Fourteen years ago, the Tigers' World Series hopes took an unexpected turn against San Francisco

Fourteen years ago, the Detroit Tigers arrived in San Francisco looking to complete a postseason run that had already included a sweep of the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Detroit had Justin Verlander on the mound, Miguel Cabrera coming off a Triple Crown season and Prince Fielder anchoring the middle of a lineup that appeared capable of competing with anyone.

Everything seemed to be lining up for the Tigers to make their first serious push toward a World Series championship since 1984.

Then Pablo Sandoval changed the direction of the series.

On Oct. 24, 2012, Sandoval hit three home runs as the San Francisco Giants defeated Detroit 8-3 in Game 1 of the World Series. His performance became one of the most memorable individual offensive displays in World Series history and immediately put the Tigers in an unfamiliar position.

Verlander entered the game as Detroit's ace, having established himself as one of baseball's dominant pitchers. But Sandoval wasted little time getting to him, hitting a solo home run in the first inning before adding a two-run shot in the third.

Verlander lasted just four innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits.

Sandoval added his third home run in the fifth inning against Al Alburquerque, joining Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson and Albert Pujols as the only players at that time to hit three home runs in a World Series game.

The Tigers were unable to recover from the early deficit.

Barry Zito, who had experienced his own struggles during his tenure with San Francisco, held Detroit to one run over 5 2/3 innings. The matchup between Verlander and Zito looked considerably different on the field than many might have anticipated before the game.

Looking back, what makes that opening loss particularly frustrating is the amount of talent Detroit had assembled.

Cabrera had just become baseball's first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Fielder provided another established power bat, while Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter's predecessor in center field, helped set the table for the offense. Detroit also possessed a formidable starting rotation featuring Verlander, Max Scherzer, Doug Fister and Aníbal Sánchez.

That pitching staff had helped the Tigers dominate the Yankees in the ALCS, allowing just six runs across four games.

Yet against San Francisco, Detroit's offense struggled to generate runs, and the Giants controlled the series with pitching, defense and timely hitting.

The Tigers were shut out in Games 2 and 3 before losing Game 4 in extra innings. San Francisco completed the four-game sweep, leaving Detroit still searching for its first championship since 1984.

The 2012 season remains one of the defining chapters of that era of Tigers baseball, not simply because of the World Series defeat but because of the expectations surrounding that roster.

Detroit would return to the ALCS in 2013 and win another division title in 2014, but the club never reached another World Series with that core.

Fourteen years later, the 2012 Tigers remain an example of how difficult winning a championship can be, even with multiple future Hall of Famers and one of the strongest rotations in franchise history.