October 28, 2012: Giants sweep Tigers for second World Series title in three years

Game Four of the 2012 World Series was about to begin with the San Francisco Giants leading the Detroit Tigers three games to none.1 No team had ever come back from this position to win a World Series. With Detroit’s back to the wall, the Tigers’ faithful were in a state of disbelief.

In Game One, Pablo Sandoval had led the Giants to an 8-3 win by joining Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Albert Pujols as the only players with three-homer games in the World Series. San Francisco pitching then suffocated the Tigers with back-to-back shutouts.

The Giants2 had taken a head-spinning thrill ride to get to the World Series. In mid-May they were under .500, but trade deadline deals for Marco Scutaro and Hunter Pence provided a needed shot in the arm to make their way to a 94-68 record and the championship of the National League West Division. What followed was one of the most remarkable postseason paths ever, as the Giants overcame a two-games-to-none deficit against the Cincinnati Reds in the best-of-five NL Division Series and a three-games-to-one hole against the defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series. San Francisco beat the odds and made history3 while prevailing in six straight elimination games. Given the Giants’ postseason magic, some fans and pundits considered San Francisco to be a “team of destiny.”

Like the Giants, the Tigers spent time below .500 prior to the All-Star break. Detroit got traction in the second half and bested its American League Central Division rival Chicago White Sox, winning the division title with a record of 88-74. The Tigers’4 playoff journey was not as dramatic and improbable as the Giants’, but it included a surprise: In the AL Championship Series, Detroit swept the New York Yankees in four games.5 The Yankees were favored to win the pennant;6 they also had the best regular-season record in the AL at 95-67. Before dispatching the Yankees, Detroit beat the Oakland A’s in the ALDS, three games to two. This was the Tigers’ first World Series appearance since 2006.7

A sellout crowd of 42,152 filed into Detroit’s Comerica Park for Game Four. The game-time temperature was 44 degrees, which felt even colder because of a stiff wind. Detroit police officers working the game wore hats labeled “DPD” with the first “D” in Old English font to honor the home team.8 Singer Demi Lovato sang the National Anthem,9 and former Tiger and six-time All-Star Magglio Ordoñez threw out the ceremonial first pitch.10

The pitching matchup11 featured a couple of right-handers, Max Scherzer for Detroit and Matt Cain for San Francisco. Scherzer finished the regular season with a 16-7 record and a 3.74 ERA. He added a curveball to his repertoire in 2012,12 and led the majors in strikeouts per nine innings (11.1). Cain went 16-5, including the 22nd perfect game in major-league history, with an ERA of 2.79.

In the top of the second, Pence doubled off Scherzer. The next batter, Brandon Belt, sent a line drive to right for a triple, scoring Pence. Giants 1, Tigers 0.

In the third, Cain issued a one-out walk to Austin Jackson and rookie Quintin Berry put down a sacrifice to advance Jackson to second. On that play, third baseman Sandoval and Cain converged. Cain leaped over Sandoval as Sandoval made an agile “Kung Fu Panda” move, while adeptly throwing to first for the out.13

The next batter, Miguel Cabrera, had led the AL with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs, and 139 RBIs, making him the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.14 With two outs, Cabrera sent a high fly to right-center. At first it appeared to be an easy out, but the wind carried it over the wall for a two-run homer. Tigers 2, Giants 1. This was the first time Detroit had held a lead in the Series, and it ended a 20-inning scoreless streak for the Tigers.

In the sixth, 36-year-old Giants second baseman Scutaro got a leadoff single. Sandoval worked Scherzer to a full count before striking out. Then, in driving rain, Buster Posey crushed a hanging slider for a two-run homer just inside the left-field foul pole. Scutaro, nicknamed Blockbuster, clapped his hands as he ran the bases ahead of Posey.15 This was Posey’s first extra-base hit since Game Five of the NLCS, when he hit a grand slam. San Francisco 3, Detroit 2.

Detroit tied the game, 3-3, in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Cain threw a hanging slider; Delmon Young pounced on it for a solo homer to right-center.

San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy and Detroit manager Jim Leyland then turned the game over to the bullpens. Scherzer was relieved by Drew Smyly in the seventh. Cain completed seven innings, then Jeremy Affeldt pitched the eighth.  

Through nine innings, the score remained tied. In the 10th, Detroit’s Phil Coke came back to the mound for his second inning. He had struck out all three Giants he faced in the ninth (Pence, Belt, and Grégor Blanco). On Coke’s second pitch in the 10th, Ryan Theriot16 hit a soft liner to right for a single. Theriot advanced to second on Brandon Crawford’s sacrifice, but Ángel Pagán went down swinging for the second out. On a 3-and-1 count, Championship Series MVP Scutaro17 just 3-for-15 until then in the World Series, punched a looping line-drive single to center, scoring Theriot.18 Giants 4, Tigers 3.

