One franchise has been around since the late 19th century, the other joined Major League Baseball some 86 years later. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Giants, (think rich, deep, polished wood) and the Kansas City Royals (think functional linoleum) are meeting up in the World Series for the very first time.
As their long history would seem to dictate, the Giants are a wiser, more experienced, and more expensive group ($154m payroll) – a team that has won two championship rings in the past four seasons and are bidding for a third in five years. The Royals on the other hand don’t have the long back story of a franchise like the Giants, and play the young upstarts (with a $92m payroll), so lacking in postseason experience that they may not yet understand the magnitude of what they are on the verge of achieving.
Despite their differences these ballclubs do actually have something in common – they were both underdogs coming into the postseason, and both have had a knack for timing, grit and late inning heroics. Here’s our guide to the upcoming 110th edition of the Fall Classic.
San Francisco Giants
Who they are
The Giants were born in northern Manhattan in 1883, playing in the first of what would be five versions of their home field known as the Polo Grounds. In 1903 John McGraw took over as their skipper, and there he stayed for a very very long time – 31 years in total, managing the Hall-of-Famers such as Christy Matthewson, Joe McGinnity, Roger Bresnahan, Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott, winning 10 pennants and three World Series titles. In 1951, The Dodgers and Giants provided us with what is arguably the single most famous play in baseball history – a pennant-deciding walk-off home run off the bat of Glasgow-born Bobby Thompson, that became known as The Shot Heard ’Round the World. It prompted the famous (or infamous depending on allegiance) call from Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges.
We heard something similar a week ago … but more on that below.
The Giants lost to the Yankees in the World Series that season, but by 1954, Willie Mays was roaming the outfield in Harlem and the Giants won their fifth and final World Series title in New York, sweeping the Cleveland Indians.
The Dodgers and Giants were fierce rivals, but were in cahoots when it came to leaving their old, decrepit stadiums for fresh West Coast duds. Brooklyn owner Walter O’Malley, destined for Los Angeles, needed another team to make the trip west of St Louis worth it for other clubs, so he convinced Horace Stoneham to leave New York for San Francisco, which then made the Yankees the only game in town for a period.
And so began the Giants’ West Coast odyssey, first at Seals Stadium, then at the wind-chilled Candlestick Park, and finally at their latest address, AT&T Park. The Giants suffered through a myriad of disappointments after heading west, including World Series losses in 1962, 1989 and 2002, with a sprinkling of early-round failures. Then, after watching Barry Bonds break records* and those damn Dodgers win five World Series titles to their none, San Francisco finally broke through in 2010, beating the Texas Rangers for their first World Series title after over 40 years in the Bay Area. Two years later they did it again against the Detroit Tigers, and two years later …
How they got here
This version of the Giants were just fifth in the National League in runs scored and seventh in overall staff ERA. From 8 June on, San Francisco were just 45-53. Still, their meagre 88 wins were enough to win the fifth and final Wild Card spot, a place that didn’t actually exist until last season when Major League Baseball expanded the postseason by one team in each league.
Once in the playoffs, Bruce Bochy, who is probably the most respected manager in the game these days, flicked a switch, and turned on the very same mojo machine that helped them win it all in 2012. Brandon Crawford’s grand slam on the road in Pittsburgh helped the Giants destroy the Pirates, before they dispatched the Washington Nationals, who just happened to be NL favourites, in just four NLDS games. Then they ousted the Cardinals in the NLCS, just as they did in 2012, in just five games, continuing their trend of getting major contributions from bit-players. Travis Ishikawa became their latest hero, hitting a walk-off, pennant-winning home run, 63 years after Thompson hit his back in New York.
Basically, San Francisco’s championship formula has involved pairing all-stars Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Madison Bumgarner with a few other above-average starters and a solid bullpen alongside completely and totally ordinary interchangeable gamers that just get the job done despite being average or below-average talents. That’s more or less how the Giants are on the verge of a dynasty.
Where they play
AT&T Park is probably one of the top five most enjoyable places to watch a baseball game on the planet – if you’re in San Francisco and can’t find it, just follow that smell of the garlic fries down to the China Basin. The Giants moved in in 2000 after 39 years at Candlestick Park, which we’ve all been told was probably one of the worst places to watch a baseball game.
