2012 World Series Replay - Game 6

10 strikeouts from the reigning A.L. Cy Young & MVP winner Justin Verlander wasn't enough for the Detroit Tigers, who find themselves cornered in their cages -- as Angel Pagan & the San Francisco Giants find themselves one win away from making it the Giants' second World Championship in 3 years.

The Tigers find themselves back in the West Coast, with Doug Fister taking the mound against the Giants' Madison Bumgarner.

GAME 6

at AT&T Park / San Francisco

STARTING LINEUPS

DETROIT TIGERS - Fielding 2 (40)

1. Austin Jackson - CF

.095 AVG, 2/21, 2 HR, 3 RBI

2. Andy Dirks - RF

.286 AVG, 6/21, 0 HR, 1 RBI

3. Miguel Cabrera - 3B

.200 AVG, 4/20, 1 HR, 2 RBI

4. Prince Fielder - 1B

.294 AVG, 5/17, 0 HR, 2 RBI

5. Delmon Young - LF

.105 AVG, 2/19, 1 HR, 2 RBI

6. Omar Infante - 2B

.053 AVG, 1/19, 0 HR, 2 RBI

7. Jhonny Peralta - SS

.176 AVG, 3/17, 0 HR, 0 RBI

8. Gerald Laird - C

.273 AVG, 3/11, 0 HR, 2 RBI

9. Doug Fister - SP

.000 AVG, 0/2, 0 HR, 0 RBI

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - Fielding 2 (40)

1. Angel Pagan - CF

.348 AVG, 8/23, 1 HR, 2 RBI

2. Marco Scutaro - 2B

.174 AVG, 4/23, 0 HR, 0 RBI

3. Pablo Sandoval - 3B

.211 AVG, 4/19, 0 HR, 3 RBI

4. Buster Posey - C

.211 AVG, 4/19, 0 HR, 1 RBI

5. Hunter Pence - RF

.176 AVG, 3/17, 0 HR, 1 RBI

6. Brandon Belt - 1B

.316 AVG, 6/19, 0 HR, 2 RBI

7. Gregor Blanco - LF

.000 AVG, 0/15, 0 HR, 1 RBI

8. Brandon Crawford - SS

.143 AVG, 2/14, 0 HR, 2 RBI

9. Madison Bumgarner - SP

.000 AVG, 0/2, 0 HR, 0 RBI

STARTING PITCHERS

• Doug Fister (DET): 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0 ER's & 1 run) in 6 innings / 5 K's & 0 BB's.
• Madison Bumgarner (SF): 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 6 hits, 6 K's & 3 BB's in 6 innings.

Top of the 2nd

Madison Bumgarner crusied through a 1-2-3 first inning, but ends up walking Prince Fielder to lead off the inning. Delmon Young hits into a possible double-play, just beats the throw -- Fielder's choice, Fielder out at second. Omar Infante, brought back to the Tigers with Anibal Sanchez from the Miami Marlins during the mid-season trade deadline, enters the game with a .053 batting average in 19 at-bats. The Tigers brought him over to help in a area (second base) that was under-achieving during the season in the likes of Ryan Raburn, Danny Worth, and Ramon Santiago. Bumgarner delivers a mistake pitch and Omar Infante sends this ball via airmail to the stands in left; two-run shot for Infante. Jhonny Peralta loops a single over short, as Gerald Laird grounds out and moves the runner to second. Two outs, and that brings up the pitcher Doug Fister, who singles to right, Peralta rounds third and will score easily -- Fister helping his own cause, as Tigers jump up quickly 3-0.

Austin Jackson steps up, his only two hits being clutch home runs this series, Buster Posey goes to the mound to discuss the strategy with Bumgarner. Two outs, Fister (the base runner) on first -- Single by Austin Jackson, moves the runner over to second base. Andy Dirks steps up to the plate, finds his pitch and smacks it to right, it might... it's gone. Comerica is erupting, as the Tigers' offense for pretty much the first time this series has done so as well. Bumgarner shakes his head in disbelief, the Giants' pitching coach makes a phone call to the bullpen to get some arms ready -- personally, after Fister's single I would have made that phone call earlier, but what do I know? One thing is for sure, Bumgarner is not on his A-game in this one. 

Miguel Cabrera hits a two-out double (he's only 4 for 21 this series with that hit), Prince Fielder couldn't capitalize on some more Tiger runs, as he strikes out. Tigers 6, Giants 0

Bottom of the 2nd

Buster Posey leads off the second with a double, as Hunter Pence follows that up with a fly-out -- Posey holds at second. Fister gets ready for Brandon Belt, and ends up giving him a free pass. The Giants may have something cooking, Fister is shaking his head, he thought that last pitch to Belt was a strike I believe. Stepping up is Gregor Blanco, still looking for his first hit. Smacks it to short, Peralta comes up with it, throws to second for one, Infante over to first, double-play & out of trouble, as the Giants come up empty.

