After the Giants came from behind to beat the Cardinals on Sunday in a brilliant and exciting game, my wife decided that we needed to go to Game 5. Carmen and I have been to quite a few playoff games in the last three years with the Athletics, and have yet to see a victory in a game where the other team was facing elimination. With some trepidation, I laid down my Platinum card and got two bleacher seat tickets in section 144.

The game was incredible

Reuter was flirting with disaster all through the game. He’d get two out, and then let two on. He walked batters on 3-2. It seemed like the Cardinals were getting hits off him at will.

But looks can be deceiving. He worked six scoreless innings. The Cardinals left ten men on base for the game. They couldn’t get the big hit to bust the game open.

Matt Morris was incredible. He was perfect through three, and seemed to have brought his best game. In the 4th he hit Lofton with a pitch, and the Cardinals wouldn’t get a chance to get
him out again.

Felix Rodriguez came in as a reliever in the 7th inning for Reuter, who was getting pretty high in the pitch count. He gave up the only Cardinals run, a sac fly by Vina that scored Matheny.

The Giants were down 1-0 in the bottom of the eighth, but the top of the lineup was coming around.
Dunston struck out looking, but then Lofton and Aurilia both singled. Kent steps in and is hit by a pitch to load the bases for Barry Bonds.

The place went nuts.

Bonds flies to deep left to score Lofton. The game is tied The chants of “Barry! Barry!” change to “Benny! Benny!” as Santiago steps in. Unfortunately Santiago grounds out to second, leaving the score tied at 1-1 going into the 9th.

Worrell pitches a good top of the 9th, as Vina makes it to first on a bunt only to be stranded. Suprisingly the Cards could have put a pinch hitter in for Morris, but they decide to allow him to
bat. The bottom of the ninth…

Morris is still pitching. Martinez pinch hits for Worrell, and fouls out. Snow then flies out to left center. Things are looking grim with two outs. Carmen is leaning up against me, afraid to look. David Bell then singles to left center. Dunston comes to the plate, and singles to left center.
Lofton comes to the plate, and Cards pull Morris and switch to Kline.

Lofton singles. David Bell takes a belly first Superman slide into home. The throw in from Drew is 15 feet wide, and he goes in untouched.

The place really goes nuts. Much celebration. Much cheering.

It was the most amazing game I’ve seen. A come from behind victory in a decisive game of the NLCS for the home crowd. Awesome. I guess we’ll be seeing Bonds in the big show…