Storybook endings don't happen often in sports.
Brandon Crawford is a Cardinal. Barry Bonds' final at-bat was a fly out to deep center. Buster Posey's last game was a playoff loss to the Dodgers.
Winning a Monday night game against the Cubs on June 24 hardly qualifies as a storybook ending. But when you're honoring the life of an all-time great, it feels like a game you're supposed to win. A game you're destined to win.
So when the Giants rallied for three runs in the ninth inning, prompting a swarm of No. 24 jerseys to rush the field, the script fit the moment.
Thank you, Willie.
Up next: The Giants will send TBD, and presumably many TBDs, to the mound against Kyle Hendricks (1-4, 7.46 ERA). First pitch at 6:45 p.m.