Since the winner of the All-Star Game hilariously determines home-field advantage in the World Series, and the NL lost this year, AT&T Park will host games three, four, and possibly five if it’s necessary. Because the NL rules say the pitcher must bat, unlike in the American League, where there is a Designated Hitter who hits in place of the pitcher, we will have the pleasure of seeing the likes of hurlers James Shields and Madison Bumgarner swing a bat. What you probably won’t see is Billy Butler, the Royals DH who won’t have a place to play out in San Francisco. Even though Butler looks like he should be playing in a softball league, that’s a disadvantage for the Royals because Butler has had a knack for the big hit during these playoffs.
With AT&T Park being so close to Silicon Valley, we probably shouldn’t be surprised that game five of the NLCS broke the park record for data usage among the crowd, apparently surpassing a Beyoncé/Jay-Z concert over the summer. It’s also the ballpark where you won’t hear Lorde’s “Royals”, as the San Francisco radio ban of the track probably extends to the area around McCovey Cove.
How they play
To borrow a phrase from a nearby NFL team, the Giants “just win, baby”, especially in the postseason, where they’ve won eight consecutive series. Never the most naturally talented team, they are a well-managed band of opportunists that pull off unlikely/bizarre victories on a regular basis. They beat Washington in game two of the NLDS in 18 innings, tying the game in the ninth after being held to just three hits over the first 8.2 innings. They wrapped up the series against DC thanks to a run-scoring wild pitch. They won game three of the NLCS against the Cardinals on a walk-off bunt/error. In game four, the Giants took the lead by scoring two sixth-inning runs without the benefit of a base-hit. In game five, with the Cards just six outs from sending the series back to St Louis, Michael Morse hit a pinch-hit home run to tie the game, before the Giants survived a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth. Then Travis Ishikawa, a player who had been released earlier in the season, took his cue and hit a pennant-winning walk-off home run.
Oh, and it sure does help to have a Madison Bumgarner, who allowed just three runs in 15.2 innings pitched against St Louis. And man, can that guy put it away.
Just win, baby.
Giants you should know
The Giants you should know are the ones you’ve never heard of who are going to come out of nowhere and make history in this World Series, just like Travis Ishikawa did in the NLCS. Maybe this time it will be backup catcher Andrew Susac, who played just 35 regular-season games in 2014 and had just one at-bat in the NLCS. Or perhaps the hero in waiting is Joaquín Árias, who came off the bench in 107 games this season but had just two at-bats against St Louis. Until those players emerge, the franchise cornerstones include All-Star catcher Buster Posey, who looks 15 but is one of the most dynamic players in the game, and Pablo Sandoval, the colourful, Venezuelan, portly yet sprightly Giants soon-to-be-free-agent third baseman who has had at least a base it in 23 consecutive playoff games. Madison Bumgarner is their ace and won the NLCS Most Valuable Player award. Tim Lincecum is a Giant you should’ve known a few years back when he was winning Cy Young Awards, now he just sits on the bench. Less forgettable are veteran starting pitchers Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson, a pair of old bulls who are formidable in the rotation behind Bumgarner. Ryan Vogelsong struggled all season, and then learned how to pitch again in October – that’s a very Giant-ish thing to do. The closer is Sergio Casilla and he’s set up by Sergio Romo, a steady one-two punch that’s worked well for All-World manager Bruce Bochy thus far. Hunter Pence is their curly-haired, blond Matthew McConaughey-like right fielder who combines the occasional inspirational speech with the odd defensive gem. Michael Morse will likely DH in Kansas City, which will give the Giants another power bat in their lineup – that’s kind of a big deal, so keep an eye on the slugger.
Celebrity fans
The most famous Giants fan isn’t really a fan at all. Robert De Niro starred in the 1996 film called The Fan and stalked the fictional San Francisco Giant Wesley Snipes for one hour and 57 minutes. Otherwise there’s actor Danny Glover of Lethal Weapon fame, but really, it begins and ends with comic Bob Saget, who starred in the San Francisco-based sitcom Full House for a period that can only be described as way too long.
Kansas City Royals
Who they are
Actually, the Royals were not the first Major League Baseball team in Kansas City. From 1955-1967, the Athletics called the city home, after moving west from Philadelphia, where the franchise was born in 1901. After the team left for Oakland, US senator Stuart Symington, allegedly demanded a replacement franchise, and in 1969, the city was granted an expansion team along with Seattle, San Diego and Montreal. And the Royals were not named after fancy rich people as one might have thought, but rather, an annual livestock show, horse show and rodeo called American Royal.
