Tigers vs. Giants, 2012 World Series Game 1: Tigers fans not panicking, yet

Game 1 of the World Series saw potential AL Cy Young winner Justin Verlander get shelled by a middling San Francisco Giants offense, Pablo Sandoval hit three home runs on a brisk night in a park notorious for suppressing offense, and struggling former Cy Young winners Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum combine to hurl a gem. It was a tough pill to swallow for Tigers fans and not quite the roaring start to the World Series the team had envisioned.

Al Beaton of SB Nation's Detroit Tigers blog, Bless You Boys, acknowledged that Game 1 was chock full of weirdness, but that Tigers fans best keep their heads up.

Well, that game blew, sucked and ... well, it was a night full of unmentionable words.

Let's keep it in perspective. It was only 1 game. A brutal game, an ugly game, a game we all want to forget, but it was just one game. And that one game doesn't a World Series victor make.

So what if Barry Zito pitched like a 1987 vintage Frank Tanana and the Justin Verlander looked like the rookie who was rocked in the 2006 World Series instead of the reigning Cy Young winner Just because you lose Game 1 doesn't make a Game 2 loss fait accompli. .

Far from it.

Whether you believe in teams of destiny or put much weight on momentum in the postseason, Game 1 had a slew of examples why those intangibles might actually carry some weight. Or perhaps baseball is just unpredictable, weird and amazing. Either way, there's plenty of baseball yet to play.

First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 5:07 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on FOX.