SAN FRANCISCO — It was 63 years ago and a continent away that the Giants, then in New York, won the National League pennant on the strength of Bobby Thomson’s home run. And while that shot might have been heard round the world, as baseball lore persists, the one that Travis Ishikawa hit in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday night might have been more remarkable.

Ishikawa’s one-out, line-drive blast into the right-field bleachers of AT&T Park gave the San Francisco Giants a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the best-of-seven league championship series, sending the Giants to their third World Series in the past five seasons.

“I’m sure he’s going to wake up and realize what happened,” Manager Bruce Bochy said.

Ishikawa, 31, nearly retired over the summer, stuck in the grind of the minor leagues. But he was called up by the Giants in July and wiggled his way into the lineup when other players were injured. Bochy only recently positioned Ishikawa, a career first baseman, in left field with a mix of instinct and desperation.

And with two teammates on base in the ninth inning, the scored tied at 3-3, Ishikawa hammered a 2-0 fastball from St. Louis reliever Michael Wacha. He immediately raised his arms, knowing that it was enough to clear the right fielder and drive in the winning run.