This 2012 World Series continues to show that a good defense beats a good offense.

Football truisms notwithstanding, the San Francisco Giants have utilized dominant pitching and gold-glove worthy defense during their path to a 3-0 series lead over the Detroit Tigers. Of course, timely hitting and a Game 1 home-run barrage have played their part as well.

But the overwhelming dynamic in the Giants’ winning recipe is a superior combination of pitching and defense. The second-consecutive shutout against some of the best hitters in the game—as well as highlight plays in the field—have proven as much.

Ryan Vogelsong was the latest starter to contribute towards this endeavor with a gutsy 5.2 innings of work against the Tigers’ fierce lineup. He tapped into his extensive repertoire of pitches to emerge unscathed through multiple scenarios that would make the most seasoned of veterans cringe.

Right out of bed—also known as the top of the first—Vogelsong found himself in a dicey situation. The speedy Quintin Berry drew a walk after a lengthy at-bat and the fear of death-inducing Miguel Cabrera blasted a single to left. Prince Fielder—a frighteningly imposing figure in his own right—then stepped to the plate with two runners on.

On a hitter’s 2-1 count, a collective gasp among Giants’ fandom could be anticipated, if not experienced directly. Fielder unloaded in his usual lumberjack fashion.

But when momentum might have finally transferred to the Tigers, the Giants’ tough-as-nails perseverance overcame the odds yet again. Vogelsong made his pitch and induced a ground ball to second, while the defense did the rest. In the first of several highlight plays on the night, Brandon Crawford leaped over a hard charging, 6’4’’, 240-pound Cabrera and completed the double play with a courageous throw to Brandon Belt at first base.

That rather incredible display of effective teamwork set the tone for the rest of the game.
And nowhere was it any more evident than the man that led off the top of the second.

Hunter Pence—the much maligned, yet emotional leader of the Giants—showed that he’s capable of adapting beyond what’s normally expected of his aggressive tendencies at the plate. He took four straight pitches and induced a walk out of Detroit starter Anibal Sanchez. He then took full advantage of Sanchez’s delayed delivery to home plate and stole second when Belt struck out. As it stood, the one man who had not contributed in the field had finally done so when it mattered most.

Gregor Blanco made sure it wouldn’t be for naught. After a wild pitch, he roped a ball to deep right center for a stand-up triple. It brought in Pence for the first run of the game and showcased Blanco as one of—if not—the fastest player in the game of baseball. Shortstop Brandon Crawford followed suit with a single to center, scoring Blanco.

At 2-0 in favor of the visiting Giants, pitching would assume the reigns for the rest of Game 3. Taking control of the outcome, though, was not without the compelling drama appropriate to the game of baseball.

Two innings after Vogelsong’s initial recovery, he followed suit with another frame-ending double play. But two innings later proved even more impactful towards this game, if not the entire MLB postseason.

AL Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth. He immediately showcased his range in the batter’s box by fouling off a first pitch well out of the strike zone—but in a way that highlighted his incredible plate coverage. Everyone attending, watching and/or observing this game could feel the incredible tension. The next pitch, though, proved the value of a man who matches supreme work ethic with confidence.

Vogelsong threw an inside fastball to the best hitter in the world. But with precise location, Cabrera merely popped out and the inning was over.

Tough as nails—there’s no getting around the man that is Ryan Vogelsong.

Add Tim Lincecum to that list as well. The former Cy Young winner has swallowed all pride this postseason and taken on the role of long reliever in the bullpen. In his 2.1 innings of critical relief work on Saturday, Big Time Timmy Jim completely shut down the Tigers.

During the bottom of the eighth, a murderer’s row of Cabrera, Fielder and Delmon Young would attempt one final rally. That rally, however, was short-lived.

Lincecum reduced Cabrera’s bat to mere splinters, struck out Fielder on three pitches and did a similar thing with Andy Dirks. Giants fans and MLB analysts alike never would have expected him to make such a dominant comeback after a miserable regular season. A postseason output of 17 strikeouts and just three hits in 13 innings pitched was a relief performance for the ages.

Closer Sergio Romo stifled any Tigers’ intentions of a comeback with a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. It was a purely unadulterated clinic of slider-fastball pitching—the stuff that generally appears on baseball instructional videos for years to come.

Whether highlighting Blanco’s relentless defense, Vogelsong’s unflappable nature, Lincecum’s newfound dominance or Sandoval’s franchise record-breaking 23 hits, the Giants have been the overwhelmingly better team in the 2012 World Series.

Some of it involves purely factual developments on the field, while some pertains to a more subjective feeling that things will go a certain way. One way or another, the Giants are the first team since 1966 to record back-to-back shutouts in a World Series.

They just hope now that they’ll be the first team to record two World Series victories since 2010.

"We've got Matt Cain tomorrow and he's the guy to finish this," said Gregor Blanco.

It’s up to the Max Scherzer-led Tigers to make sure they don’t.