Scutaro’s key hit makes his title dream come true

Marco Scutaro had dreamed of winning the World Series since he was an 18-year-old Venezuelan teenager who came to the United States to play minor-league baseball. 2 days before his 37th birthday, Scutaro made his dreams come true by hitting a single to right field that scored Ryan Theriot the winning run Sunday, as San Francisco beat Detroit 4-3 in 10 innings to win the World Series. With the game deadlocked 3-3 and two outs, Scutaro slapped a single just deep enough to allow Theriot to score from second base. “What makes it so special is the way we did it,” Scutaro said. “We were always against the wall. I told my teammates, ‘I don’t want to be against the wall.’“ The Giants spent much of their playoff run on the brink of elimination but overcame game after game on the edge to capture their second championship in three seasons after beating Texas in the 2010 World Series. “I’m so glad that I am living this experience,” Scutaro said. “I played with a lot of guys who spent a lot of years in the big leagues and they never made it this far. “You get to a point in your career where there is nothing more important than being in the playoffs and playing in the World Series.” Scutaro, a second baseman who came to the Giants in a deal with Colorado in July, caught the fly ball for the final out that enabled San Francisco to advance over St. Louis in the National League championship series. He was named Most Valuable Player of that series by hitting 14-for-28. The Giants rallied to advance over Cincinnati in their first playoff series by winning the last three games on the brink of elimination — and then did the same to oust St. Louis. “This feels incredible. It’s surreal,” Giants pitcher Barry Zito said of the title. “Everyone counted us out.” Against Detroit he made the key hit in the final innings and then watched as Giants relief ace Sergio Romo struck out the last three Tiger batters to clinch the crown. “They relied on me,” Romo said. “They had confidence in me all year. These guys let me be myself. They give me the confidence they know I need out there. The faith they have in me — unreal. “They knew I needed their faith in me. I couldn’t let them down. I couldn’t let anybody down.” Shortstop Brandon Crawford ran to Scutaro and hugged him in celebration as a party began that lasted well into the morning. “We’re just happy right now,” Giants catcher Buster Posey said. “This was a fitting way for us to end it. Those guys played hard. They didn’t stop.” San Francisco game four starter Matt Cain found it fitting that the man to drive in the winning run was Scutaro, the hero whose hits seemed never-ending in the National League final. “You kind of get worried when guys like that come up,” Cain said. “You worry that maybe they have used them all up. In the baseball god world you wonder that. But he had another one. He had one more hit left in him and it was the biggest one we needed.”