Cardinals collapse, drop Game 7 to Giants

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) After all the Giants had overcome to get back to the World Series, a late shower wasn't about to dampen their celebration.

All right, it was a driving downpour.

So reliever Sergio Romo danced through the raindrops, Tim Lincecum helped lead a soaked victory lap around the ballpark and Angel Pagan stayed on the field with his daughter long after his teammates took the party indoors.

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Hunter Pence got the Giants going with a weird double, Matt Cain pitched his second clincher of October and San Francisco closed out Game 7 of the NL championship series in a rainstorm, routing the St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 on Monday night.

"The rain never felt so good," series MVP Marco Scutaro said. "We're going to the World Series, this is unbelievable."

San Francisco won its record-tying sixth elimination game of the postseason, completing a lopsided rally from a 3-1 deficit.

The Giants, who won it all in 2010, will host reigning AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, Triple Crown slugger Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 on Wednesday night.