Justin Verlander is the most dominant pitcher in baseball, so when things lined up for him to start Game 1 of the World Series, most people felt pretty good about the Tigers chances. Most people weren't counting on the guy they call "Panda" to channel the spirit of Babe Ruth and make Verlander look like a little kid out there. In fact, one idiot said:
The last time Verlander pitched in the World Series was his rookie year, when he got rocked in Game 1 by the St. Louis Cardinals. He's a must-watch pitcher without any extra motivation. With it? He may literally destroy the Giants tonight. They may not even be able to play a Game 2 after the damage JV delivers to them.
What a moron! Who would say such a... Oh yeah, that was me.
In a testament to how weird and random (or dramatic and magical if that's more your thing) baseball can be, Pablo Sandoval (who is good, but certainly not great, and had a slightly down year) put the Giants on his ample back and carried them past the best pitcher in the world.
He didn't just hit one home run.
Not two home runs.
But three home runs.
How were Giants fans feeling?
