2014 National League Wild Card Game

Play-in game during postseason September 2014 nl 2014 National League Wild Card Game logo.png 2014 San Francisco Giants 0 0 0 4 0 1 2 1 0 8 11 2 Pittsburgh Pirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Bruce Bochy Clint Hurdle October 1, 2014 PNC Park Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 40,629 Kent Tekulvehttps://www.newspapers.com/clip/36752601/tekulve/ Tekulve Pittsburgh Post-Gazette October 2, 2014 10 ESPN Dan Shulman, John Kruk, Buster Olney, and Tim Kurkjian ESPN Dave O'Brien and Aaron Boone Joe West (crew chief), Doug Eddings, Paul Emmel, Andy Fletcher, Brian Gorman, Mark Wegner, Phil Cuzzi (replay), Tim Timmons (replay) The 2014 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two wild card teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on October 1, 2014, starting at 8:07 p.m. EDT.MLB postseason: Playoff results and schedules through the World Series https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/10/01/mlb-postseason-playoff-results-and-schedules-through-the-world-series/ October 1, 2014 Des Bieler October 3, 2014 The Washington Post After both teams finished the regular season with identical records of 88–74,San Francisco Giants (88-74) at Pittsburgh Pirates (88-74), 8:07 p.m. (ET) http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/10/01/4197679/san-francisco-giants-88-74-at.html?sp=/99/103/123/ October 1, 2014 October 6, 2014 The News & Observer Raleigh, North Carolina the Pirates were awarded home field for the game, as they won the season series against the Giants, 4–2.Possible tiebreaking scenarios explained http://m.mlb.com/news/article/95341554/possible-tiebreaking-scenarios-explained https://web.archive.org/web/20140921034020/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/95341554/possible-tiebreaking-scenarios-explained dead September 21, 2014 September 24, 2014 October 6, 2014 Anthony Castrovince MLB.com MLB Advanced MediaPirates win, clinch top wild card spot https://www.reuters.com/article/bbo-pirates-reds-writethru-idUSMTZEA9RJFBR2V20140927 September 27, 2014 October 6, 2014 Reuters Despite this advantage, the Giants won by a score of 8–0 and advanced to play the Washington Nationals in the NL Division Series.2014 MLB Postseason Schedule http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/ps.jsp?y=14 October 3, 2014 MLB.com MLB Advanced Media In addition to being the third NL Wild Card Game played, it is notable for the first postseason grand slam hit by a shortstop. The game was televised on ESPN, and was also broadcast on ESPN Radio.Start times announced for potential Tiebreaker, Wild Card Games https://www.mlb.com/news/start-times-announced-for-potential-tiebreaker-wild-card-games/c-96817718 September 29, 2014 October 3, 2014 MLB.com MLB Advanced Media Background 2014 San Francisco Giants season 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates season In Major League Baseball, the two teams with the best record in each league who do not win a division play against each other in the Wild Card Game. This was the second postseason meeting between the Giants and Pirates – the two teams first met in the 1971 NL Championship Series, with the Pirates coming from behind to win three games to one after dropping Game 1.1971 NLCS (3–1): Pittsburgh Pirates (97–65) over San Francisco Giants (90–72) Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1971_NLCS.shtml October 3, 2014 The Giants' most recent postseason appearance was in 2012, when they swept the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series that year.Giants' postseason streak a credit to consistent core http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97677450/giants-postseason-win-streak-a-credit-to-consistent-core-of-players https://web.archive.org/web/20141006101736/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97677450/giants-postseason-win-streak-a-credit-to-consistent-core-of-players dead October 6, 2014 October 5, 2014 October 6, 2014 Anthony DiComo MLB.com MLB Advanced Media On the other hand, the Pirates were able to advance to the playoffs in the previous season, marking the team's first postseason appearance in 21 years.Pittsburgh Pirates Lock Up First MLB Playoff Berth in 21 Years https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-24/pittsburgh-pirates-lock-up-first-mlb-playoff-berth-in-21-years.html September 24, 2013 October 6, 2014 Erik Matuszewski Bloomberg They lost three games to two in that year's NLDS to the St. Louis Cardinals.Stifled behind Cole, Bucs eliminated from postseason http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_10_09_pitmlb_slnmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=pit October 10, 2013 October 6, 2014 Tom Singer MLB.com MLB Advanced Media The first half of the 2014 season ended with both teams having three players on the NL squad for the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson, and Hunter Pence represented the Giants,https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/bat-all-star.shtml San Francisco Giants All-Star Player Register Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC October 8, 2014 while Josh Harrison, Andrew McCutchen, and Tony Watson represented the Pirates.