"We kicked their ass, drank their whiskey, and took their planes"

The San Francisco Giants returned home to a hero’s welcome yesterday, sending a jolt of electricity through a tired and bleary-eyed group of players who had spent the night before celebrating their hard-fought and newly-won National League pennant.

After beating the Phillies on their home turf in a dramatic Game 6 Saturday night, the G-men partied hard, then slept in and didn’t leave Philadelphia until after lunchtime — on a Phillies-charted airplane.

Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand was quoted as saying, “We kicked their ass, drank their whiskey [champagne] and took their plane.”

Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow said he approached rookie Buster Posey shortly after the Giants clinched and said, “I hope you don’t think every year is like this.”

Posey’s response? “Why not?”

Word that the team buses were heading to 3rd & King quickly spread on Twitter, and fans started lining up near the player’s lot.

Soon, hundreds of rain-soaked fans were standing outside AT&T Park to show their love for a rag-tag, underdog team that was never expected to do this well this season.

As the three Giants’ buses followed a police escort from the airport to the ballpark, honking horns made it clear that their arrival was near, prompting the torture towel-waving crowd to break into a “Let’s go Giants!” chant.

According to Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News, 21-year-old Madison Bumgarner stood in the front of the crowd with an amused look on his face as he tried to put the scene into words.

“This is unbelievable, we never expected this,” Bumgarner said. “We’re all exhausted, but I guarantee you nobody is feeling it right now.”

Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez said he and his teammates were blown away by the loud and raucous fans, many of whom hadn’t gotten much sleep.

“These guys are amazing — the best fans in baseball,” Sanchez said. “This is what we get every night at this stadium. The energy these fans bring is just awesome.”

After high-fiving and shaking hands with the fans, the players headed home for a well-earned day off.