WSOP 2012 E25 - Main Event Day 7 World Series of Poker 2012

Barry Zito never expected to start a World Series opener. Years ago, he learned not to count on anything in his baseball career. Many never figured Zito could win Game 1, either. Not because he hasn't been downright good going on three months now, but because he was up against Tigers ace Justin Verlander — the reigning AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner with a 3-0 record and 0.74 ERA so far in the postseason.t is brief and illustrious, the list of baseball players who have hit three home runs during a World Series game: Albert Pujols, Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth, who achieved the feat twice. Now add to it Pablo Sandoval, the San Francisco Giants’ smiling, rotund third baseman, who slammed homers in his first three at-bats Wednesday to power his team to an 8-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the World Series. The World Series starts Wednesday night at AT&T Park with the National League champion San Francisco Giants hosting the American League champion Detroit Tigers (8:07 p.m. ET, ESPN Radio and Fox). Need to get caught up? We've got you covered. Sandoval’s home runs came in the first, third and fifth innings, inciting hysterics from the announced crowd of 42,855 at AT&T Park and providing a surplus of support to Barry Zito, who pitched five and two-thirds innings to earn the victory. Sandoval’s was only the ninth three-homer performance in postseason history.