SAN FRANCISCO -- One of these days, one of these years, one of these decades, its going to hit them. One of these days, one of these years, one of these decades, these miracle workers disguised as the San Francisco Giants are going to have that moment of clarity when they realize that what they keep doing shouldnt be possible.But apparently, that day isnt this day. That year isnt this year. And that decade definitely isnt this decade.Ten times in their past three October appearances, the Giants have headed for six different ballparks in three different time zones, knowing a loss would end their season. So what are the odds of winning, say, seven of those games? Or eight? Or nine?Well, Ill tell you one thing. They might be greater than the odds of Pablo Sandoval winning the Olympic 100-meter final. But theyre a piece of cake, compared to the odds of doing what the Giants did this time -- on a remarkable Monday evening at AT&T Park, in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.On this night, they didnt just win their (gulp) 10th postseason elimination game in a row, wriggling past the Chicago Cubs?6-5 in a game that ended at close to 3 a.m. back in the groggy confines of the Eastern time zone. No sir. On this night, what the Giants won was a 5-hour, 4-minute, 13-inning ride on the postseason Ferris wheel.They were down. They were up. They were dead. They were alive. They were queasy. They were euphoric. Sometimes all in the same inning.But in the end, they did what they always do in games like this -- namely, make the impossible once again feel not just possible, but practically normal.When youre still playing, youve got a chance, Hunter Pence?said?as the clock ticked toward 1 a.m. Pacific time in a nearly deserted clubhouse. So theres no impossible.Pence is one of five members of this team who has played in every one of those 10 elimination games. The others are first baseman Brandon Belt, shortstop Brandon Crawford, outfielder Gregor Blanco and, of course, the Derek Jeter of his generation, catcher Buster Posey.If the producers of Survivor ever decide its time to cast a season of Survivor: Bay Area, then we have a lot of candidates, joked general manager Bobby Evans. Theyd have a tough time paring it down.What these men have experienced, what theyve shared, what theyve accomplished, is almost as hard to comprehend as it is to actually pull off. So no wonder that on this latest, greatest night of performing their regularly scheduled postseason magic show, they struggled to find the words to describe what theyd just experienced. Again.You know, I use the word unbelievable way too much, Belt said. But it really is unbelievable.Its hard for these guys to remember all these games, let alone rank them. But how could we not ask them where this particular game ranked, seeing as how it contained about 11 different moments that would have caused the average human heart to explode.Boy, Crawford said, after scoring the winning run, its right up there. But Game 7 of the World Series [in 2014] was pretty good, also.Oh, OK. Well allow them to rank that one ahead of the rest, considering it led them all the way to the parade floats. This game, on the other hand, was just their latest survival act -- another desperate, gut-spilling effort to avoid being told it was time to go home.It began with the incomprehensible sight of Jake Arrieta launching a three-run home run off Mr. October himself, Madison Bumgarner -- the first home run Bumgarner had ever served up to any pitcher. It ended with Joe Panik becoming the first second baseman to deliver a walk-off hit in an elimination game since (who else?) Bill Mazeroski.In between, there was the just-not-possible procession of three consecutive Giants left-handed hitters reaching base in the eighth to hang a blown save on Aroldis Chapman ... and a stunning, game-tying, two-run, ninth-inning home run that skipped off the top of a car billboard by the Cubs Kris Bryant ... and a sprinting, sprawling, game-saving, ninth-inning Web Gem by Cubs right fielder Albert Almora Jr. ... and a controversial replay review that left 43,571 people in shock ... and yet another incredible, out-of-the-blue lightning bolt by this Octobers least likely hero, Conor Gillaspie -- a go-ahead, eighth-inning triple off a 101 mph Chapman flameball that was the hardest pitch Gillaspie had ever seen whooshing toward him in his career.But in the end, you know what this was? It was just the San Francisco Giants, doing what they do: living to play October baseball for at least one more day.This, Evans said, was the kind of game you really dream about.He thought back to the moment in his own life when he realized that postseason baseball was something so fantastic, so dramatic and often so downright improbable that it produced memories that stick with you for a lifetime. That happened back in 1975, when he was 6 years old and Carlton Fisk lofted a home run toward the Green Monster in Fenway that hasnt stopped flying through that night -- for four glorious decades.And now, the GM said, you have to pinch yourself to think youre here watching all these historic performances over these last seven years, and realizing these guys are getting all these big hits, pitching these big innings, making these great plays, in equally tough situations -- some to get you to the World Series, some of them actually in the World Series. . . . And its just hard to imagine youre living it right now.Oh, but theyre living it, all right. Over three different Octobers. One sensational Houdini act after another.No baseball team, before they came along, had ever won 10 postseason elimination games in a row. And only one team, in any of the four major professional sports, has won more of these games than this. That would be a team of legends -- the 1959-67 Boston Celtics, who won 11 in a row, in a very different sport and a very different time.But in this sport? In this time? Its a feat of outrageous magnitude. Just to give you some perspective, have you heard of those mighty New York Yankees? Theyve done a lot of winning in October, right? Word of that has probably reached you. But theyve won just 11 of their past 25 postseason elimination games -- a stretch that goes back 40 years.These San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, have done this just over the past four years -- and still have nine players on the roster who have been a part of this cast for