Giants fans don’t need to be reminded of the importance of home field advantage. Just 2 years ago we were lucky enough to be a part of that home field advantage, with the Giants playing and winning the first 3 games of the 2010 World Series in San Francisco. It brought the city together, and reaffirmed a fan base that 2 years later has voted 3 Giants’ players into the 2012 All-Star Game.
In game 2 of that World Series, Matt Cain took the mound and pitched 8 innings of a 9-0 win with Buster Posey behind the plate. This July 10th, Cain and Posey will be looking for that same domination to help secure home field advantage for the National League for the third year in a row. With the Giants entering the All-Star Break just .5 games back in the NL West, Giants fans are hoping that their representatives will help bring home field advantage to the National League, and right back to San Francisco.
There’s something to be said about the dominance Cain and Posey have shown together this season. When Matt Cain threw only the 22nd perfect game in history, and the first in Giants franchise history, he said that he didn’t shake off a single pitch Posey called all night. Cain trusts Posey, and National League manager Tony La Russa trusts in the two of them together. This wasn’t left out of the decision to start Cain instead of Mets’ knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. La Russa wants to win home field advantage as much as the next, and going with the experience Cain and Posey have together is how he hopes to accomplish that.
The two of them won’t be the only one in Giants uniforms during Tuesday’s game. Melky Cabrera and Pablo Sandoval will join the two in the All-Star Game. For Melky, this marks his return to Kansas, where he played center field for the Royals during the 2011 season. Playing a position he knows on a field he knows will put pressure on him to perform well, and batting second will put pressure on him to hit well. Pablo Sandoval is batting eight after Posey, and will undoubtedly be scrutinized no matter how well he performs. One can only hope he takes the joy he feels by being voted in by the fans and does something with it.
As for the rest of the team, they’ll be enjoying the break in All-Star Break. Whether or not they’ll be able to use that break to get their heads on straight after a tough 1-5 road trip remains to be seen. If they can, they’re within striking distance of the Dodgers, and the NL West title.
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