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/PIT/bat-all-star.shtml Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Player Register Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC October 8, 2014 During the second half of the season, there were several teams that were in contention for the two Wild Card spots, along with their divisional competition. These included the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and Miami Marlins, in addition to San Francisco and Pittsburgh.Giancarlo Stanton powers Miami Marlins' chase for NL wild card https://www.si.com/mlb/2014/08/17/giancarlo-stanton-miami-marlins-playoff-chase August 17, 2014 October 8, 2014 Jon Tayler Sports Illustrated Time Inc. The Pirates performed poorly in August,In spite of struggles, Braves in tie for 2nd wild card spot http://atlantabraves.blog.ajc.com/2014/09/05/in-spite-of-struggles-braves-in-tie-for-2nd-wild-card-spot/?__federated=1 September 5, 2014 David O'Brien October 8, 2014 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution October 12, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141012174450/http://atlantabraves.blog.ajc.com/2014/09/05/in-spite-of-struggles-braves-in-tie-for-2nd-wild-card-spot/?__federated=1 dead and they lost seven consecutive games at one point.Pirates keep pace in playoff race with walk-off win http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_08_20_atlmlb_pitmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=pit August 20, 2014 October 8, 2014 Tom Singer MLB.com MLB Advanced MediaOctober 2024 medicmedic However, the team made a resurgence by winning 17 of the last 23 games of the regular season, surpassing San Francisco in the process for first place in the wild card standings.SF Giants heading to Pittsburgh for wild-card playoff http://blog.sfgate.com/giants/2014/09/28/official-madison-bumgarner-to-start-wednesday-for-sf-giants-plus-start-time/ September 28, 2014 Henry Schulman October 8, 2014 San Francisco Chronicle The Pirates secured their spot in the postseason on September 23,Back to Buctober: Pirates rally to clinch spot http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_09_23_pitmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=pit September 23, 2014 October 8, 2014 Tom Singer MLB.com MLB Advanced Media while the Giants made it to the playoffs two days later.Giants clinch Wild Card, then wait to celebrate http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/96359014/giants-clinch-wild-card-then-wait-to-celebrate https://web.archive.org/web/20140927183257/http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/96359014/giants-clinch-wild-card-then-wait-to-celebrate dead September 27, 2014 September 26, 2014 October 8, 2014 Ryan Hood MLB.com MLB Advanced Media Both were the result of separate Brewers' losses to Cincinnati. With Pittsburgh's postseason place secured, manager Clint Hurdle chose to start Gerrit Cole – the team's aceGiants rout Pirates in NL wild-card game http://www.jconline.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/10/01/giants-rout-pirates-nl-wild-card-game/16570683/ October 1, 2014 Will Graves October 7, 2014 Journal & Courier Lafayette, Indiana – in the final game of the season against the Cincinnati Reds on September 28, instead of skipping his turn in the rotation and saving his start for the Wild Card Game.Pirates notebook: Hurdle defends plan to use Cole https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2014/09/29/Hurdle-defends-plan-to-use-Cole/stories/201409290133 September 29, 2014 Bill Brink October 7, 2014 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette This was done in an effort to beat the Cardinals to the NL Central division title, rather than settling for the wild card spot.Organization aligned in decision to start Cole http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/96799966/organization-aligned-in-decision-to-start-gerrit-cole September 29, 2014 October 6, 2014 Tom Singer MLB.com MLB Advanced Media https://web.archive.org/web/20141009014243/http://m.pirates.mlb.com/news/article/96799966/organization-aligned-in-decision-to-start-gerrit-cole October 9, 2014 dead mdy-all The Pirates also needed to rely on the Arizona Diamondbacks – which finished with the