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NLCS notes: Travis Ishikawa in a fog after his big blast to win Game 5

Giants left fielder Travis Ishikawa is helped to his feet by pitcher Tim Hudson after a wild celebration following his game-winning home run against the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLCS on Thursday night in San Francisco.
(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
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As Travis Ishikawa circled the bases — levitated, really — after hitting the home run that sent the San Francisco Giants to the World Series, he saw a teammate approaching him. Ishikawa was rounding second base and heading for third, and all he wanted was for Jake Peavy to get the heck out of his way.

“I know base coaches are not allowed to touch runners when they are trying to score,” Ishikawa said, “so I didn’t know if touching him was going to cost me the home run or something. I was just trying to push him out of the way.”

After that, Ishikawa said, his memory got hazy.

“I don’t remember touching third,” he said. “I don’t remember touching home. The next thing I remember was being thrown down with my jersey ripped off.... I was so out of breath from yelling and screaming, and I had to have guys help me to stand up to finish celebrating.”

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The Giants signed Ishikawa to a minor league contract in late April and stashed him at triple-A Fresno for much of the summer, with no promise of a promotion. He was batting .256 at the All-Star break. He was 30 years old and pondering retirement.

“Not only are you in the minor leagues, but you’re struggling in the minor leagues,” Ishikawa said. “Definitely there’s times when it crosses your mind, that you wonder if God is continuing to put me through this trial or it’s him telling me that it’s time to hang ‘em up.”

Michael Morse might well have been the Giants’ starting left fielder in this series, but he sat out all but one game in September after straining an oblique muscle.

No excuses

The Cardinals did not win a game in the series after Yadier Molina was injured in Game 2.

“We’re not going to drop any excuses,” Manager Mike Matheny said.

“If I was to sit here and say I didn’t want Yadi in the lineup, that would be a lie. Guys go down.”

Royal memory

The natives already were restless when Jeremy Affeldt showed up in Kansas City. The year was 2002, and the Royals’ postseason drought would extend to two full decades before he left town.

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Affeldt made his major league debut on April 6, 2002. The Royals lost, 14-0.

That was just another day in the three lost decades of the Royals. In its first postseason trip in 29 years, Kansas City steamrollered the rest of the American League and clinched a spot in the World Series.

Affeldt, now a key left-handed reliever for the Giants, is thrilled for his original team and its fans.

“I’ve got friends that still live there,” Affeldt said. “They were texting me saying there were fireworks going off all over the neighborhood.”

Twitter: @BillShaikin

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