Sandoval powers Giants past Tigers in game one

San Francisco slugger Pablo Sandoval hit a spectacular three home runs to lead the Giants to an 8-3 victory over Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers in game one of the World Series. Venezuela's Sandoval on Wednesday smacked a solo shot in the first inning, a two-run blast in the third and another solo homer in the fifth to become just the fourth player to hit three home runs in one game of Major League Baseball's best-of-seven championship showcase. The feat put him in elite company alongside Babe Ruth -- who did it twice -- Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols. Of the group, Sandoval is the only one to homer in his first three at-bats of the game. "Man, I still can't believe it," Sandoval said. Sandoval's first two homers came off Detroit's vaunted ace Verlander, who made it through just four innings and 98 pitches and gave up five runs on six hits. Verlander came into the contest with a 3-0 record and an 0.74 ERA, having struck out 25 batters while allowing only 10 hits over 24 1/3 playoff innings. But the Giants wasted no time in pouncing on Verlander, whose team hadn't played since completing a sweep of the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series last Thursday. San Francisco came into the contest battle-hardened, having just won their third game in a row on Monday to cap an improbable comeback over St. Louis in the National League Championship Series. They are trying to claim their second title in three years, after winning it all in 2010. Sandoval's two-out solo homer to center field in the first inning proved to be a sign of things to come. In his next at-bat, he belted a two-run homer as part of a three-run third inning for the Giants. Angel Pagan came to the plate with two out and reached second base on a liner that was headed straight to Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera but instead hit the bag and caromed away from him. Marco Scutaro, the Most Valuable Player of the Giants' series victory over the Cardinals, then laced a single up the middle that scored Pagan and brought Sandoval to the plate. After Verlander issued two balls to Sandoval, Tigers manager Jim Leyland headed to the mound for a chat. He opted to leave his ace in and Sandoval promptly sent the next pitch he saw over the wall to make it 4-0 for San Francisco. Giants pitcher Barry Zito called it "awesome". "To go up early in the game like that, get first blood, get the momentum going and then just to cap it off with a couple more and a single as well," he said of Sandoval's night. "Just a pleasure to be a part of it." "You certainly tip your hat to what Sandoval did tonight," Leyland said. "It was unbelievable." The Giants added another run in the fourth when Zito's single to left field scored Brandon Belt, and took a 6-0 lead in the sixth when Sandoval went deep again against Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque. He finished the night 4-for-4 at the plate after adding a single in the seventh inning, but said he didn't head to his last at-bat thinking of a fourth homer. "I just try to put the pitch on the barrel (of the bat)," Sandoval said. "I don't try to hit a home run. I just go in there and try to help my team score runs." Sandoval's feat overshadowed Zito, who thwarted the Tigers with a mix of off-speed pitches and his curveball. Zito held the Tigers to one run on six hits and a walk over the first 5 2/3 frames, and Tim Lincecum struck out five over 2 1/3 perfect innings in relief. The Tigers got a run on the board in the sixth, but after San Francisco responded with two runs in the seventh, even Jhonny Peralta's two-run homer with one out for the Tigers in the ninth was just a dent in the deficit. The Giants will try to stretch their series lead when they host game two on Thursday. San Francisco give the ball to Madison Bumgarner, while the Tigers will send Doug Fister to the mound. Despite the excitement, Sandoval said it was important to keep things in perspective with the next test looming. "The series is not over," he said. "You have to keep playing your game."