Sergio Romo, through the Bruce at-bat GIANTS

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Pitch 1.

Sergio Romo held the Giants in his right hand, their fate hanging between his release point and Buster Posey's mitt. Two men on, one out, the Giants' lead shrunk to two runs and Cincinnati's powerful Jay Bruce at the plate. Get the out and keep playing. Give up a home run and go home. The moment, in Game 5 of the NLDS, was the biggest of Romo's career.

"By far, the most difficult thing I've ever done," he said Monday. "It's the obligation to be something more than maybe you are."

Bruce fouled off the first pitch. Romo was ahead 0-1. It was going to be a journey.

Pitch 2. Foul. 0-2.

Why was Romo, 29, even facing Bruce, a left-handed power hitter? Not long ago, Romo was considered a right-handed specialist, not trustworthy enough to face a big left-handed hitter. And not much longer before that, some wondered if he was trustworthy enough even to make it to the big leagues.

"There was a lot of maturing," said Bobby Evans, the Giants' vice president of baseball operations. "Following rules and regulations was not the easiest thing for him."

Pitch 3. Outside. 1-2.

Giants' closer, Sergio Romo makes the final out to end the game, as the San Francisco beat the St. louis Cardinals 7-1 in game two, to tie the National League Championship Series at 1-1, at AT&T Park, the San Francisco, Ca., on Monday Oct. 15, 2012. less Giants' closer, Sergio Romo makes the final out to end the game, as the San Francisco beat the St. louis Cardinals 7-1 in game two, to tie the National League Championship Series at 1-1, at AT&T Park, the San ... more Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Sergio Romo, through the Bruce at-bat 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

In the lettuce fields of Salinas, Sergio's father, Frank, became a Giants fan. Born in Mexico and raised in the Imperial Valley, Frank's family headed north every summer, following the crops. In the summer of 1969, Frank went to Candlestick Park to see Willie Mays, the greatest player who ever lived. Frank Romo became a Giants fan for life.

He gave Sergio his first glove and taught him to play catch when the boy was 2. Frank played semi-pro ball across the border in Mexicali, bringing along little Sergio.

"There's more to this game than just the physical part," Frank said. "He loves the game. I always tell him, 'Hijo, you have so much heart.' "

Pitch 4. Foul. 1-2.

Brawley - in the southeast corner of California, 23 miles from the Mexican border - isn't a town that invites opportunity. Or baseball scouts. It's the type of town where ambition can be squashed.

"They look at my face, at my size, at the color of the skin, at where I came from, what I grew up as," Romo said. "It's all outside stuff, stuff that doesn't really matter."

Romo played baseball and sought thrills. He raced BMX bikes and once sustained a severe concussion and broken collarbone and was airlifted to a trauma center. He missed the rest of his baseball season.

That wasn't his only collision: He mouthed off to opponents, ignored rules, was kicked out of practice.

"Me and authority don't get along," Romo said. "I've never done things by the book."

Pitch 5. Foul. 1-2.

The matchup looked distorted, like a movie special effect when Hagrid looms over Harry Potter. Romo, at 5-foot-10, on the mound. Bruce, at 6-3, swelling over the plate like a cartoon.

The few scouts who saw Sergio in high school dismissed him as being too small. He asked Frank, "Why didn't you make me 6 feet?" He had no offers from a four-year school.

Pitch 6. Foul. 1-2.

Frank urged his son to follow his path and join the Navy.

"It toughened me up, helped me grow as a man," Frank said. "I figured that could happen to him."

A signature away from enlisting, Romo balked. He persuaded Frank to let him try to play college ball, beginning his enrollment in what Romo calls "Pick-a-year University." Four colleges in four years. First stop, Orange Coast College. Then Arizona Western, North Alabama and Mesa State.

Pitch 7. Foul. 1-2.

Romo's toughest year was his junior year in Florence, Alabama. He and the coach butted heads. When he was about to break the school record for strikeouts, the coach pulled him from a game, telling him he didn't deserve the honor.

"I was reminded every day that I was different," he said. "I was uncoachable to him."

Romo lost his scholarship.

Pitch 8. Foul. 1-2.

The day Romo left Alabama, some old teammates put in a word for him at Mesa State, in Grand Junction, Colo. Romo told coach Chris Hanks the unvarnished truth about Alabama. The coach appreciated his honesty and offered him a scholarship.

"He took a chance on a kid just doing what his dad taught him to do: be honest," Romo said. "That was my biggest turning point."

In Grand Junction, Romo went 14-1 and broke six school records. He didn't even know his stats. He was simply having fun.

Pitch 9. Low and outside. 2-2.

The Giants drafted Romo in the 28th round in 2005. He balked at the rules in the minor leagues, breaking curfew, leaving without permission, getting angry enough to punch a wall and break his hand. The Giants left him in extended spring training.

"That was really hard for him," Evans said. "He wanted to get out of there and get in our program. But he had to wait and wait and wait."

Pitch 10. Foul. 2-2.

In 2007, Romo had a standout season with San Jose, named the Class A Relief Pitcher of the Year. He made his big-league debut in 2008 and established a reputation as a dominant right-handed reliever. By the time the Giants won a World Series, he was a fan favorite.

"He's extremely popular," Evans said. "He's very compassionate. There's nothing fake about him."

Pitch 11. Inside. 3-2.

Before this year, Romo had all of three big-league saves and was in awe of the pressure Brian Wilson faced nightly. But as the season evolved and closer-by-committee became closer-by-Romo, he listened to his locker neighbor.

"He told me to just get the outs," Romo said. "Be confident. He's helped calm my emotions."

In Game 3 of the NLDS, Bruce Bochy leaned on Romo for the final six outs. On Thursday, Bochy didn't waver, saying that if the team went down, it would be with its best reliever on the mound.

Pitch 12.

A slider Bruce lifted into left field. Xavier Nady drifted under it, corralling the ball. Two outs. Romo walked behind the mound and licked his fingers. Back in Brawley, Frank and Sergio's mother, Leticia, were screaming and weeping.

"The precision, the focus, the game plan" Evans said. "He wasn't going to give in. He kept pounding the same spot, again and again.

"To see how he's evolved, the stamina, the strength, the mental capacity, the emotional control. The way he's overcome the odds. It's a beautiful thing."

After the epic duel, the final out came after five pitches. Romo struck out Scott Rolen and howled with joy as his teammates rushed at him.

"The most gratifying moment," Romo said, "was after I got out of the pile. I looked back and saw them jumping around and laughing and smiling. To know that I was part of that smile.

"They relied on me and it actually worked."