Sandoval, Cain, Cabrera earned home Series start

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The World Series starts in San Francisco because the All-Star game was a Giant blowout. Pablo Sandoval, Matt Cain and Melky Cabrera made sure of it.

“I don’t think you really think about it that much,” Cain said, “but it is kind of cool when you do.”

Cain pitched two shutout innings, Sandoval connected off Detroit’s Justin Verlander for the first bases-loaded triple in All-Star history and Cabrera hit a two-run home run in the NL’s 8-0 rout on that July night at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium.

Since 2003, the All-Star-winning league has gained homefield advantage for the World Series. The Giants host the Tigers in the opener Wednesday night.

“When you go to the All-Star game, you have to take that thing serious,” Sandoval said. “That’s what we do. Cain, our guys, do our thing to try to bring this to the National League.”

Verlander, the first pitcher in 19 years to sweep the Cy Young Award and MVP, admitted he didn’t treat that start like a normal outing. That’s part of the reason he’ll be starting the Series opener at AT&T Park instead of at his own Comerica Park.

“Do I wish it would have worked out a little bit better and we’d be at home right now?” he said Tuesday. “Absolutely, but it didn’t, and we’re here.”

Verlander allowed five runs and four hits in a 35-pitch first inning. He threw five pitches clocked at 100 mph and another at 101.

“But I had fun,” he said then. “That’s why I don’t try to throw 100 in the first inning. But this is for the fans. It doesn’t usually work out too well for me.”

He has a slightly different take now.

“Normally I’m not just pitching one inning, two innings at the most,” he said. “I treated it almost like I was coming out of the bullpen, knowing I could go one or two innings. It was just a different scenario altogether.”

Barry Zito, the 2002 AL Cy Young winner, starts for San Francisco after being bypassed for the postseason two years ago when the Giants won their first title since 1954 _ before the franchise left New York.

Seeking its first championship since 1984, Detroit is back in the Series for the first time since 2006. Once again, the Tigers have had nearly a week off after winning the pennant. Last time, their rust showed and they lost to St. Louis in five games.

This time they stayed busy by working on bunts, playing against their instructional league team and letting Verlander throw to hitters.

“Well, we just tried to come up with something,” manager Jim Leyland said. “It wasn’t like in 2006, where some people would indicate we sat around happy to get there, not doing anything, eating bon-bons.”

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