Joe Panik doubled off the wall in right-centre field to drive in Brandon Crawford with the winning run in the 13th inning, and the San Francisco Giants staved off elimination yet again by outlasting the Chicago Cubs 6-5 on Monday night (Tuesday AEDT) in Game 3 of their Major League Baseball NL Division Series.
San Francisco won their 10th straight game when facing postseason elimination.
Panik came through against Mike Montgomery, who was pitching his fifth inning of relief.
The tough-to-eliminate Giants forced Tuesday night's Game 4 back at their raucous, sold-out ballpark, postponing a potential Cubs clinch party. Chicago lead the best-of-five playoff series 2-1 and will send John Lackey to the mound opposite lefty Matt Moore.
Earlier, the MLB career of David Ortiz ended, with Cleveland closer Cody Allen holding firm in the last two innings as the Indians beat Boston 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep of their AL Division Series.
Red Sox slugger Ortiz walked in what would prove his final plate appearance, but could only watch from the dugout when Travis Shaw hit a game-ending flyout with a pair of runners on.
Rookie Tyler Naquin delivered a two-run single and Josh Tomlin pitched five strong innings for Cleveland, who open the AL Championship Series against Toronto at home on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Anthony Rendon and Jayson Werth clocked home runs to help the Washington Nationals move within a victory of winning a post-season series for the first time.
The Nationals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-3 on Monday for a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five series National League playoff series.
Washington can wrap up the series on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) at Dodger Stadium.
Playing 23 hours after the Nationals tied the series at home in a rain-postponed game two, Rendon hit a two-run homer in a four-run third that chased Kenta Maeda.
Werth added a solo shot off closer Kenley Jansen in a breakaway four-run ninth.
