Backtrack to July of this year, just before the All-Star break. The San Francisco Giants were looking fatigued and beaten down, coming off of a 1-5 road trip that ended with and crushing defeat of 13-2 to the Pittsburg Pirates that left both the players and fans deflated and eager to rest up during the break.

The first half of the season was played without the fierce closer Brian Wilson, who suffered a season-ending injury to his throwing elbow. Additionally, the Giants’ ace Tim Lincecum was baffling fans across the nation with his worst season yet.

The team did have its share of bright spots, however, in two of its All-Stars: pitcher Matt Cain and left fielder Melky Cabrera. Cain was on his way to completing his best season yet, wearing his and the team’s first ever perfect game on his sleeve. Meanwhile, Cabrera, who the Giants had acquired in steal of a trade with Colorado and Kansas City, was leading the league in RBIs and potentially on his way to the MPV award.
Later in July, hopes began to rise, as the Giants would add to the hot bats of Melky Cabrera and Buster Posey, trading for Marco Scutaro and Hunter Pence. Though the trade was overshadowed by the Los Angles Dodgers’ big trade that landed them a trio of superstars from the Boston Red Sox, The Giants’ move would eventually prove to be the best trade-deadline snag in all of the National League.
Unfortunately, the celebration did not last long in San Francisco. On August 15th, Giants fans received the worst news they (n)ever could have hoped for; Melky Cabrera would be suspended for 50 games after testing positive for testosterone. Countless fans and baseball experts alike deemed the Giants’ playoff hopes sunk, but the team still had some magic stored in their hats. As they would prove time and time again, Giants never say die.

Just a few weeks after the loss of Cabrera, the Giants would sweep the Dodgers and reclaim first place atop the NL West division. For the remainder of the regular season, the Giants would ride their highly favorable schedule, climbing the wins column and leaving their rivals of Southern California choking in the dust. The Giants would win 14 of their last 20 games and claim the NL West title.
Fueled by their success in September, the Giants were ready to take on their former skipper and the Cincinnati Reds in the NLDS. Despite the well-known fact that the Reds were a great team, nobody anticipated the Giants losing the first two games of the series. Heading to Cincinnati after an embarrassing 9-0 loss, it looked as though the season was coming to a close. But once again, this scrappy Giants team would prove everyone wrong. After scraping out a 2-1 victory in extra innings, San Francisco would go on to win the next two games in Cincinnati fly back home to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.
Yet again the Giants would sink into an early hole, falling behind three games to one in the series. But with their backs against the wall, they would muscle their way out of another jam, as Barry Zito would pitch a stellar start that sent the Giants back to San Francisco, where they would miraculously win the remainder elimination games to win their second National League pennant in three years.

The magic didn’t stop there. In the first two games of the fall classic, the Giants have already made history, behind ace pitching from Zito and Madison Bumgarner, along with amazing performances from NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro as well as third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who tied a record with three home runs in Game 1 of the World Series, joining an elite list alongside Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujos.

Despite all of their ups and downs this season, the Giants have stayed true to a sign hung in their clubhouse that reads, “25 guys, one common goal: win today”. It is this sort of mentality that has kept this team alive.