FILE – At left in an Aug. 23, 2014, file photo, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, in Arlington, Texas. At right, in a Sept. 19, 2014, file photo, San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Hudson throws against the San Diego Padres during the first inning of a baseball game in San Diego. Guthrie and Hudson will be the starters for Game 3 of the World Series Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, in San Francisco. (AP Photo | Don Boomer, File)
Largely overshadowed by the excitement of football season, the World Series is shaping up to be one of the more competitive series in recent history. The Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants are two games into what is looking to be a long and very competitive series.
The Royals entered the series with a stunning 8-0 record in the postseason and have been labeled the “team of destiny” during this playoff run. The San Francisco Giants cruised past Pittsburgh on the road in the wild card game and then handled Washington and St. Louis with ease.
The series features several very compelling story lines.
The feel good story of the post-season has been the revival of the Kansas City Royals and for baseball in general in Kansas City. The Royals are making their first post-season appearance since 1985, the longest such drought in that time period. The atmosphere at Kauffman Stadium has been electric, and this Royals ball club has brought on a complete revival of baseball in the city. The Royals style of play is grinding out wins with solid pitching and manufacturing runs on offense with stolen bases and consistent hitting. The starting pitching and offense has been solid enough all season to get leads in games and let their very deep and talented bullpen close games out.
On the other side, you have the San Francisco Giants looking to capture their third world series since 2010. The Giants have been a model of consistency and excellence in baseball in recent years. Manager Bruce Bochy appears to be pushing all the right buttons, and the Giants seemingly have no weaknesses. Their potent offense complements a deep and dominant pitching staff. Teams cannot miss a beat when playing the Giants because they capitalize on every opportunity.
The Cinderella Royals had their momentum stopped in game one by a dominant pitching performance from the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner went seven innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run and struck out five batters. The Royals’ bats responded by pounding out seven runs on 10 hits in game two. Rookie pitcher Yordano Ventura followed up the Royals’ strong offensive performance with a pretty solid outing on the mound, going five and one-third innings and allowing only two runs.
Drama struck in game two as the benches cleared after a verbal altercation between Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland and Royals catcher Salvador Perez. Strickland appeared frustrated after giving up a double to Perez and then a two-run home run to Omar Infante, a player not known for power. Strickland began shouting at Perez when he crossed home plate and waited to congratulate Infante when he scored. The benches cleared, but no fights took place. The incident is definitely something to look for later in the series.
The series takes an off day Thursday for travel, and the teams will head to San Francisco tied at one game a piece going into Friday night’s game. Friday’s game three is a crucial one in the series. The Royals send Jeremy Guthrie to the hill to battle against seasoned veteran Tim Hudson. The Giants are looking to take command of the series at home. Three home games in a row for San Francisco is crucial with hopes of ending the series in the Bay Area and avoiding a return visit to Kauffman Stadium. The Royals are looking to steal a game on the road with hopes of returning home to Kansas City to close it out. The Royals definitely need to take advantage of the opportunity to take the series lead, especially with the possibility of having to face Giants ace Madison Bumgarner two more times if the series extends to six or seven games.
The intensity level will increase in the remaining games, and all things are shaping up for a great finish to the fall classic.
