Kansas City Royals 0-5 San Francisco Giants: 2014 World Series - as it happened!

Royals 0-5 Giants, top 9th

Gordon pops out to right. Cain grounds out to short.

Madison Bumgarner is one out away from a complete game shutout in Game 5 of the World Series...and he’s ahead 0-2 on Eric Hosmer.

That would make him worth approximately $4,624,800

Slow down...we’ve seen this show before and there’s still a Game 6 in KC...in addition to a ninth inning here!

Royals 0-5 Giants, bottom 8th

Blanco also goes down looking - side retired and here comes Madison Bumgarner looking to finish off the Royals!

Royals 0-5 Giants, bottom 8th

Bumgarner is going to hit, which means he will go for the complete game shutout. MadBum is struck out looking, and not happy about it.

The guy is a beast.

Here is Blanco now with Crawford on first with two outs.

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 8th

So here’s Davis, who has himself a 0.79 ERA in the postseason - not too shabby himself. He’s facing Belt now with two on and nobody out, running the count full, and Davis paints to the outside corner with a fastball. Belt is none to happy with the call but that was strike three for sure.

Juan Perez heads to the plate now.

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 8th

Sandoval takes Herrera right up the middle - it’s a blistering base hit that gets the orange Pandas bouncing around AT&T Park.

Lead man on for Hunter Pence, who with two strikes, reaches down and takes a sinking pitch past Escobar at short and into left field.

Talk about bad-ball hitting...

So trouble now for Herrera - KC simply canot allow any more runs through here if they are to have any shot at all...obviously.

Yost is out to get Herrera and here comes Wade Davis in relief.

Cue the organ...

Bumgarner made just $3.75m, while Kershaw pulled in $4m. Next year however he gets $30m and MadBum gets $6.75m...

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 8th

Nix is ahead in the count, but then swings on 3-1 and skies it to left. Juan Perez is under it and makes the catch - that’s the second out and Bumgarner’s postseason ERA dips once more.

Escobar is up.

MadBum’s pitch count is over 100 now, and Santiago Casilla gets up in the Giants bullpen.

Escobar, a routine fly ball that lands in the safe hands of Blanco in center field.

Stand up and cheer for Madison Bumgarner - eight shutout innings in an enormous spot!

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 8th

Billy Butler is pinch hitting and can only shake his head after watching a 76 MPH curveball pass him by for strikeout number eight on the night.

Bumgarner is untouchable, and has been all game long.

Jayson Nix is next.

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 7th

Posey fouls a pitch back, right onto the chest protector of home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, which stops play momentarily.

Then Posey bounces to Nix (he just came into the game), and he throws to Escobar for one and to Hosmer to complete the double play - that’s 4-6-3, second base to shortstop to first base - two outs, one time!

Inning over!

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 7th

Herrera runs the count full on Panik on another stady diet of fastballs.

Pitch seven is high, which means we have a one-out baserunner and Buster Posey stepping in.

James Shields

He was much, much better, obviously - if he was pitching against anybody else besides MadBum he probably would have left in a much more favorable position.

6IP 8H 2R 2ER 1BB 4SO 0HR

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 7th

James Shields is done - Kelvin Herrera is in for the Royals trying to keep them close.

Blanco is leading off, as he does - it’s a bouncer to first, and Hosmer backhands it, flips to Herrera and one down after seven straight fastballs.

Panik is next.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 7th

The crowd are on their feet with the count even at 2-2 - Bumgarner deals and misses outside.

Hosmer will be runing with the count full - Infante grounds to third - he’s sprinting down the line but is out by a step!

Bumgarner through seven (95 pitches) and it’s stretch time in San Francisco...

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 7th

Moustakas hits a high drive that hangs up - Blanco runs it down in right-center field then guns it to first to try and get Hosmer - and he would have had the throw been on line.

Two down for Infante, trying to keep this inning alive as the Royals chances dwindle.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 7th

He hits it hard to left - Perez heads back to the wall and is able to make the catch! It’s a tough play that Ishikawa would have more trouble with and that’s more baseball genius points in the pocket of Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 7th

Perez stays in to play left field.

More importantly, Hosmer has a leadoff hit to right field. Can the Royals get to Bumgarner? Here’s Perez, who we know can hit MadBum a little bit...

Big at-bat right here.

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 6th

Belt flies to left for the first out, but then Travis Ishikawa has a knock - it’s a base hit to right and that means Brandon Crawford comes to the plate with a man on. Juan Perez enters the game as a pinch runner. Crawford already has an RBI hit tonight...

Here he bounces to Shields who makes the throw to first base for the second out.

A runner in scoring position for Bumgarner - the Giants ace grounds out to third and Shields is now through six innings and has thrown 94 pitches.

Hosmer, Perez and Moustakas coming up...

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 6th

Here’s Cain’s chance to be the latest player to make a great play in the field and then come back with some kind of offense.

The count is 2-2 when Bumgarner misses high and tight. So now the count is full...

...he hits it very hard, but right at Travis Ishikawa, who doesn’t dive, rather, just makes the catch to retire the side.

That’s six shutout innings for MadBum - he’s thrown 80 pitches.

It certainly was...

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 6th

Gordon pops it up in the infield - Crawford is under it at shortstop, that’s two down.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 6th

Top of the lineup - Escobar pops it up behind the plate and Posey has it for the first out. Here’s Gordon now...

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 5th

Pence lifts it towards the gap in right-center - that is hit very hard, very far - Cain is on his horse, running, running, running, reaching out and MAKING THE CATCH!

Two runs were coming home, definitely! That is the kind of play that could potentially save this game if KC can get anything going!

Instead, the inning is over - Shields and KC bite the bullet!

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 5th

The fans at AT&T Park are holding up orange panda heads to show their support.

It’s not enough - very high heat from Shields that Sandoval can’t resist and that’s a very very big out right there.

But he’s not out of trouble yet - here is Pence....

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 5th

Ball in the dirt - Panik takes off immediately! That’s more heads up baserunning from San Francisco. Very very strong fundamentals on display...

Now Shields loses Posey - runners on first and second now with one out after the walk and now Yost has some thinking to do.

Here comes Kung Fu Panda.

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 5th

Shields is down two runs but has pitched reasonably well. He’s got 70 pitches thus far through 4 1/3 innings after Blanco grounds to Infante at second.

Then Panik is on after hitting a hard hit ball up the middle with two strikes on him.

It’s one out for Posey - heart of the order now for San Francisco.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 5th

Nothing doing...Shields goes down on strikes, the kind where the catcher throws to first.

Whatever, the inning is over.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 5th

Dyson chases a curveball low, and that’s a big strikeout - the sixth by Bumgarner.

Now Shields has to bat because he’s pitching well. It’s gonna take a miracle to get Infante home here with two outs.

Royals 0-2 Giants, top 5th

Moustakas lines out to Crawford who is to the right of the second base bag because of the shift. Now here’s Infante who lifts a ball to left - Ishikawa is diving for it and he can’t get it!

It gets past the Giants left fielder and Infante has a double! Ishikawa should have played that more conservatively.

The Royals have a man in scoring position - I think that’s the first time tonight they’ve had such a luxury. Here’s light hitting center fielder Jarrod Dyson.

Royals 0-2 Giants, bottom 4th

Bumgarner swings at a ball away and that’s strike three. The inning is over, but the Giants get a very big run right there.

Royals 0-1 Giants, bottom 4th

Shields answers the leadoff hit with back-to-back strikeouts! That leaves it to Travis Ishikawa.

He lines one under Escobar’s backhanded glove - that’s got to be an E-5, that being an error on the shortstop, but the official scorer is giving Ishikawa a single - somewhat generous.

Runners on first and second now for Brandon Crawford.

Royals 0-1 Giants, bottom 4th

The count is 2-2 when Hunter chases a ball away and looses his bat! Even his strikeouts are interesting.

