Blanco's Catches Help Giants Grab Victory
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Gregor Blanco began sprinting in before he even heard the crack of Miguel Cabrera's bat.
With speedy Austin Jackson running from first base and San Francisco only up a run in the third inning, the left fielder committed all the way. He sprinted forward, then cut to his left, and stretched out to make a diving grab that robbed the Triple Crown winner of a hit. Blanco's elastic catch kept the Giants in the lead at a critical point in San Francisco's 8-3 victory in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night.
"I just said to myself, 'We cannot let them start a rally,"' Blanco said. "They have great hitters. If you let them have confidence with their offense, it's going to be trouble for us."
RELATED COVERAGE: » BoxScore » Game Pics » Fan Pics » Tweets
» Buy Giants Gear » World Series Schedule & Stats » Full Coverage
POST-GAME VIDEO: » Pablo Sandoval & Barry Zito » Bruce Bochy
» Inside The Locker Room: Lincecum, Blanco, Posey & Pagan
Thanks to Blanco, the Giants never let that happen.
The same man who made a diving catch on the warning track in right-center field to rob Jordan Schafer and save Matt Cain's perfect game on June 13 against Houston came through in the biggest moments again.
In the sixth, Prince Fielder flipped his bat as soon as his slicing line drive zipped off his bat—then stopped his sprint when Blanco made another diving grab. Blanco, sprawled out on the grass, raised his right glove hand and brought the home fans roaring to their feet, a familiar site at AT&T Park.
"I had some funky spin on it, and that was so impressive because not only did he dive, but he had to stay with the path of that ball," said Giants starter Barry Zito, who shut out the Tigers until Cabrera's RBI single in the sixth. "Blanco is just such a huge part of this team in every way."
Has been all season.
The 28-year-old from Venezuela, who got most of the playing time in left field when Melky Cabrera was suspended for 50 games, also ran down a hard-hit ball by Allen Craig in left-center in the third inning against St. Louis in Game 7 of the NL championship series. But no matter how many spectacular snags he makes, Blanco—and just about everybody else in San Francisco—will always remember his perfect-game saving catch.
"Any ball that is close to him, I've got a good feeling he's going to dive and catch it," said Cain, the Game 4 starter. "He makes a lot of diving catches and, maybe most importantly, knows when to do it."
(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
