John bracket: Giants (09) defeat Giants (69) in five games

Game One: 09 Giants 2, 69 Giants 1
WP: Lincecum (1-0)
LP: Marichal (0-1)
Save: B Wilson (1)
HR: McCovey (1)

Game Two: 09 Giants 6, 69 Giants 2
WP: Cain (1-0)
LP: G Perry (0-1)
Save: Affeldt (1)
HR: Sandoval (1), Rowand (1)

Game Three: 69 Giants 8, 09 Giants 3
WP: McCormick (1-0)
LP: Zito (0-1)
HR: Dietz (1)

Game Four: 09 Giants 8, 69 Giants 2
WP: Medders (1-0)
LP: Marichal (0-2)

Game Five: 09 Giants 3, 69 Giants 1
WP: Lincecum (2-0)
LP: G Perry (0-2)
HR: Uribe (1)
Save: B Wilson (2)

All told, half of the 10 starts in this series came from Hall of Famers. None got a win.

Game One, in 1969's Candlestick Park, pitted Tim Lincecum, the 2009 NL Cy Young winner, against Juan Marichal, an easy Hall of Fame selection in his prime in 1969. Lincecum gave up a solo homer to Willie McCovey (the NL MVP in 1969) in the bottom of the fourth, Randy Winn doubled home Edgar Renteria in the top of the fifth to tie the score.

It stayed 1-1 into the ninth, when Pedro Sandoval singled to lead off and Aaron Rowand doubled. Freddie Lewis walked to load the bases, and Don McMahon relieved the weary Marichal. McMahon fanned Jose Uribe and popped up Bengie Molina, but Renteria drew a walk for force home the go-ahead run. Brian Wilson allowed two baserunners in the bottom of the ninth but no runs.

Matt Cain outdueled Gaylord Perry in Game Two. Perry yielded three runs in five innings, including a Rowand homer, before leaving for a pinch hitter. The 09 Giants blew the game open with three runs in the seventh off Ron Bryant. Cain went seven innings. Jeremy Affeldt got out of a jam created by Bobby Howry in the eighth and finished for the save.

The series shifted to 2009 and AT&T Park, where Game Three did not involve a Cooperstown starter (but did feature a pair of past Cy Young winners). The 69 Giants smacked Barry Zito for three doubles and five runs in the first inning, while Mike McCormick provided seven innings of two-run ball. Dick Dietz had three runs and two RBIs for the 69 Giants with a homer, a double, a single and a walk.

Game Four made up for the previous game's lack of Hall of Fame pitchers -- Marichal versus the fading Randy Johnson. The Big Unit was perfect for four innings, while a Dietz error set up a two-run inning in the third for the 09 Giants. Johnson gave up two hits in the fifth but escaped on a double-play grounder, but in the sixth allowed three straight hits. Brian Medders gave up a game-tying sac fly to Ron Hunt, but then picked off Bobby Bonds and struck out Willie Mays to end the threat. Freddie Sanchez broke the 2-2 tie with an RBI double in the botton of the seventh, and after Marichal was pinch-hit for in the bottom of the inning, the 09 Giants strung together six straight hits, including back-to-back triples by Travis Ishikawa and Eugenio Velez, to blow the game open.

Lincecum wrapped up the series in Game Five by outdueling Perry. Sandoval and Nate Schierholtz drove home runs in the first inning. Perry got one back with a perfectly executed safety squeeze bun in the second on which he was credited with a base hit. But that was all the 69 Giants could muster. Jose Uribe homered off Bryant for the final margin.

Player of the Series goes to Lincecum, for two starts of 16 innings and two runs to outduel both Marichal and Perry.

Player availability: All pitchers are available for Game One of the second round.

Projected rotation: Lincecum-Cain-Zito-Jonathan Sanchez or Johnson-(Lincecum)-(Cain)-(Zito)