worst record in the MLB at 64–98 (.395)2014 Major League Baseball Standings and Head-to-Head Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2014-standings.shtml October 7, 2014 – to defeat St. Louis in order to force a tiebreaker. However, this did not come to fruition as the Cardinals narrowly won 1–0 over the D-backs,https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ARI/ARI201409280.shtml September 28, 2014 St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks Play by Play and Box Score Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC September 28, 2014 October 3, 2014 while the Pirates lost 4–1 to Cincinnati.Cole's 12 K's not enough as Pirates fall to Reds http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_09_28_pitmlb_cinmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=pit September 28, 2014 October 7, 2014 Tom Singer MLB.com MLB Advanced MediaOctober 2024 medicmedic As a result of Cole starting in Sunday's season finale, he was unable to pitch in the Wild Card Game on Wednesday. Game results Line score thumb|right|Madison Bumgarner became only the third pitcher to throw a shutout with at least 10 strikeouts in a deciding postseason game. October 1, 2014 8:09pm (EDT) PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 63 F C, cloudy San Francisco SF 0 0 0 4 0 1 2 1 0 8 11 2 Pittsburgh PIT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 Madison Bumgarner (1–0) Edinson Vólquez (0–1) Brandon Crawford (1) 40,629 https://www.mlb.com/gameday/giants-vs-pirates/2014/10/01/416346#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=416346 thumb|right|In the fourth inning, Brandon Crawford hit the first postseason grand slam by a shortstop. For the Wild Card Game, the Pirates started Edinson Vólquez, who had a 13–7 win–loss record and 3.04 earned run average (ERA) in 31 games started during the 2014 season.Edinson Vólquez Statistics and History Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/volqued01.shtml October 3, 2014 Hurdle picked him over the team's other available starters – Francisco Liriano (who would have been pitching on only three days' rest) and Jeff Locke, who pitched erratically throughout the year.Pirates' Volquez named starter for wild card game against Giants https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2014/09/29/Pirates-Volquez-named-starter-for-wild-card-game-against-Giants/stories/201409290197 September 29, 2014 Bill Brink October 7, 2014 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The Giants selected left-hander Madison Bumgarner, who had an 18–10 win–loss record and 2.98 ERA during the season, as their starting pitcher.Madison Bumgarner Statistics and History Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bumgama01.shtml October 3, 2014 He was chosen over Jake Peavy,Madison Bumgarner to start wild card ESPN Internet Ventures ESPN Associated Press September 28, 2014 https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/11607054/san-francisco-giants-start-madison-bumgarner-nl-wild-card-game October 7, 2014Giants season in hands of bulldog Madison Bumgarner https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/09/30/madison-bumgarner-nl-wild-card-giants-pirates/16508165/ September 30, 2014 Jorge L. Ortiz October 7, 2014 USA Today given the southpaw's superior record on the road during the season; Bumgarner compiled an 11–4 win–loss record with a 2.22 ERA on the road, compared to a 7–6 record and 4.03 ERA at AT&T Park.Giants will be on the road for wild-card game, but where? http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/27/6740120/giants-will-be-on-the-road-for.html September 27, 2014 Matt Kawahara October 7, 2014 The Sacramento Bee https://web.archive.org/web/20141009211945/http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/27/6740120/giants-will-be-on-the-road-for.html October 9, 2014 dead The first third of the game was a tight scoreless pitcher's duel between Volquez and Bumgarner,https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT201410010.shtml October 1, 2014 National League Wild Card (NLWC) Game 1, Giants at Pirates Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC October 1, 2014 October 3, 2014 with the latter needing to throw just 28 pitches – the fewest pitches he has ever tossed in three consecutive innings of any game in his career.Top stats to know: Giants dominate Pirates ESPN Internet Ventures ESPN October 2, 2014 https://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/96498/top-stats-to-know-giants-dominate-pirates October 6, 2014 Only one batter – Giants' third baseman Pablo Sandoval – was able to advance as far as second base during this time. The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when Volquez gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases. The subsequent batter, Brandon Crawford, hit a grand slam. This was the first grand slam hit by a shortstop in postseason history.Crawford sparks Giants with first playoff slam by shortstop http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97247530/giants-brandon-crawford-first-shortstop-to-hit-grand-slam-in-postseason-history October 2, 2014 October 3, 2014 Paul Casella MLB.com MLB Advanced Media October 30, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171030145142/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97247530/giants-brandon-crawford-first-shortstop-to-hit-grand-slam-in-postseason-history/ dead Up until this point, players from all other positions in baseball – including pitcherDave McNally, 60, Early Free Agent, Dies https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/03/sports/dave-mcnally-60-early-free-agent-dies.html December 3, 2002 Richard Goldstein October 3, 2014 The New York Timeshttp://sabr.org/bioproj/person/11d59b62 Dave McNally Mark Armour The Baseball Biography Project Society for American Baseball Research October 3, 2014 – had hit postseason grand slams.Pirates ousted as Giants' power backs Madison Bumgarner shutout ESPN Internet Ventures ESPN Associated Press October 1, 2014 http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=341001123 https://web.archive.org/web/20141002062929/http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=341001123 dead October 2, 2014 October 3, 2014 Volquez pitched until the top of the sixth inning, when he gave up a walk and was replaced by Justin Wilson, who promptly threw a wild pitch. Wilson then allowed the inherited runner to score on a run batted in (RBI) single by Brandon Belt, who ended up driving in two more runs in the seventh inning with another single. The Giants added their final run of the game with an RBI single by Buster Posey in the top of the eighth. The Pirates, who had struggled to score a run off Bumgarner throughout the entire game, came closest in the bottom of the eighth inning. With one out, they had runners at the corners after two errors and a single. He extinguished the threat by striking out Jordy Mercer and having reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen ground into a force out.Giants, MadBum slam Pirates in Wild Card http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_10_01_sfnmlb_pitmlb_1&mode=recap_away&c_id=sf October 2, 2014 October 3, 2014 Chris Haft MLB.com MLB Advanced Media Although Giants manager Bruce Bochy instructed closer Sergio Romo to warm up in the bullpenNL wild card: Madison Bumgarner throws complete game as Giants beat Pirates, 8–0 https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/nl-wild-card-madison-bumgarner-throws-complete-game-as-giants-beat-pirates-8-0/2014/10/01/fb414de6-49b4-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html October 1, 2014 Barry Svrluga October 3, 2014 The Washington Post – in preparation of removing Bumgarner from the game – the starter insisted on continuing into the bottom of the ninth.Crawford's slam sets tone as Giants top Pirates 8–0 http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Crawford-s-slam-sets-tone-as-Giants-top-Pirates-5795449.php October 2, 2014 Henry Schulman October 3, 2014 San Francisco Chronicle He proceeded to pitch a perfect inning to finish the shutout, giving up four singles and one walk while striking out 10 during the complete game. In contrast, the entire Pirates' lineup batted .125 that night; excluding Josh Harrison's 2-for-4 performance, the rest of the team hit 2-for-28 (.071). Aftermath By winning the game, San Francisco secured the team's seventh NLDS appearance in franchise history since the permanent implementation of the Division Series after the 1994 season.https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/ World Series Winners, Records, and Results and Postseason Series Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC October 6, 2014 They also extended their record for most consecutive victories in postseason elimination games to seven. This tied the Kansas City Royals, who had just extended their record the night before.Did You Know? 2014 NL Wild Card Game http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97270440/did-you-know-2014-nl-wild-card-game https://web.archive.org/web/20141002223529/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/97270440/did-you-know-2014-nl-wild-card-game dead October 2, 2014 October 2, 2014 October 3, 2014 Manny Randhawa MLB.com MLB Advanced Media Bumgarner became just the third pitcher – after Sandy Koufax (in the 1965 World Series) and Justin Verlander (in the 2012 American League Division Series) – to pitch a shutout with at least 10 strikeouts in