Unique blend of players has Giants back in World Series

SAN FRANCISCO - There's a tune Tim Flannery once sung that he finds perfectly fitting to describe how his San Francisco Giants get the most out of themselves in the postseason.

Old standbys like Buster Posey, Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval mix with rookie faces, giving the Giants a seemingly unique ability to win every other October.

Quirky circumstances or injured stars don't seem to matter, whether it's the 2010 bunch of castoffs and misfits or a pair of veteran stars making their first World Series trip.

"There's a line I once sung for Andres Torres, 'One thing for certain, I promise you will see, it's never too late to be the person you were meant to be,' " Flannery, the third-base coach and musician, said after Thursday night's NL Championship Series clincher. "And I've seen it here. I've seen it night after night.

"These guys come here, and we get the most, and we get the best out of them."

Posey, Sandoval, Santiago Casilla and Madison Bumgarner were with the Giants in 2010, then Pence joined the fun two years later for those remarkable comebacks in the first two rounds of the playoffs and the surprising World Series sweep of Detroit.

Big chance for veterans

Now, these Giants are determined to win it all once more for those who don't have a championship ring.

Tim Hudson, a 16-year pro, is headed to the World Series for the first time.

Michael Morse, who hasn't started since late August because of an oblique injury, delivered a tying home run as a pinch hitter in Thursday's 6-3 win over St. Louis.

"It's awesome for them," shortstop Brandon Crawford said. "They've had long careers and not been able to get there before, so I'm happy to be a part of it with them."

There's even one who could fit the "castoffs and misfits" description of the 2010 team: Travis Ishikawa contemplated retirement after he was released by Pittsburgh in April, then re-signed with his original big league team and hit the pennant-clinching homer in October.

Hudson, 39, played on his share of successful teams in Oakland and Atlanta, then signed a two-year deal with the Giants because his gut told him he might have the chance to be part of something like this after his 2013 season was cut short by a devastating ankle injury.

San Francisco slumped in the summer and again through September, but did enough in the final week of the regular season.

The Giants reached the World Series without ace pitcher Matt Cain (elbow surgery), center fielder and leadoff man Angel Pagan (back surgery) and second baseman Marco Scutaro (bad back).

Bumpy ride

"That's just kind of been our personality all year," Hudson said. "We fought through the hard times.

"Whether it's during the season or in the middle of games, we try to find ways to get it done or get over it. It's just been our MO all year."