Cardinals vs. Giants, 2012 NLCS Game 7: San Francisco fans enjoy strange win

The San Francisco Giants had little trouble closing out the St. Louis Cardinals to win their sixth-straight elimination game and advance to the World Series. This wasn't a Game 7 that will live on in history. There weren't many twists and turns or a walk-off hit. The Giants blew out the Cardinals, 9-0.

Grant Brisbee of Giants blog McCovey Chronicles had hoped for a Game 7 in AT&T Park some day, and he may have envisioned things differently. Still, he is not complaining:

Ever since the new park opened, I thought about a Game 7. I would drift off into a little fantasy world like Calvin just for a second every so often during the baseball season. It was a little weird, a little childish, all fan-boyish, and sort of the reason for being a baseball fan. Maybe it would be Bonds with a walk-off home run. Maybe it would be Matt Morris with a complete-game one-hitter. Maybe Todd Linden in the conservatory with a wrench.

All of the scenarios were wrong, of course. Baseball doesn't let you write the future. It doesn't let you sniff the future.

The Giants now move on to face the Detroit Tigers, who took a much easier path to the World Series. The Tigers swept the Yankees and have been resting, waiting, and planning their rotation. Ace Justin Verlander awaits the Giants, and they will see him at least twice, maybe more.

However, for a team that has just come back from 0-2 in the Division Series and 1-3 in the Championship Series, the hard-throwing right-hander is far from intimidating.