Schedule and 2012 Results
Regular Season Records: San Francisco 94-68, Detroit 88-74
Game 1 on Wednesday, 24 October: Detroit loses at San Francisco, 8-runs-3
Game 2 on Thursday, 25 October: Detroit loses at San Francisco, 2-runs-nil
Game 3 on Saturday, 27 October: San Francisco wins at Detroit, 2-runs-nil
Game 4 on Sunday, 28 October: San Francisco wins at Detroit, 4-runs-3 (10 inn)

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 4: It took ten innings, but the San Francisco Giants defeated the Tigers in Detroit 4-runs-3 for a 4-games-nil victory in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1187. With the series 1187 win, the San Francisco Giants improve their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record to 6-4 overall and 2-3 in the MLB Finals. With the series 1187 loss, the Detroit Tigers see their best-of-7 MLB playoff series record fall to 6-9 overall and 4-7 in the MLB Finals. The win order for the victorious San Francisco Giants in series 1187 was WWWW: Series 1187 thus becomes the 21st MLB Finals series, the 27th MLB series (all rounds), and the 197th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. When the Detroit Tigers took a 2-runs-1 lead in the third inning of series 1187 Game 4, it broke a streak of 56 consecutive innings in which the San Francisco Giants had not trailed in best-of-7 format MLB games; this streak fell short by just four innings of the longest such streak in best-of-7 MLB playoff history (60 such innings, by the Boston Red Sox in 2004). The six total runs by the Detroit Tigers were the fewest in a best-of-7 MLB Finals since series 179, when the Baltimore Orioles held the Los Angeles Dodgers to two runs in the 1966 MLB Finals. The 15-game 2012 best-of-7 MLB playoff season is the first since the MLB Semifinals adopted the best-of-7 format in 1985 in which not a single game featured a run in the top of the first inning.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1187 now in Michigan, the visiting San Francisco Giants shut out the Detroit Tigers 2-runs-nil to take a 3-games-nil series lead. The San Francisco Giants lead a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-nil for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 3-games-nil, the Detroit Tigers have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 4 record (both sustained in series 3, the 1907 MLB Finals against the Chicago Cubs). In a best-of-7 MLB playoff series, the San Francisco Giants have become the seventh team to post back-to-back shutouts against their opponents (the previous six: series 599, by the Atlanta Braves against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Games 6-7 of the 1991 National League Championship Series; series 499, by the St. Louis Cardinals against the San Francisco Giants in Games 6-7 of the 1987 National League Championship Series; series 179, by the Baltimore Orioles against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Games 2-4 of the 1966 MLB Finals; series 13, by the New York Giants against the Chicago White Sox in Games 3-4 of the 1917 MLB Finals; series 4, by the Chicago Cubs against the Detroit Tigers in Games 4-5 of the 1908 World Series; series 1, by the New York Giants against the Philadelphia Athletics in Games 3-5 of the 1905 MLB Finals). Through series 1187 Game 3, the San Francisco Giants have not trailed in a best-of-7 MLB playoff game for 54 consecutive innings; the MLB record is 60 such innings, set by the Boston Red Sox in 2004. Just as the Detroit Tigers achieved an “annihilation” (a four-game sweep in which the swept team never once holds a lead) against the New York Yankees in series 1185 (in the 2012 MLB Semifinals), so it is that the Detroit Tigers may suffer an “annihilation” by the San Francisco Giants in series 1187. The Detroit Tigers are the 308th MLB/NBA/NHL team to face a 3-games-nil deficit in a best-of-7 playoff series; four teams have surmounted that deficit to achieve 4-games-3 series victories.

After Game 2: The San Francisco Giants hosted and defeated the Detroit Tigers 2-runs-nil to take a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1187. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil, the San Francisco Giants have a 2-0 overall series record, a 0-2 overall Game 3 record, a 1-0 Finals series record, and a 0-1 Finals Game 3 record. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 2-games-nil, the Detroit Tigers have a 0-4 overall series record, a 3-1 overall Game 3 record, a 0-2 Finals series record, and a 1-1 Finals Game 3 record. The San Francisco Giants’ streak of leading at some point in each inning without having once trailed ended at 33 consecutive innings of best-of-7 MLB playoff baseball, when the Giants failed to score in the first inning of series 1187 Game 2. Nevertheless, the San Francisco streak of playing without trailing has reached 45 consecutive innings (five full games). The first run of series 1187 Game 2 was scored in the bottom of the seventh inning: In only four previous best-of-7 MLB Finals games had the first run been scored in the bottom of the seventh inning. Teams such as the San Francisco Giants which win Games 1-2 at home in a best-of-7 MLB playoff series are on an active eight-series winning streak, begun after series 936 (the 2004 American League Championship Series, lost by the New York Yankees to the Boston Red Sox).

After Game 1: The San Francisco Giants hosted and defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-runs-3 to take a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1187. When leading a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the San Francisco Giants have a 4-1 overall series record, a 2-3 overall Game 2 record, a 1-1 Finals series record, and a 1-1 Finals Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB playoff series 1-game-nil, the Detroit Tigers have a 3-7 overall series record, a 6-4 overall Game 2 record, a 3-5 Finals series record, and a 6-2 Finals Game 2 record with an active six-Game 2 winning streak. The San Francisco Giants have now led at some point without having once trailed in their last 33 consecutive innings of best-of-7 MLB playoff baseball, beginning with the fourth inning of series 1186 Game 5 in St. Louis (with the Cardinals then leading 3-games-1). Thrice before in best-of-7 MLB Finals series has a team which won its best-of-7 MLB Semifinals series in seven games met a team which won its best-of-7 MLB Semifinals series in a four-game sweep: In 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers after a seven-game victory met the Oakland Athletics after a sweep, and defeated the A’s in Game 1 and in the series; in 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals after a seven-game victory met the Detroit Tigers after a sweep, and defeated the Tigers in Game 1 and in the series; in 2007, the Boston Red Sox after a seven-game victory met the Colorado Rockies after a sweep, and swept the Rockies. With their series 1187 Game 1 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the San Francisco Giants continue the Game 1 part of this trend.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2012 MLB regular season, the San Francisco Giants finished six games ahead of the Detroit Tigers. From 1905 through the 2012 MLB Semifinals round, inclusive, when MLB teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by six regular-season games, they have posted an 8-5 (.615) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1187 is the 15th best-of-7 MLB playoff series for the Detroit Tigers, and the tenth for the San Francisco Giants. In best-of-7 MLB playoff series, Detroit has a 6-8 series record, a 4-6 Finals-round series record, and a 4-10 Game 1 record, while San Francisco has a 5-4 series record, a 1-3 Finals-round record, and a 5-4 Game 1 record. Series 1187 is the first best-of-7 MLB playoff series meeting between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants.