SF’s Panik attacks Cubs for epic W in 13

SAN FRANCISCO — Maybe this was supposed to happen in a game pitting the Major Leagues’ winningest team of the season against the most successful one of the past decade. Neither would yield easily.

Joe Panik’s double scored Brandon Crawford to snap a 13th-inning tie and lift the Giants to a 6-5 victory over the Cubs on Monday night in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. When the thoroughly entertained AT&T Park audience of 43,571 finally departed, slack-jawed from amazement, the Giants had trimmed the Cubs’ lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1. This was the longest postseason game in Cubs history, topping the 12 innings played in Game 6 of the 1945 World Series.

Game 4 will be Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1) at AT&T Park.

“It started with Conor [Gillaspie] in the eighth inning, that was huge,” Panik said of Gillaspie’s two-run triple that gave the Giants a lead. “We wouldn’t have been in this spot if it wasn’t for him. With that shot he hit, and then Craw, it’s a total team effort. Our bullpen did a great job after giving up three runs, holding them down for a while, giving us a chance to come away with the win.”

San Francisco, which won the World Series in 2010, ’12 and ’14, recorded its 10th consecutive victory when facing postseason elimination after Crawford christened the 13th with a double off Mike Montgomery, who was pitching his fifth inning of relief. Up came Panik, whose drive caromed off the right-field wall as Crawford raced home.

“In that situation, with [manager Bruce] Bochy wanting me to hit there, I’m trying to get something to pull,” Panik said. “Worst-case scenario, just move the runner over, but just looking for something to drive and I got the pitch I wanted and put a good swing on it. It’s a long way out there to right-center. I was happy for it to drop.”

That followed a series of wild shifts in momentum that strained belief.

Round 1 went to the Cubs, who jumped ahead on Jake Arrieta’s three-run, second-inning homer off Madison Bumgarner. Almost unnoticed, the Giants shaved their deficit to a single run before erupting for three in the eighth. Gillaspie, whose three-run, ninth-inning homer accounted for the scoring in Wednesday’s NL Wild Card Game win over the Mets …

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