World Series Update With Tim Kurkjian

The World Series moves to Detroit this weekend with the Giants leading the Tigers, 2-0.  ESPN's Tim Kurkjian joined Bill Littlefield to discuss San Francisco's early lead.

"The Giants are an amazing team," Kurkjian told Bill on this week's Only A Game.  After finding themselves down 2-0 to the Washington Nationals in the National League Division Series, the Giants have won six elimination games, tying a record.

"It's just an amazing story going on here.  There's Giants magic, every single game that they play all bounce a certain way. At some point, as my dad used to tell me, when things like that start to happen you have to think that destiny's on their side."

[sidebar title="Pitchers Hit By Batted Balls" width="630" align="right"]In September 2012, Bill spoke with Tim Kurkjian about the uptick in the number of pitchers being hit by batted balls. Kurkjian wrote about the phenomenon for ESPN. [/sidebar]

San Francisco's pitchers have been great this series, but the team's hitters haven't been far behind.  On Wednesday, Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval became only the fourth major leaguer ever to hit three home runs in a World Series game.  That stat is even more impressive, Kurkjian says, when you realize that there have been 108 World Series in MLB history.  In the first 106, the feat had only been managed twice.

"The first guy who did it, of course, was Babe Ruth, who's the greatest player of all time.  The second guy to do it was Reggie Jackson, who's a first ballot Hall of Famer, Mr. October.  The third guy was Albert Pujols last year, he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer and will retire as the greatest first baseman of all time."

Before Wednesday night, Pablo Sandoval seem on track to join those legends.  He'd only hit 12 homers this year before hitting three in the same World Series game.

Though Kurkjian says destiny might be on the side of the Giants, he's not changing his pick.  "I picked at the beginning, the Tigers to win in seven," Kurkjian says.  "And I'm sticking with it, in part, because I'm stubborn."