The Giants end Bobby Cox’s career to go forward in the Playoffs (Pt. 1)
For a night that was filled with great anticipation and emotional energy, the two division champions locked horns to decide who would go on to the National League Championship to face the Philadelphia Phillies. The Atlanta Braves were hosting the 4th game of the series and it looked like a blockbuster encounter waiting to explode. Their opponents, the San Francisco Giants, were on the verge of going through but they needed just one more game to decide the competition. With the crowd jeering and cheering against them, it seemed like a difficult task for manager Bruce Bochy.
However, that wasn’t true as the Atlanta Braves considered this fixture to be the most important one for them in years. It was possibly the last time manager Bobby Cox would supervise his team. The 69-year-old was into his last season and given the circumstances, he would have loved to see his squad oust the Giants from the spot and move forward into the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were trailing the win score by a 2-1 tally. A victory in the game was essential to keep the team’s ambition in check.
The intent was there but the Braves were not up to the task to make the situation count for them. San Francisco was too strong and it was the first time in post season history that a series was decided by 1 run in all games. On the other hand, the squad had just one regular season series win in the last 17 played at Turner field. However, looking into the post-season, the team won 4 of their 5 matches in the venue. The fact was as weird as it could get.
The Giants had a lot on stake in the game and it was apparent by the way they fought tooth and nail during the game. The squad had not been victorious in any one of their last playoffs in 8 years. This made their victory much sweeter. However, on the other hand, Atlanta Braves faced a tragic loss and dipped down to the annuals as the side to lose their sixth straight playoff contest. They lay tied for the fourth biggest streak of all time. The Minnesota Twins from the American League, who were ousted by the New York Yankees rest in the same spot as they haven’t done much in the post-season under Ron Gardenhire.
Derek Lowe pitched for the Atlanta Braves and the pitcher was instrumental in quelling the Giant’s offensive squad with 6 innings, producing a no hitter result. However, that was all just a preview for the action to follow as the man faced one of the best times on the mound. Unfortunately, nothing much could have been done about the result as the hosts were at a certain disadvantage leading into the competition.
Atlanta never won a decider game for the series in Turner Field and with Bobby Cox’s retirement, that streak was left unfulfilled. The side that had a chance to strike their bad luck off with so much at stake failed to do so. Maybe this was a failure that was going to stay with the manager as he left his post for a life out of Major League Baseball.
At age 21, Madison Bumgarner became the youngest pitcher to win a playoff game and at the same time became the second youngest athlete on the mound to win a series clinching fixture in the history of the post-season. Madison has been immensely useful and economical for San Francisco and his records speak volumes for him. His Earning Runs Average in the 2010 season was at 3 in the closing. His 7 wins and 6 losses made him a formidable player to go up against in the park and the manager made sure he was picked for the 4th game in the series.
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