Detroit -- One victory. Twenty-seven outs. That's what stands between the Giants and your next million-strong black-and-orange gathering in front of City Hall.

The Giants don't mean to offend you, really they don't. They love their fans, appreciate your support and energy. But if they can finish off the Tigers on the road, they're not waiting around to do it in front of you.

The Tigers look beaten. On Saturday night their fans' white rally towels looked like sad little flags of surrender.

You can't blame Detroit for feeling defeated. In the Tigers' most charged moment of the World Series, a time and place when everything was aligned for success, they came up woefully, stunningly empty.

In the fifth inning the bases were loaded because the bottom of the order had done its work, American League style. An icy breeze was blowing out to center field. Tigers fans were stripping off their gloves to make their clapping louder, pushing down their wooly scarves to stop them from muffling their cheers.

And Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera was at the plate.

No problem. The most feared hitter in baseball popped the ball high into the lights. Brandon Crawford moved under it, reeled the baseball into his glove, and the moment was over.

"The cold wind was a little tough, and my eyes were watering a little bit, keeping them open," said the kid from sunny Pleasanton. "I just wanted to make sure to squeeze it."

He squeezed it. And the Giants set about squeezing the life out of the Tigers, cobra-like.

Ryan Vogelsong, ace of the staff? Check. Tim Lincecum, dominating reliever? Check. Sergio Romo, lights-out closer? Enough offense to get the job done? Check.

Taking care of business

The Giants went about their business on Saturday. They weren't derailed by the cold or the DH or the fact that hotel rooms are at such a premium that they were scattered among three locations. Marco Scutaro had an off night. Angel Pagan couldn't do a thing. Buster Posey, perhaps because the kid from Georgia was overwhelmed by meeting Hank Aaron and receiving the Aaron award an hour before the game, struck out three times.

No problem. The Giants strung together a tiny two-run rally in the second inning. Hunter Pence walked, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Gregor Blanco followed with a triple. Crawford's single scored Blanco. The Giants are 9-1 now in the postseason when they score first, so a 2-0 lead seemed insurmountable.

"The way our pitchers have been throwing, it feels like it is enough," Crawford said.

The local kid who grew up rooting for the Giants made a major contribution, hitting the RBI single, turning two double plays, catching Cabrera's pop-up and making a dive to his right to rob Cabrera in the eighth.

And now they're one win away.

"We've been taking every game one at a time, so being up three-zero won't really mater," Crawford said. "We'll still take it like it's zero-zero."

Two runs. Double plays. Lots of pitching. As third-base coach Tim Flannery said, "These guys come at you with their slingshots and rocks and their belief."

A chance to sweep

That belief feels unstoppable now. It could even happen Sunday; if so the Giants would be the first National League team to sweep a World Series since 1990, when the Reds swept away Tony La Russa's Oakland A's.

As usual, whatever button Bruce Bochy pushed worked in Game 3, from the lineup to his reliance on Lincecum in the bullpen.

"We felt like he was the best starter out of the bullpen with how quick he gets loose and how resilient he is," Bochy said. "He has relished the role."

Lincecum, the star of 2010, has been unstoppable, with his best stuff of the season.

"You're waiting for your name to get called and the second that happens, you're just riding on straight adrenaline," he said. "I know this season I didn't do exactly what I wanted, so to go out there and be able to do something for the team, whether two innings or four innings, is really my goal."

Happy anniversary

It's worth noting that Saturday was the sixth anniversary of the day Bochy became the Giants' manager. No one thought much about the hire at the time: The Giants were an unimpressive and aging team, dragged down to mediocrity by the front office's desire to see Barry Bonds break the home run record in a Giants uniform. Felipe Alou's stewardship had reached its end. Bochy was available.

The reaction at the time? Move along, nothing to see here. No one predicted the move would lead to the greatest glory in San Francisco baseball history.

But Bochy - in concert with the front office - has done everything right, as the Giants rebuilt themselves into a youth-oriented, pitching-driven team. A team that is on the verge of winning its second World Series in the space of 25 months.

"The second we got that ring - it just leaves you wanting it even more," Lincecum said.

That second ring appears to be on its way. Get your parade gear ready.
