DETROIT – Marco Scutaro singled home the tiebreaking run in the 10th inning, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Detroit Tigers 4-3 on Sunday night to complete a four-game sweep and win their second World Series title in three years.
Ryan Theriot, who went hitless for St. Louis in Game 7 of last year's Series, singled softly into right field off Phil Coke opening the 10th.
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Brandon Crawford sacrificed, nearly bunting the ball past Coke. Angel Pagan struck out and Scutaro singled into short center field as Theriot slid home ahead of Austin Jackson's throw.
Pablo Sandoval, who hit three homers in Game 1, was selected Series MVP. He was 1 for 5 in Game 4, dropping his Series average to .500 (8 for 16).
Santiago Casilla got the final out of the ninth for the win, and Sergio Romo struck out the side in the 10th for his third save, freezing Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera with a called third strike to end it. The Giants ran out of the dugout and bullpen to celebrate between the mound and second base.
Of the 24 teams to take 3-0 Series leads, 21 swept and three won in five games.
Delmon Young hit a tying home run off Matt Cain in the sixth. Cabrera and San Francisco's Buster Posey homered, marking the first time both reigning batting champions went deep in the same Series game.
San Francisco's Brandon Belt hit an RBI triple off the right-field wall in the second inning following a ground-rule double by Hunter Pence. But on a night when the wind was gusting to right field at up to 25 mph, Cabrera put Detroit ahead for the first time in the Series with a wild-blown, two-run drive in the third.
Cabrera's drive, on an 86 mph breaking ball, sailed over Pence, who thought he would catch it but ran out of room in front of the right-field wall on the cool, blustery night. It drove Jackson, who had walked with one out, and ended Detroit's 20-inning scoreless streak.
San Francisco had not trailed since losing Game 4 of the NL championship series, when the Giants fell into a 3-1 series deficit against St. Louis.
With a light rain falling, Scutaro reached on a chopper to third leading off the sixth and, one out later, Max Scherzer hung an 82 mph breaking ball. Posey drove it down the left-field line, where it stayed a few feet fair and landed a couple of rows over the wall for a 3-2 lead.
That advantage didn't last long. Young sent an opposite-field, no-doubt drive into the right-field stands in the bottom half, setting off cheers among the crowd of 42,152, with many fans waving white rally towels.
Andy Dirks followed with a single and Jhonny Peralta hit a drive that Gregor Blanco caught against the wall in left.
After watching Barry Zito, Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong each allow one run or none in the first three games, Cain gave up three runs and five hits in seven innings with five strikeouts and two walks.
Scherzer, pitching on nine days' rest, gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings, struck out eight and walked none. After he left with a runner on second and one out in the seventh, lefty Drew Smyly retired Brandon Crawford on a flyout and righty Octavio Dotel induced a groundout from Angel Pagan.
Smyly, Dotel and Coke combined for 2 2-3 innings of hitless relief before the 10th.
Jeremy Affeldt followed Cain and struck out four in a row before Peralta hit a ninth-inning drive to center that the wind carried and was caught by Pagan on the warning track
Casilla relieved and hit Omar Infante with a pitch, breaking his left hand. Danny Worth ran for Infante and Gerald Laird hit into a forceout.
Sandoval was 1 for 5, dropping his Series average to .500 (8 for 16). He also made a nimble play to throw out Quintin Berry on a bunt to third.
Detroit's Prince Fielder was hitless in four at-bats, dropping to 1 for 14 in the World Series (.071) and 1 for 25 (.040) against right-handers in the postseason.
Detroit has lost seven straight postseason games.
On a 44-degree night, fans bundled up at Comerica Park and some players wore caps with earflaps during batting practice.
Detroit scratched catcher Alex Avila, playing with a sore right arm since he was hit by a foul tip in the opener, and replaced him with Laird. Infante moved up to eighth in the batting order.
San Francisco started Ryan Theriot at designated hitter instead of Hector Sanchez.
