Don't tell Giants fans about the ratings.  Don't tell them the World Series was boring.  For the second time in three years, their team has won the World Series, and they couldn't care less how it happened.  But how did it happen?  How did this team that didn't even make the postseason in 2011 suddenly roar through the 2012 playoffs and win the World Series?

It wasn't Melky Cabrera that helped them win.  It wasn't a repeat of 2010 when Tim Lincecum was dominating every one of his starts.  They didn't smash the ball with a ridiculously potent offense.  They didn't have their dominant closer, Brian Wilson.  No, this team was different.  Cabrera, arguably their best player, was suspended for PED use.  Pablo Sandoval missed a large chunk of time due to injuries.  Tim Lincecum struggled throughout the season and was relegated to a bullpen role in the postseason.  They hit the fewest home runs in all of baseball at home.  But they won.


They won thanks to Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner.  They won because Ryan Vogelson had another solid year after last season's breakout campaign.  They won because a light-hitting middle infielder acquired in the middle of the season suddenly became one of the team's best hitters.  Marco Scutaro even went on to win the National League Championship Series MVP.  They won because they came together.  Chemistry is the overlooked key to any successful team.

Wilson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April, was one of the team's biggest cheerleaders.  He provided entertainment throughout the season from the dugout steps.  He didn't always have to be there.  He could have been rehabbing his elbow.  But he traveled with the team, he sat in the dugout, he celebrated every win.  And when Melky Cabrera was busted, the team could have crumbled.  Instead, they rallied together and said "We can win without him."  And they did.

Their manager, Bruce Bochy, now has four World Series appearances in his career as a player and a manager.  He was the San Diego Padres' catcher in 1984 when that team lost to the Detroit Tigers.  He was the Padres' manager when the Padres were swept in 1998 by the New York Yankees.  Now, he has two rings with the San Francisco Giants, and he is quietly building himself a Hall of Fame resume.  But if you asked him, he'd say it's not about him.  It's about his team.

One year after suffering a broken leg and torn ligaments, Buster Posey won the National Leagues comeback player of the year award.  He won the batting title after a rule change disqualified Cabrera.  He found his power stroke as well.  He was the heart and soul of a team with plenty of heart.  He was the soft-spoken leader amongst a group of rambunctious party animals.  Yet, it wasn't just him that led this team to another championship.  It was each and every player.  It was Pablo Sandoval suddenly hitting for power and clubbing three home runs in a World Series game.  It was the unlikeliest of heroes, Barry Zito, pitching lights out throughout the postseason.  It was a team who refused to back down and refused to quit.

Given six spots where they could have been eliminated in this year's postseason, the Giants responded and won every one of those games.  They won seven straight games to close out the season.  They were dominant when they needed to be dominant.

And that's why they are the 2012 World Series Champions.  MLB Injury News salutes the San Francisco Giants.
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