One out, one on for Belt, who we now know can bunt...do it again Brandon, come on!

Royals 0-1 Giants, bottom 4th

Sandoval leads off with a base hit just past the outstretched glove of Moustakas who hits the dirt in pursuit. So Panda is on, and here comes Hunter!

Seems like a big at-bat, does it not?

Royals 0-1 Giants, top 4th

It’s not easy to transition to baseball after hearing something as terrible as that.

A quick catchup - Cain grounds out to Brandon Crawford at short, then Hosmer dos the same but to Sandoval at third. Then Perez is at the plate and he grounds to Belt at first - he’s got some ground to cover and slides, spikes first to get to the bag and he’s out!

Terrific play by belt there to and that’s nine straight retired by MadBum.

Royals 0-1 Giants, bottom 3rd

Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti speaking to FOX TV here in the US about Madison Bumgarner:

...he’s a hell of a pitcher.

Uh, yah, I’d probably have to agree. Good to see Rags, who was pretty good himself.

Back to the game - Panik grounds to short, Posey to second, and that’s an easy inning for Shields who looks a lot better than he did in Game 1. If you believe the FOX boys, it’s because his changeup is sinking rather than staying up in the zone, which is sensible.

Royals 0-1 Giants, bottom 3rd

Blanco at the top of the order and he hits one towards the gap in left-center field that has the crowd excited...until Gordon tracks it down for the first out.

Here’s Panik.

Damn! He botched it and I missed it! You can’t beat up on somebody second hand - not nearly as fun!

Maybe Monday...

Royals 0-1 Giants, top 3rd

Escobar with a blooper to center that hangs up there just a bit too long and Blanco has it for the second out.

Hosmer is up and in the hole immediately, then he’s back in the dugout. It’s a big Unlce Charlie in the dirt that the Royals first baseman can’t resist.

Six straight retired by Bumgarner, and he has five strikeouts through three.

Royals 0-1 Giants, top 3rd

With two shutout innings, Bumgarner’s ERA sinks to 1.00 this postseason, and with James Shields at the plate, it’s set to dip some more.

The KC hurler lifts it to center - easy for Blanco, one away.

Top of the order now, Alcides Escobar at the plate.

Yes, but who was it? Somebody must know!

Royals 0-0 Giants, bottom 2nd

Ishikawa gives it a ride - a really long ride to center field. Dyson is under it, makes the catch and both Pence and Belt move up! More phenomenal baserunning by the Giants in this series.

One out, runners at second and third and here is Brandon Crawford with the pitcher hitting next.

Just in case you’re wondering, Bumgarner hit four bombs this year and hit .258. That is a lot higher than Mike Moustakas...

Royals 0-0 Giants, bottom 2nd

Hunter Pence leading off, which means I can post this...

Hey, if greenies are no longer an option....

Anyway, Pence wastes no time, drilling a base hit past Escobar at short! A leadoff baserunner.

Now Belt, a lefty, bunts to the left side of the infield, against the shift! Belt beats the throw from Escobar by a step! Finally! Hallelujah!

I love it - take that infield shift!!!!!!

So now it’s two on, no one out, and here’s Travis Ishikawa with James Shields entering the situation room. Is there any more magic in that bat?

Royals 0-0 Giants, top 2nd

A couple of foul balls, then Bumgarner takes just a little something off it - Hosmer is helpless, swinging through a cut fastball.

That’s the first out, here is Omar Infante, who had a big hit last night early, back when KC looked like Giant killers.

Infante chases a bugs-bunny-ish curve ball away and now he’s down on strikes.

So back-to-back strikeouts after the leadoff hit and now MadBum completes the trifecta!

Dyson is swinging at the high heat - side retired!

KC swallow hard.

Royals 0-0 Giants, top 2nd

Sweet Salvador Perez, who as we mentione, did have success against Bumgarner in Game 1, pokes a single to right for a lead off hit.

Now Moustakas is up, a lefty-on-lefty match-up and so San Francisco put on the shift.

