MLB: San Francisco Giants cruise into the World Series with a 9-0 win over St Louis
Last Updated: October 30, 2012 3:56pm
The San Francisco Giants cruised to the National League pennant with a 9-0 win over St Louis in their decisive game seven clash.
Matt Cain was effective for five innings to lead the Giants to victory in the Championship Series and send the give them a chance of a second World Series success in three seasons.
The 2010 champions were rarely troubled with the game blown apart in the third inning when they tacked five runs on to their 2-0 lead, Hunter Pence doing the damage with a double that cleared the bases.
Brandon Belt hit the only home run of the night, in the eighth, and by then fans at AT&T Park were already in party mood with the Cardinals bats failing to make the most of their chances.
They managed seven hits off a combination of Cain and the Giants bullpen, but the middle of their order failed to bring home any runs with David Freese leaving five men on base and Daniel Descalso four.
Cain gave up five hits in 5 2/3 innings with two more hits given up by the Giants bullpen, but the big zero against the Cardinals name on the scoreboard was all that really mattered as the game finished in driving rain.
"These guys never quit,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They just kept believing and they got it done."
The World Series begins on Wednesday with the Detroit Tigers travelling to California for the start of seven-games that will decide the championship.
