The ball whipped an S-shaped course off his splintering bat, curling through the air, around Kozma’s glove, and into the outfield, where it was bobbled by center fielder Jon Jay for a double.

The bases cleared. The crowd boiled over. The party raged on.

Brandon Belt reached on an infield single and Gregor Blanco walked, loading the bases again. Brandon Crawford chopped a ball up the middle and Kozma, a player who seemed at the center of the Cardinals’ misery all night, made a questionable decision to throw home, where Pence scored easily. After pitcher Matt Cain struck out, Angel Pagan grounded to Kozma, who made a sloppy flip to second, allowing Pagan to beat the throw to first on a potential double-play grounder, letting Belt score.

The bases were still loaded when Pablo Sandoval lined out to end the inning, but the damage was inflicted. After 11 plate appearances, 4 hits, 2 walks, and 1 error, the Giants were up, 7-0.

“It’s a dream come true, but there’s one more step, and we’ve got to get ready,” said Pagan, who scored the Giants’ first run in the first inning. The Giants’ blowout was topped off with Aubrey Huff’s run-scoring double-play ball in the seventh and Belt’s solo home run in the eighth.

Cain started for the Giants, and despite lacking his sharpest stuff, he provided five and two-thirds scoreless innings. He came closest to trouble in the second, when Kyle Lohse came up with runners on second and third and two outs and smacked a line drive that seemed headed for the outfield. Instead, it was snatched out of the air by shortstop Crawford, who was fully elevated and extended.