MadBum, not messing around, throws a 94 MPH heater down the middle that Hosmer can’t touch, but then he’s high in the zone to run the count full...

Royals 0-0 Giants, bottom 1st

Posey tags one to center and it drops in for a base hit. So just like the Royals did in their half of the first, the Giants have a two-out runner.

Here is Sandoval, fresh off playing with flu-like symptoms.

I was going to play no matter what...

And so he did, delivering as he does, each and every postseason he plays in.

But here Panda grounds out to second, it’s easy for Omar Infante, side retired.

Pitching dual? That would seem to favor the Royals, but it’s way too early, right?

Royals 0-0 Giants, bottom 1st

So here is Big Game James and his big fat 7.11 postseason ERA.

Gregor Blanco, seemingly always in the middle of it all (a poor mans Hunter Pence?), leads off the game for the Giants and promptly grounds out to first, it’s easy for Hosmer.

Now Panik steps in - he had a couple of big hits, but here he lifts a ball to center that’s easy for Dyson. Two down, and here is Posey.

Royals 0-0 Giants, top 1st

Bumgarner throws over and has a look at Cain to keep him close. Then Hosmer waves at a cut-fastball away and now he’s in a 1-2 hole.

We know how that ends....yup. Hosmer goes fishing at a ball in the dirt and that’s strike three-inning over.

Royals 0-0 Giants, top 1st

Cain hits it where they ain’t, and not even Hunter Pence and his tongue can get to it out in shallow right field. We have a two out baserunner now and Hosmer steps in.

Will Cain ge the Royals speed game going?

Royals 0-0 Giants, top 1st

Gordon grounds to second, Panik has a ways to go but he slides to his left, has it, gets up and fires to first for the second out. Another solid play from Panik, who’s got plenty of range.

Now it’s Cain, who had a bit of an injury scare last night, but is OK. Let’s see how he does against the Giants’ ace.

National Anthem

Did anyone see it? All we got was FOX NFL postgame. Great.

Match-ups

Here is a look at what James Shields has done against these Giants...

...and what KC’s hitters have done against MadBum. Good thing Nori Aoki is on the bence, he’s 0-16 vs Bumgarner. Billy Butler, also on the bench thanks to the DH rule in NL parks, is 3-6 with a home run off him

OK, now throw all that out the window.

The 2014 World Series, so far

Looking to catch up on the Fall Classic? Here are links to our live coverage of games 1-4. Consider it a one-stop World Series shop.

• Game 1
  
• Game 2
  
• Game 3
  
• Game 4
  

And here they are, your San Francisco Giants!

1. Gregor Blanco, CF
2. Joe Panik, 2B
3. Buster Posey, C
4. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Brandon Belt, 1B
7. Travis Ishikawa, LF
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Madison Bumgarner, LHP

Giants manager Bruce Bochy flip-flops Pence and Sandoval and swaps Juan Pere for Travis Ishikawa. Pence has had the most at-bats (13), of any San Francisco starter against Shields, and is hitting just .154. That means a 4-4 evening is in store, of course...

Kansas City Royals

1. Alcides Escobar, SS
2. Alex Gordon, LF
3. Lorenzo Cain, RF
4. Eric Hosmer, 1B
5. Salvador Perez, C
6. Mike Moustakas, 3B
7. Omar Infante, 2B
8. Jarrod Dyson, CF
9. James Shields, RHP

So KC manager Ned Yost like how Sweet Salvador is swinging the bat and moves him up to fifth...and because he hit a home run off Bumgarner in Game 1. Moustakas drops a slot, and so does Infante, who has also been indispensable. Otherwise, same as...

Madison Bumgarner

We’ve seen him chug, which made some of us believe that pitching was the second best thing he can do.

MadBum pours warm beer on that theory...

Ah, but he didn’t say anything about four at a time now did he...

Robin Williams

The comic/actor and sometimes Giants fan is being honored on the field at AT&T Park...

Which means we can have some pre-game fun with him as well.

When he was good, he was good.