The MLB season went down to the wire as the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals in a tight game seven to clinch the World Series.
Giants ace Madison Bumgarner came in on two days’ rest to pitch five scoreless innings in relief, earning the save - the longest in postseason history.
“I was just thinking about getting outs until I couldn’t get them anymore,” said Bumgarner, who was named the World Series MVP. “Fortunately I was able to get some quick innings and I was able to stay in there. Right now I’m not tired at all. We just won the World Series – it’s hard to be tired right now.”
The momentum had appeared to be with the Royals, after they crushed the Giants 10-0 in Game Six. It was a result that boosted their hopes of a first World Series victory in 29 years – along with the statistic that the home team had won the last nine fall classics that had gone the distance.
Those hopes were apparent in the streets of Kansas City in the build-up to the game as fans lined the streets around Kauffman Stadium. The Giants, on the other hand, were going for their third World Series title in five years after victories in 2010 and 2012.
San Francisco were first to get on the board with two runs coming on sacrifice flies off a struggling Jeremy Guthrie in the second inning.
The lead did not last long, however, as Billy Butler and Alex Gordon leveled things in the bottom of the same inning, with Giants manager Bruce Bochy pulling starter Tim Hudson after just 1.2 innings, the shortest start in a World Series decider since 1960.
Jeremy Affeldt was the man entrusted with the ball, and he shut the Giants down for 2.1 innings. On the other side, Ned Yost pulled Jeremy Guthrie in the fourth inning, but not before he had allowed Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence to get on base. Kelvin Herrera came in to finish the inning, but designated hitter Michael Morse drove in Sandoval to give the Giants a 3-2 lead.
With a narrow lead, Bochy turned to the safest arm in his army, Bumgarner. With two World Series wins to his credit already, including a complete game shutout in Game Five, Bumgarner gave up one hit and improved his career World Series ERA to a phenomenal 0.25 in 36 innings pitched.
“He kept telling me ‘I’m ready to go,’ he said just put me in anytime and it couldn’t have worked out better,” Bochy said of Bumgarner. “The plan was to use Jeremy [Affeldt] early and hope we get to the fifth inning and a horse was out there and we rode him and it’s historic what this kid has done. Really truly amazing.”
Kansas City’s most reliable bullpen arms, Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland were able to keep the Giants from extending their lead, but their bats were unable to provide any more support against Bumgarner.
In the bottom of the ninth, with one out remaining, Gregor Blanco’s error in the outfield let Alex Gordon reach third base, but Savador Perez popped out to third base, handing the California side another championship.
The top of San Francisco’s lineup continued to struggle, with Blanco, Joe Panik and Buster Posey going hitless, but Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence continued their hot streaks. 2012 World Series MVP Sandoval reached base on all four plate appearances and extended his postseason average to .429.
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