In the bottom of the 10th, Sergio Romo, who had recently assumed San Francisco’s closer role,19 came in to face the top of the Tigers’ order. He struck Jackson out swinging. Pinch-hitter Don Kelly stepped into the batter’s box. He worked the count to 2-and-2 and also struck out swinging. The last hope for the Tigers was their star, Cabrera. Romo and Cabrera battled to a 2-and-2 count. Romo threw a tailing fastball down the middle and Cabrera was called out looking.20

The Giants had won their second championship in three years. Two years earlier, they beat the Texas Rangers in five games to win the 2010 Series.21  

While a downcast Cabrera walked away from home plate, an elated Posey sprinted out to the mound to hug Romo, who was screaming. As the visitors dugout emptied, other Giants ran toward the mound to celebrate. During the mayhem behind the mound, Scutaro accidentally hit reliever Javier López’s mouth with the back of his head. It drew blood, but López took it in stride, saying, “It’s championship blood.”22

“It was such an unselfish group,” said manager Bochy. “They just loved each other, played for each other, [and] had a never-say-die attitude.”23

“A tremendous amount of credit goes to Bochy, because he’s the orchestrator,” said Pence. “He knows how to push the right buttons.”24

Back in San Francisco, car horns blared and fans went out into the streets to celebrate. Traffic was blocked in front of some sports bars.25 At the Civic Center Plaza, where thousands of fans had watched the game on a big screen, fireworks exploded overhead.26

Santiago Casilla, who faced two batters in the bottom of the ninth, was the winning pitcher. Coke took the loss and Romo got the save. In the error-free game, the Giants had four runs on nine hits, and the Tigers three runs on five hits. Sandoval’s 8-for-16, 3-homer Series earned him World Series MVP honors.

This was the first time both leagues’ batting champs (Cabrera and Posey) had played in the Series since 1954 when Willie Mays of the New York Giants and the Cleveland Indians’ Bobby Ávila faced each other.

Several days after the Series, Cabrera and Posey27 were named MVPs of their leagues. Two MVPs in the same Series didn’t occur again until 2024 (with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge of the Yankees).28

Pitching and defense helped the Giants stymie the usually potent Tigers offense. The Giants

had the lowest team ERA (1.46) since the Orioles posted a 0.50 ERA in the 1966 World Series. The Giants’ starting pitchers allowed just one run in Games One through Three.29

Cabrera, who went 3-for-13 in the Series, said he was “embarrassed.”30

“When your everyday players are kind of quiet,” said Leyland, “then your team just seems like it’s a different personality.”31

Theriot, who lost his regular job as Giants second baseman when Scutaro joined the club in July, said: “I’ve never been around a team that had chemistry like this. I mean, this is special. You can go down the line on this team, one guy after another, and call him our most valuable player.”32

“What makes it special [is] the way we did it,” added Scutaro. “We [were] always against the wall and [we] came through [in the] first series, second series, and now we sweep the Tigers.”33

“Detroit probably didn’t know what it was in for,” said Giants general manager Brian Sabean. “Our guys had a date with destiny.”34

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Laura Peebles and copy-edited by Len Levin. The author thanks John Fredland, Gary Belleville, and Kurt Blumenau for their assistance.

Sources and Photo Credits

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and SABR.org for general player, team, and season information.

The baseball card image was downloaded from the Trading Card Database.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/DET/DET201210280.shtml

 https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2012/B10280DET2012.htm

Notes

1 Even though both franchises were more than a century old, this Series was the first time the Tigers and Giants had met in the postseason. The 2012 World Series had the lowest TV ratings to date: 12.7 million viewers and a 7.6 rating. “Giants’ Sweep of Tigers Marks Lowest World Series Audience on Record,” sportsbusinessjournal.com, October 29, 2012, https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2012/10/30/Media/World-Series/.

2 2012 Giants’ Synopsis: Scutaro was acquired from the Colorado Rockies on July 27. He hit .362 over 61 regular-season games with the Giants. Shortly after Scutaro’s arrival, Pence came to the Giants in a trade with the Phillies. Pence became the regular right fielder, provided clutch offense, and with his impassioned speeches, he was a motivational leader who was nicknamed The Reverend. Along with these additions, brilliant managing by skipper Bruce Bochy was instrumental in overcoming difficult challenges during the regular season and postseason. The Giants had a big setback in August when their best batter, Melky Cabrera (no relation to Miguel Cabrera), was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone. He was batting .346 with an OPS of .906 prior to the suspension. Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and one of the stars of the 2010 World Series, struggled during the regular season, finishing 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA over 33 starts. He was moved from his starting role to the bullpen for the postseason and flourished as a reliever, allowing just one run on three hits in five postseason relief appearances, with 17 strikeouts over 13 innings. “2012: A Giant October Surprise,” thisgreatgame.com, accessed June 24, 2025, https://thisgreatgame.com/2012-baseball-history/. Sandoval had 24 hits in the 2012 postseason, nearly breaking the record at that time of 25 held by David Freese, Darin Erstad, and Marquis Grissom. Tony Valley, “October 29, 2014: Bumgarner’s Heroics Lift Giants to World Series Win in Game 7,” SABR.org, accessed June 29, 2025, https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-29-2014-bumgarners-heroics-lift-giants-to-world-series-win-in-game-7/.

