Mat Latos was pitching fantastically, painting the strike zone, and trying to take advantage of a Tom Hallion strike zone that had just a little width early in the game. But it didn't have a lot of room low in the zone, as he found out.
After Gregor Blanco led off the inning with a single, light-hitting shortstop Brandon Crawford took two close pitches. Super close. Hoooo, so close:
Another game, another umpire, and Crawford is down 0-2. Instead he got to sit fastball, and he got one:
That was a triple, and it scored Blanco from first. Matt Cain hit one back to Latos for the first out of the inning, but an Angel Pagan chopper to Zack Cozart led to an adventure:
It would have been a tough play to get Crawford coming from third, but it was still an error to put the Giants up 2-0.
Marco Scutaro walked on four pitches -- again, just out of the zone -- and Pablo Sandoval lined a single to left to load the bases for Buster Posey.
Buster Posey will almost certainly be the MVP in the National League. But if they voted after the playoffs started, he might be unanimous:
That's a grand slam, and it landed at Progressive Field. It was the last pitch that Latos threw in the game, as he gave way to Sam LeCure.
Of note: I think Ryan Hanigan knew the ball had a chance to get out."