all of it.Ill tell you, Pence said, exuding the sort of glow that makes you understand why people play sports in the first place. Its just awesome playing with these guys. ... We just keep each moment and each day, and get out there and play to chase our dreams.Those dreams, for this year, will still require a whole lot of chasing, because all this emotional night had done for them was allow them to show up to play Game 4 on Tuesday. But that doesnt mean what just happened, on their own little field of dreams, wasnt worth savoring.Ten consecutive wins, in games in which winning was the only option? Tell us how that is possible. Seriously. How?You know what? I dont know, Crawford said. But hopefully, we can find out again tomorrow. Swell Flasche Marmor . Galatasaray said in a statement on its website Monday that Mancini signed a three-year contract and will be paid 3.5 million euros for the upcoming season, with his salary upped to 4. Swell Flasche Blumen . -- The boos poured down on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at the end of a horrible first half. http://www.swellflascheschweiz.ch/s-well-bottle-schweiz.html . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Swell Trinkflasche . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Swell Bottle Schweiz Kaufen .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.PHOENIX -- Yu Darvish dominated everyone on Monday night, except Didi Gregorius. The Arizona rookie hit a tying homer off the big Texas right-hander in the eighth inning, then Cliff Pennington singled home the winning run in the ninth to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 victory for a doubleheader sweep of the Rangers. Darvish matched his career best with 14 strikeouts but allowed a run after the sixth inning for the first time this season. "It was just that home run-mistake fastball that I made today," Darvish said through a translator. "It wasnt that bad of an outing for me." Gregorius also had an RBI triple in the first. In the opener, Tyler Skaggs struck out nine over six scoreless innings and the Diamondbacks held on to win 5-3. "You cant look at it as a tough day. Its a fun day," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said. "You get to play two games. You get to play a great team in the Rangers. Its a great measuring stick for us." Pennington also had the winning hit in a 16-inning victory over St. Louis earlier this season. Brad Ziegler (2-1) faced two batters, retiring one, to get the victory. Jason Frasor (0-1) took the loss. After giving up two runs in the first, Darvish was in complete control until Wil Nieves led off the eighth with a pinch-hit single. Cody Ross struck out, then Gregorius lashed a 2-0 pitch over the fence in right field to tie it at 4. "He threw me a low cutter and I put good wood on it," Gregorius said, "and it was like a line drive and it went out. " Darvish had dominated with his cut fastball and did not hesitate to use it again. "I had to get a strike in there. I didnt want a 3-0 count," Darvish said. "I tried to hit the corner but he hit it pretty well." Darvish, in just the second no-decision in his 11 starts this season, gave up seven hits but did not walk a batter. All three of his 14-strikeout performances have come this year. He is the first pitcher since Arizonas Randy Johnson in 2004 to have three games with at least 14 strikeouts in one season. "Baseballs not a competition about getting strikeouts," Darvish said. "Its about winning." Darvish pitched well, Texas manager Ron Washington said. "Its just unfortunate that one pitch made the difference in the ballgame late." Miguel Montero led off the ninth with a double against Frasor. With one out, Robbie Ross walked pinch-hitter Martin Prado intentionally. That brought up the usually light-hitting Pennington, who sliced one down the right-field line to score Montero from second and give Arizona the comeback victory. "Every player wants to do it anytime," Pennington said, but when you are not swinging that bat as well as you want to swing it, it feels even better.dddddddddddd" Trevor Cahill gave up four runs, three earned, and seven hits in eight innings for Arizona. On Darvishs first two pitches of the game, Gerardo Parra singled, then Gregorius tripled down the right-field line to make it 1-0. Gregorius just beat left fielder David Murphys throw on Eric Chavezs sacrifice fly for Arizonas second opening-inning run. In the second, Adrian Beltre doubled over the head of left fielder Jason Kubel, took second on a wild pitch and scored on A.J. Pierzynskis sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 2-1. The Rangers tied it with an unearned run in the fourth. Singles by Lance Berkman and Pierzynski put runners at first and second with one out. Craig Gentry bounced to third for what could have been an inning-ending double play, but Penningtons relay throw was wild. Berkman scored on the play to knot it at 2. Texas took the lead with two runs in the sixth. Berkman drew a one-out walk and Beltre singled. Pierzynskis single brought home the go-ahead run, then Beltre scored when Gentry grounded into a fielders choice to put Texas up 4-2. Skaggs (1-0), who lost out to Patrick Corbin for Arizonas fifth starting spot in the spring, was recalled from Triple-A Reno after scheduled starter Ian Kennedy cut his right index finger washing dishes. "It was kind of a late-notice thing," Skaggs said. "Im happy that they called me up and had the confidence in me to actually start the ballgame. So hopefully I opened up a few eyes." He gave up three hits and walked three, one intentionally, mixing in his nasty curveball with an effective fastball and changeup in his first major league victory since he won his big league debut last year. Another 21-year-old lefty, Martin Perez (0-1), took the loss in his first start of the season, allowing four runs, three earned, in 5 1-3 innings. Cody Ross hit a solo homer for the Diamondbacks. Beltre had a two-run single in Texas three-run ninth. The Rangers had to play a doubleheader on the heels of a 4-3, 13-inning loss at Seattle on Sunday. They struck out 15 times in Mondays opener, a season high for Texas batters and Arizona pitchers. A.J. Pollock and Eric Hinske each doubled in a run. Prado had an RBI single, tying a franchise record in the process with his seventh consecutive base hit. Paul Goldschmidt also singled in a run for Arizona. NOTES: The teams play each other
