That both Wild Card games were decided by late three-run homers was little more than coincidence, but the fact that Wednesday night’s winner came against Jeurys Familia certainly added a poetic twist. One losing manager refused to pitch his stud closer in a tie game on the road, the other put his stud closer in with the score tied at home. In the latter instance, unlikely power source Conor Gillaspie came up big for the Giants, who made the first step toward another even-year World Series parade and further cemented Madison Bumgarner’s folk hero status.
The Giants now head to Chicago to take on the 103-win Cubs in a matchup that has been the cause of much hand-wringing.