a deciding postseason game.Bumgarner's October masterpiece ESPN Internet Ventures ESPN Jayson Stark October 2, 2014 https://www.espn.com/mlb/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/11626019/madison-bumgarner-new-october-masterpiece October 3, 2014 The Giants played the Washington Nationals in the NLDS. The second game of that series saw San Francisco win 2–1 after 18 innings. Lasting 6 hours and 23 minutes, it was the longest postseason game in history in terms of time elapsed,Giants, Nats battle in longest playoff game in history https://www.mlb.com/news/giants-nats-battle-in-longest-playoff-game-in-history/c-97621636 October 2, 2014 October 3, 2014 Manny Randhawa MLB.com MLB Advanced Media and was the joint-longest in terms of innings (tied with the 4th game of the 2005 NLDS between the Houston Astros and the Braves).Giants-Nationals, Game 2: Did you know? http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/97623440/giants-nationals-game-2-did-you-know https://web.archive.org/web/20141008072722/http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/97623440/giants-nationals-game-2-did-you-know dead October 8, 2014 October 5, 2014 October 8, 2014 Ryan Hood MLB.com MLB Advanced Media Although the Nationals won the next game against Bumgarner – ending the Giants' NL record of 10 consecutive postseason games wonNationals-Giants Game 3: Did You Know? http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/97790976/nationals-giants-game-3-did-you-know https://web.archive.org/web/20141008073006/http://m.giants.mlb.com/news/article/97790976/nationals-giants-game-3-did-you-know dead October 8, 2014 October 7, 2014 October 8, 2014 Andrew Simon MLB.com MLB Advanced Media – San Francisco triumphed in Game 4 to clinch the series 3–1 and advance to the NL Championship Series (NLCS).2014 NL Division Series (3–1): San Francisco Giants (88–74) over Washington Nationals (96–66) Baseball-Reference.com Sports Reference LLC https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/2014_NLDS1.shtml October 8, 2014 The NLCS was played between Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals in a rematch of the NLCS two years before.Cardinals And Giants Advance To NLCS, Will Play Each Other Saturday https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/10/08/354463972/cardinals-and-giants-advance-to-nlcs-will-play-each-other-saturday October 8, 2014 October 8, 2014 Chris Hopkins Doreen McCallister NPR National Public Radio, Inc. The Giants won the series 4–1, attaining the NL pennant and advancing to the World Series for the third time in five years.Giants among men: SF walks off to win NL pennant http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2014_10_16_slnmlb_sfnmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=sf October 17, 2014 October 17, 2014 Chris Haft MLB.com MLB Advanced Media They faced the Kansas City Royals in only the second Fall Classic played between two wild card teams, and the first since the 2002 World Series when San Francisco lost to the Anaheim Angels in seven games.Wild World Series: Perfect Royals vs tested Giants http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/2edee4aefddb44ccaae5acccbceb116f/wild-world-series-perfect-royals-vs-tested-giants October 17, 2014 Ben Walker Associated Press October 17, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141017052233/http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/2edee4aefddb44ccaae5acccbceb116f/wild-world-series-perfect-royals-vs-tested-giants October 17, 2014From wild cards to World Series, Giants, Royals endured https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/10/16/royals-giants-mlb-wild-card-teams/17385731/ September 16, 2014 Jorge L. Ortiz October 17, 2014 USA Today The Giants won the series in seven games, becoming the sixth Wild Card team to win the World Series.Wild Card Teams To Make The World Series https://www.mlb.com/news/wild-card-teams-to-make-the-world-series-c273264024 October 28, 2020 Paul Casella October 4, 2021 MLB.com References 30em External links http://gd2.mlb.com/content/game/mlb/year_2014/month_10/day_01/gid_2014_10_01_sfnmlb_pitmlb_1/boxscore_col.html Two Column Box Score: San Francisco vs. Pittsburgh – October 1, 2014 October 1, 2014 October 3, 2014 MLB.com http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2012_10_05_slnmlb_atlmlb_1&mode=plays San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates – October 1, 2014 | MLB.com Play-by-Play October 1, 2014 October 3, 2014 MLB.com National League Wild Card Game Category:Pittsburgh Pirates postseason Category:San Francisco Giants postseason National League Wild Card Game Category:Major League Baseball Wild Card Game National League Wild Card Game Category:2010s in Pittsburgh