It's not as though anyone expected the Marlins to win the game anyway.
With two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum on the mound in the series opener with the Giants, fans mentally place an "L" on the Marlins record before the game even began.
Given the low expectations for the game, the Marlins could have done us the courtesy of letting us down easy. You know--allowing Lincecum to no-hit them, striking out 20 times (wait, they actually did that), or executing some similarly respectable way to lose. Instead, they spent the majority of the night repeatedly toying with our hopes before delivering the final crushing blow in the bottom of the twelfth.
Anibal Sanchez had a decent night on the mound for the Fish, going six innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits. A third run scored thanks to a fielding error by Jorge Cantu, and the Giants had a three-run lead as Mike Lamb pinch hit for Anibal in the bottom of the sixth.
Two singles were the only hits the Fish could manage off of Tim Lincecum through five innings, but in the bottom of the sixth, their luck changed. Tim gave up singles to Mike Lamb and Cameron Maybin before Hanley hit a three-run shot to tie up the game.
Hope reared its ugly head.
With his lead blown, Tim tossed a scoreless seventh before hitting the showers. He gave up three earned runs on five hits, and struck out a season-high 13.
Clay Hensley made his first appearance since coming off of the bereavement list, and held the score in the seventh inning, but Chris Leroux replaced him in the the eighth, and gave up two runs to put the Giants back in the lead.
Unfortunately, the Marlins weren't quite finished toying with our emotions.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Fish came back once again, this time securing the lead on a three-run homer from Dan Uggla.
Wild cheers filled the stadium, and with the score 6-5 in favor of the Marlins, Leo Nunez came in to close the game. After two quick outs from the Marlins closer, the team was one tiny out away from defeating Tim Lincecum and the Giants to open the series.
Fans were on their feet, delighted at the turn of events and preparing for the high fives that were mere moments away.
But Aaron Rowand had other ideas. He launched a home run off of Nunez to tie up the game once again.
Sigh.
Burke Badenhop threw two scoreless extra-inning frames before the Giants got to him in the top of the twefth. Hop loaded the bases, and Aubrey Huff hit a two-run single to give the lead back to San Francisco. Hunter Jones took over for the Hopper in his second appearance for the Marlins, and allowed another run when he plunked Nate Schierholtz in the helmet with the bases loaded.
Jones struck out two to end the inning, but the Marlins luck had officially run out, and the Giants took game one of the series, 9-6.