Their cleats were caked in mud. Their uniforms were soaked. Water streamed from the bills of their caps. China Basin was flooding, and the Giants kept playing ball like a bunch of kids on a sandlot, ignoring their moms' wishes to come home for supper.

Despite a rainstorm for the ages, the umpires had no desire to postpone Game 7 of the National League Championship Series. Not with two outs in the ninth inning and the Giants cruising 9-0 over the Cardinals.

As manager Bruce Bochy summoned reliever Sergio Romo to replace Javier Lopez, the grounds crew rushed onto the field with rakes and bags of sand in a feeble attempt to make the field remotely playable.

At that moment, Fox showed second baseman Marco Scutaro looking up to the skies, lifting both arms and opening his mouth to taste the rain - shortly before he caught Matt Holliday's game-ending popup and tasted the Champagne.

As the Giants return to the scene of their soggy celebration for their 2013 home opener Friday, we hear from all eight position players who were on the field awaiting the conclusion of that muddy ninth.

They were asked a simple question: What were you thinking?

Scutaro: "I spent four years in Oakland, and I never saw rain like that in the Bay Area. All of a sudden, it just started pouring. At that special moment, one out away from the World Series, all you see is rain. I looked up and was, like, wow, somebody's sending us a message. I never played in a situation like that before in the big leagues. If he hit a groundball to me, I don't think the ball would've made it. Your mind's running pretty fast. Getting to play in the World Series. Having the opportunity not too many guys experience. I mean, it's a dream come true. That's what you work for all your life. It's something that takes a while to swallow."

Catcher Buster Posey: "Honestly, with all the rain coming down, I was just hoping Romo was going to be able to throw strikes. Is a slider a pitch that can be thrown right now with the ball being slick? Or do we try to stick with heaters? Romo made the adjustment, took a little bit off it and didn't try to throw as hard as he normally does. I was glad the ball was popped up. It would've been pretty interesting to see what would've happened if the ball was hit on the ground. I had been in San Fran for three years and never had seen rain like that. Guys were soaking wet but enjoying every minute of it."

Shortstop Brandon Crawford: "If I was in Little League and it would've rained like that, the game would've been canceled. We were playing in the mud and getting all wet, and it didn't matter. The whole infield was a puddle. I was kind of happy a groundball didn't come to me because I don't know if I could've gotten to it. It was only fitting Holliday was the hitter and the ball went to Marco."

Left fielder Gregor Blanco: "We see scenes like that in movies but not in real life. That's what you play for. Those moments. Those moments change baseball, and they change your life. You never see those situations. When it starts raining like that, umpires stop the game, but they kept it going. I never dreamed of that happening. I was saying, 'Please, God, just give us a little more time that we need to finish the game and accomplish what we want.' "

Right fielder Hunter Pence: "I was kind of doing the same as Marco. Looking up, you adjust your eyes to see a flyball. I was just enjoying the moment. It was fun to hear the fans cheer the rain as it came down. Whether they call it or continue to play, you're excited because you're really close to getting to the World Series. An unbelievable moment, complete happiness."

First baseman Brandon Belt: "It was more like backyard baseball. Just go out there and play no matter what the weather is. To see puddles on the field, it was weird, but it was kind of fun to finish a game off in pouring rain. I was thinking, 'Let's get this last out because something weird could happen.' "

Third baseman Joaquin Arias: "I think it was very awkward that it was raining, but it was a blessing from God. I talked to the third-base umpire, and he said he wasn't stopping that game. That game had to be finished."

Center fielder Angel Pagan: "I know the world championship was great in Detroit, but there was something special about that day - just getting there, the rain, how hard we battled the last couple of series, including that one. That was our reward for the work we put in together as brothers, as a great group of guys. I think that was just a gift from God, to finish up that way. We took it as a gift. If they hit a ball to me, I was like, 'Please, God, let me see it.' I was looking up, and I could barely see. Thankfully, they hit it to Scutaro, and he can see through the night, he can see everywhere. He caught it, and it was beautiful."

Opening Day The Giants will raise the World Series championship flag before their home opener against the Cardinals on Friday. The team also tweeted that a "top secret" special guest will throw out the first pitch. A schedule for the day: 11:05 a.m.: AT&T Park gates open 12:35 p.m.: Flag ceremonies begin 1:35 p.m.: First pitch (Barry Zito vs. the Cardinals)

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Ron Kroichick and Henry Schulman contributed to this report. John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey