SAN FRANCISCO — In a game with more twists and turns than San Francisco’s famous crooked street, the Giants defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in 13 innings Monday night to stay alive in the National League Division Series. It was the Giants’ 10th consecutive victory in a postseason elimination game, the longest such streak in major league history.
As is so often the case with the Giants in the postseason, the heroes were unexpected — relievers Derek Law, Hunter Strickland, Will Smith and Ty Blach. Backup third baseman Conor Gillaspie. And second baseman Joe Panik, who missed a chunk of the season to a concussion, and never seemed to regain his hitting form after he returned.