INNING 1
Max Scherzer on the mound for Tigers
Pagan strikes out
Scutaro pops up to center, it's caught by Tigers' Jackson
Sandoval strikes out
Jackson first up for the Tigers to face Giants pitcher Matt Cain
Scutaro scoops up Jackson's hit and he's out
Berry's ball to far right is called foul, it looks like it was only by inches
Scutaro catches Berry's ball again
Cabrera up with 2 men out, he's walked by Cain
Prince strikes out
No score.
INNING 2
Buster Posey strikes out
Pence hits one to far left center for a double
Belt slams one to right field for a triple, Pence scores
Giants now lead 1-0
Blanco grounds one that is caught by Tigers' Infante
Theriot fly ball into right center, is caught
Tigers now head to the plate, first up is Delmon Young
Young gets base hit
Dirks hits one to center field, it's caught
Peralta's hit goes straight up the infield and is caught
Infante up with two men out and 1 on base – grounder to Crawford.
Score: Giants lead 1-0.
INNING 3
Crawford first up for the Giants
It looks close, but Crawford singles
Pagan hits one into deep right center but Dirks hustles to catch it
Scutaro hits one to center, it's taken care of by Jackson
Sandoval up with two out, base hit to the right that moves Crawford to third
Posey is the third man out for Giants
Laird is in for Avila, he hits ground ball to Scutaro
Jackson is walked, the second allowed by Cain so far
Berry bunts and is thrown out but Jackson makes it to second
Cabrera homers to give Tigers 2-1 lead
INNING 4
Max Scherzer gets his fourth strikeout of the night courtesy of the Giants' Pence
Belt is walked
Jeff Jones goes out to talk to Scherzer, conversation ends with a laugh
Scherzer strikes out Blanco and Belt is thrown out at second to end top half of the inning.
Young up for Tigers, strikes out
Dirks grounder to right, is out
Peralta strikes out
Score: 2-1 Tigers
INNING 5
Theriot first up for Giants and gives Scherzer his sixth strike out of the night
Crawford pops one up that is caught by Peralta.
It's started to get wet at the ballpark – misty
Pagan bounces to infield and is out
Infante leads off the bottom of inning for Tigers, gets base hit into center field
Laird bunts but it's quickly caught in the air
Jackson hits one to shallow center field and is out
Berry is out on a grounder
Score: 2-1 Tigers
INNING 6
Scutaro gets infield hit when Cabrera struggles with throw back to Fielder.
Sandoval strikes out
Buster Posey hits home run. Giants now lead 3-2.
Pence strikes out
Belt hits fly ball into left, it's caught
Cabrera leads off bottom of 6th inning for Tigers, strikes out
Fielder pops up, is out
Delmon Young hits home run!
Game tied 3-3
Dirks base hit
Peralta hits one to far left but it's caught
Score tied 3-3
INNING 7
Blanco starts inning with single
Theriot is out on a grounder
Scherzer is retired. Now pitching for Detroit, Drew Smyly
Crawford's hit flies into center and is caught by Jackson
Two men out
Smyly is done. Dotel is now up to pitch for Detroit
Pagan thrown out.
Seventh inning stretch
Infante flies one to right, is out
Laird pops one up, is out
Jackson loses his bat into the crowd – makes some kid really happy
Jackson strikes out to end the inning
Score: 3-3
INNING 8
Dotel pitching for Tigers
Double play by Tigers gets Scutator and Sandoval out
Posey strikes out
Jeremy Affeldt is pitching for Giants in bottom of inning.
Avisail Garcia leads off for Tigers, gets on base
Cabrera strikes out
Fielder strikes out
Delmon Young out.
Score: 3-3
INNING 9
Phil Coke in to pitch for the Tigers
Pence strikes out
Belt strikes out
Blanco strikes out
Dirks strikes out
Infante is hit by a ball near his left wrist
Game going to extra innings.
INNING 10
Phil Coke still pitching for Detriot
Theriot gets on base
Crawford is thrown out
Pagan strikes out
Laird takes a tap from Pagan's bat in the back of his helmet – but he's OK.
Scutaro line drive into center which leads Theriot to score
Score 4-3 Giants
Sergia Romo pitching for the Giants
Jackson leads off for Tigers, strikes out
Don Kelly in to bat for Tigers, strikes out
Cabrera up, strikes out.
Giants win their second title in three years.