3 The Giants were the first big-league team to prevail in a best-of-five series when down two games by winning three straight on the road. Maria Guardado, “Reliving the 2012 Giants’ Improbable Title Run,” mlb.com, August 12, 2022, https://www.mlb.com/giants/news/remembering-giants-2012-world-series-title. In the NLCS, Marco Scutaro had 14 hits, tying a League Championship Series record. Zack Ruskin, “2012 World Series: Are the San Francisco Giants Now a Team of Destiny?” bleacherreport.com, May 31, 2018, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1381839-2012-world-series-are-the-san-francisco-giants-now-a-team-of-destiny. In their last three wins against the Cardinals in the NLCS and their first three Series wins against the Tigers, the Giants led by a combined score of 32-4, and they had not trailed over 56 consecutive innings, the second-longest streak in big-league playoff history. John Niyo, “Four-gone,” Detroit News, October 29, 2012: C1.

4 2012 Tigers’ Synopsis: The offense was led by 2012 Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder (.313, 30 homers, 108 RBIs, and an OPS of .940), and leadoff man Austin Jackson (.300, 16 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a league-leading 10 triples). Justin Verlander had an extraordinary season in 2012 with a 2.64 ERA while leading the major leagues in innings pitched (238 1/3) and strikeouts (239). Max Scherzer placed second in the majors for strikeouts (231).    

Delmon Young batted in the game-winning runs in Games One and Two, and the game-tying runs in Games Three and Four in the Tigers’ ALCS sweep of the Yankees. He was named the MVP of that series. “2012: A Giant October Surprise.” This was manager Jim Leyland’s third World Series. He managed the Florida Marlins to their 1997 championship and took the Tigers to the 2006 Series.

5 The Tigers became the third team to sweep a League Championship Series and then get swept in the World Series. The other teams that did this were the 1990 Oakland A’s and the 2007 Colorado Rockies.

6 Anthony Rome, “Updated 2012 World Series and Pennant Odds to Win – Three Teams Favored,” thespread.com, October 4, 2012, https://www.thespread.com/mlb-articles/updated-2012-world-series-a-pennant-odds-to-win-three-teams-favored/.

7 The Tigers lost the 2006 Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, four games to one.

8 John Shea, “Eavesdrops,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 29, 2012: B8.

9 Lovato, whose biggest pop hit as of 2025 was 2016’s “Sorry Not Sorry” (number 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100), was a judge on The X Factor in 2012, a program broadcast on Fox, the same network that carried the World Series. Legendary singer Aretha Franklin, who grew up in Detroit and had performed the national anthem before Game Three of the 2011 AL Championship Series between the Tigers and Texas Rangers at Comerica Park, was the scheduled anthem singer for Game Five. Steve Jones, “Aretha Franklin to Sing National Anthem at World Series Game 5,” USA Today, October 23, 2012, https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2012/10/23/aretha-franklin-world-series-national-anthem/1652889/.

10 “2012 World Series,” baseball-almanac.com, accessed June 14, 2025, https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/yr2012ws.shtml. Ordóñez, a right fielder, had retired after the previous season. He played in the AL for 15 years; his last seven seasons were with Detroit. In 2007, he was the AL batting champion (.363).

11 Scherzer had just completed his fifth big-league season. Later, he pitched for the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series, and in the 2023 Series as a Texas Ranger. Through 2025, he was an eight-time All-Star and a three-time Cy Young Award winner. Cain had eight seasons in the majors under his belt. He had previous World Series experience, pitching in the 2010 fall classic. Cain’s entire major-league career was with Giants (13 seasons). The three-time All-Star retired after the 2017 campaign.

12 Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100, (New York: Avid Reader Press, 2021), 70. (ISBN: 9781982180591).

13 Tony Paul, “Fielder Slumps, But Not Alone in Tepid Hitting,” Detroit News, October 29, 2012: C4. Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval was a huge contributor in 2012: In 16 postseason games, Sandoval was 24-for-66 (.364) with 13 RBIs, 6 homers, and 5 doubles. Known for his sense of humor and positive energy, the Venezuelan helped keep the clubhouse loose. 

14 Since Cabrera’s 2012 Triple Crown, there have been no additional Batting Triple Crown winners (as of the end of the 2025 season). In 2012 Cabrera had the highest OPS in the majors (.999).