Top of the 3rd

Manager Bruce Bochy leaves Bumgarner in for now, both teams have used their bullpens a lot this series, he's probably trying to get him through three full innings at least, and will likely bring in Tim Lincecum out of the bullpen -- to eat up some innings. Bumgarner gets Delmon Young to ground out for the first out. Omar Infante, loops a single over short. Jhonny Peralta, who like Infante was also struggling prior to the game smacks a double over first -- Infante reaches third. Runners on 2nd & 3rd for Gerald Laird, who has been playing more catcher of late due to the achy Alex Avila -- he hits a single over the first baseman's head, Infante scores, Peralta is trucking around third, the throw from Pence, Peralta slides under Posey's tag -- SAFE! The Tigers have blown this game open, it appears that the Giants will allow Bumgarner to pitch to Fister, in which Fister ends up hitting into a Fielder's Choice.

The Giants make a pitching change, with two outs & a runner on first. It will be Guillermo Mota getting his first World Series appearance, he gets Austin Jackson to ground out. Tigers 8, Giants 0

Bottom of the 5th

Doug Fister starts off the inning by walking the lead-off man Brandon Belt. Gregor Blanco flies out to left. Fister then plunks Brandon Crawford with a pitch, runners now on 1st & 2nd with only one out. Bruce Bochy will go to the bench and will have Hector Sanchez pinch-hit for Tim Lincecum. Lincecum pitched two shutout innings of relief in the 4th & 5th innings, trying to give the Giants a fighting chance. Fister finds himself in his first sign of possible trouble tonight. Sanchez steps up to the plate and Fister strikes him out, for the second out -- bringing up the dangerous Angel Pagan. Pagan is batting .360 this series (9-for-25) with a dramatic 8th inning HR in Game 1 & two ribbies. Fister sets up, delivers this ball is drilled, and falls before the wall in left-center as Austin Jackson chases this one down, both runners score easily -- Pagan is at second, his good fortunes continue. Pitching coach Jeff Jones is on the phone to start getting some pitchers warned up just in case. 

Stepping up to the plate is Marco Scutaro, and he laces a single over first into right, Pagan rounds second, Dirks with the throw, but it's too late as Pagan scores, the throw is cut-off and Scutaro is held at first. Pablo Sandoval steps up and singles to right, Scutaro stands safely at third. The Giants are down 8-3, and are trying to make this a ballgame suddenly, as Buster Posey who only had four hits entering this game (batting .211), already has two doubles in this game. Fister needs to be careful here, he loses Posey as Posey trots down to first; Bases loaded & Leyland is now pacing-- he might be making a change in a second here, the good news is that Fister didn't give Posey anything he could do damage with. Leyland comes out of the dugout and signals to the bullpen, it will be Octavio Dotel in to try to get the Tigers out of trouble here. Tiger fans are quickly thinking of the meltdown in Game 2, in which they felt they had that game and let it fall out of their grasps. Although Hunter Pence had a huge hit in Game 5, he still has been struggling (3-for-19) -- Dotel just needs one out, and he does that as Pence goes down swinging. Tigers 8, Giants 3

The Tigers' bullpen retired all the Giants hitters there on out, except for a walk to Brandon Belt. The Tigers let Drew Smyly and Duane Below get in their first work of the series, along with Joaquin Benoit. Besides the scary bottom of the 5th, Tigers made Game 6 look easy.

FINAL SCORE                                               R     H     E
DETROIT                                        8  10  0
SAN FRANCISCO                          3   6   0    F
WP - Fister / LP - Bumgarner


POST-GAME:

• Andy Dirks (DET): 3-run HR in 4 AB's.
• Omar Infante (DET): 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI & 2 runs.
• Jhonny Peralta (DET): 2-for-3, 2B, 2 runs & BB.
• Doug Fister (DET): 4.2 IP, 6 H & 3 ER's allowed, 4 K's & 3 BB's; RBI single & FC.
• Angel Pagan (SF): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
• Buster Posey (SF): 2-for-3, 2 2B's & BB.
• Madison Bumgarner (SF): 2.2 IP, 9 H & 8 ER's.

It all comes down to this....
The GAME 7 - STARTING PITCHERS

• Max Scherzer (DET): 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 4 K & 4 BB's in 7 IP.
• Matt Cain (SF): 0-1, 6.14 ERA, 4 K & 4 BB in 7.1 IP.