Maeda retired the side in the second before wilting in the third, opening that inning by conceding four hits in five batters.
“Kenta was missing and getting behind,” LA manager Dave Roberts said. “His fastball leaked back behind the plate and they made him pay.”
In Boston, rookie Tyler Naquin delivered a two-run single in the fourth, while Coco Crisp hit a two-run homer in the sixth and closer Cody Allen got four outs as the Cleveland Indians advanced to the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2007.
Josh Tomlin pitched five strong innings for Cleveland, who are to open the championship series at home against Toronto on Friday.
To advance, the Indians had to shut down the most prolific offense in the major leagues and weather the emotional farewell to Ortiz. The Red Sox designated hitter went one for nine in the series, collecting a sacrifice fly in game three before walking on four pitches in his final plate appearance.
After walking on four pitches in the eighth, Ortiz stood on first and waved his arms at the fans. They rose to cheer for him and stayed there as Hanley Ramirez singled to make it 4-3.
With Allen pitching in the bottom of the ninth, Jackie Bradley Jr singled with two out and Dustin Pedroia drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Travis Shaw worked the count full, but then popped up to end it.
“Nobody in this clubhouse doubts what we’re what capable of,” Cleveland reliever Andrew Miller said as corks popped in the visitors’ clubhouse.
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