15 “Giants Win 2012 World Series with 4-Game Sweep,” cbsnews.com, October 28, 2012, https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/world-series-game-4/.

16 This was Theriot’s last major-league plate appearance. He did not usually DH. Rookie Héctor Sánchez was the designated hitter in Game Three, but he struck out three times in four at-bats.

17 Scutaro was very productive in the NLCS (14-for-28, 3 doubles, 6 runs, and 4 RBIs).

18 “WS2012 Gm4: Scutaro Laces Go-Ahead RBI Single in 10th,” YouTube video (MLB.com), 0:54, accessed October 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVbk-wp1lJ0.

19 Romo was selected by the Giants in the 28th round of the June 2005 amateur draft. During the first month of the 2012 season, the regular closer, three-time All-Star Brian Wilson, tore an elbow ligament that required Tommy John surgery, ending his season. Santiago Casilla replaced Wilson as the closer, then in August Romo was assigned the closer role. The Editors of Major League Baseball, The Year of The San Francisco Giants: Celebrating the 2012 World Series Champions, (Toronto: Fenn, McClelland & Stewart, 2012), 110, 122.

20 “WS 2012 Gm4: Romo Fans Cabrera to Seal Series Win,” YouTube video (MLB.com), 0:39, accessed October 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjtoh8hlZEU. This was only the second time a World Series ended on a strikeout looking. The first was in 1925, when the Washington Nationals’ Goose Goslin went down against the Pittsburgh Pirates to end Game Seven. Steve Gietschier, “More Whimpers Than Bangs: How Batters Perform When ‘It’s the World Series and They’re Down to Their Final Out,’” SABR.org, Fall 2013 Baseball Research Journal, accessed June 20, 2025, https://sabr.org/journal/article/more-whimpers-than-bangs-how-batters-perform-when-its-the-world-series-and-theyre-down-to-their-final-out/.

21 Winning two championships in three years was an amazing feat, especially during an era of team parity, revenue-sharing, and expanded playoffs. The Giants weren’t finished bringing home trophies: After a disappointing 2013 season (76-86 record and third place in the NL West), they rebounded in 2014 and won their third World Series in five years.

22 Schulman, “SF Giants Win World Series.”

23 Jorge Ortiz, “In 4 Games, Plus 1 Inning, Giants Reign,” USA Today, October 29, 2012: ARC.

24 The Editors of Major League Baseball, The Year of The San Francisco Giants: Celebrating the 2012 World Series Champions, 74.

25 Matt Kawahara, (Associated Press), “World Series: Giants vs. Tigers – News and Notes,” Sacramento Bee, October 29, 2012: C6.

26 Peter Fimrite, Justin Berton, and Kevin Fagan, “Fans Exult: City Erupts in Orange and Exuberance,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 29, 2012: A1. The City by the Bay’s celebration continued with a victory parade on Halloween Day with over one million onlookers. The event featured Bochy holding the Series trophy in the back seat of a Rolls-Royce (the car ran out of gas before the end of the parade route), along with thousands of people wearing Panda hats, and a man dressed as a Viking who swept plush tigers back and forth with his broom. Surprise guest Tony Bennett sang, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Creative signs were ubiquitous, including one reading, “Dodger Fans are Working Today.” Alex Pavlovic, “World Series Parade: San Francisco Gives Giants Ultimate Thank You,” timesheraldonline.com, August 29, 2018, https://www.timesheraldonline.com/2012/11/01/world-series-parade-san-francisco-gives-giants-ultimate-thank-you/.

27 Posey came back from a major injury that caused him to miss most of the 2011 season, and he had an outstanding 2012 with 24 homers, 103 RBIs, an OPS of .957, and a major-league-leading .336 batting average.

28 Before the 2012 Series, two MVPs in the same World Series had not occurred since 1988 (Jose Canseco of the A’s and the Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson).

29 The Tigers’ team batting average was .159 for the Series. Cabrera batted .231 and Prince Fielder averaged just .071 (1-for-14). The Giants’ pitchers went out strong in Game Four: Seven of the game’s last 10 batters were struck out. The 2012 World Series was the first time the final half-inning of a Series ended with three straight strikeouts. Steve Gietschier, “More Whimpers Than Bangs: How Batters Perform When ‘It’s the World Series and They’re Down to Their Final Out.’”

30 Bob Wojnowski, “A Season to Remember,” Detroit News, October 30, 2012: B1.

31 John Niyo, “Four-Gone.”

32 Bruce Jenkins, “Clincher: 2nd World Title Cements Status as Baseball’s Top Franchise,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 29, 2012: A1.

33 “Giants Win 2012 World Series with 4-Game Sweep.” The Giants’ 2012 championship was the only World Series sweep in this decade.

34 Maria Guardado, “Reliving the 2012 Giants’ Improbable Title Run.”