The Royals got off the ground quickly, making the playoffs seven times in the decade following 1976. They lost the 1980 World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies before winning the 1985 Fall Classic by beating their cross Missouri rivals from St Louis. That was the last time KC made the postseason until this year.
Besides the blown call in game six that helped manager Dick Howser’s KC club edge the Cardinals, the team is also famous for the 1983 Pine Tar Game, during which a home run against the New York Yankees by future Hall-of-Famer George Brett was disallowed because he used too much of the sticky stuff on his bat. Brett and the Royals protested and would eventually win their case, but that was one of the only times they beat the Yankees, who ousted them in three consecutive ALCS. KC embraced the stolen base, running all over the AL, and had All-Stars like Frank White, Willie Wilson, Amos Otis, Dan Quisenberry and Bret Saberhagen. Founding owner Ewing Kauffman died in 1993, and eventually, the club would be purchased by David Glass. The payroll plummeted from fifth to the dregs, and the team suffered for many years. Finally, Glass hired general manager Dayton Moore and left him alone to do his work, with the results finally bearing fruit, resulting in the Royals’ third World Series appearance.
How they got here
The Royals got here by demoralising all-comers. Their assault began in the Wild Card game against the Oakland A’s when they started a stolen base-sac-bunt-athon in shocking the Athletics, who watched their ace Jon Lester get torched and a three-run eighth-inning lead get away. It was the springboard for an all-time Royals run during which they have yet to lose a single postseason game. In the ALDS, the 96-win Angels were neutralised by a pair of extra inning home runs from Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer in games one and two and some of the best defence you will ever see. Ned Yost’s Royals didn’t even manage 100 home runs in 2014, but in the playoffs, KC found their power stroke and averaged one a game. After adding power to their speed, defence and a historic bullpen effort, the Baltimore Orioles had no chance, swept out of the ALCS despite playing well.
Where they play
The Royals play in “The K”, or Kauffman Stadium, which will host the first and second games of the World Series and a potential game six and/or seven. It’s got a roomy outfield and is ideal for the brand of baseball the Royals play, which, aside from their recent power surge, is something known as small ball – that’s manufacturing runs without waiting for the homers.
Even back when Kauffman Stadium had artificial turf it was a looker, boasting its famed fountain beyond the outfield walls and an enormous crown scoreboard. Today, the enormous crown and fountain – it is the largest privately funded fountain in the world – is still there after a $250m renovation brought the place up to date.
How they play
Right now, incredibly well. However, it’s worth pointing out that this could change. KC were a streaky bunch this year, moving between 15-4 ascents to 3-10 slides at the drop of a hat. Now that their white hot blend of power, defence, timely hitting and pitching has been sitting around for days and cooling down, there’s every chance that the Royals could come out sputtering. That may seem unlikely considering just how good they’ve been, but we’ve seen bats die out after long postseason layoffs before. Luckily for Kansas City, the Giants have also had their share of time off since knocking off the Cards.
Royals you should know
ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain for one – a beautiful, beautiful player. Clutch hits, clutch defence and the patience of a saint judging by the way he deals with the constant harassment from team-mate Salvador Pérez. Really, Cain and the Royals make you want to gush the way they’ve come together this October – have I mentioned that they haven’t lost a single game yet this postseason?
The bullpen – Wade Davis, Kelvin Hererra and closer Greg Holland are close to automatic. The outfield brings circus catches from Nori Aoki and gold glover Alex Gordon. Third baseman Mike Moustakas made new friends with his grab into the not so cheap seats in game three against Baltimore and also hit two ALCS home runs. Eric Hosmer showed power against the Angels, and patience against the Orioles. Bowling league captain Billy Butler actually stole a base this postseason. If there’s a hole in this team it’s the starters. James Shields, for all the hype he gets, the “Big Game James stuff”, has been uneven at best during his three postseason starts. Other starters like Yordano Ventura and Jason Vargas can be had, and that’s how you beat KC – get to the starters early before the bullpen gets its chance to shut you down.
Celebrity fans
Or fan … that would be Paul Rudd, who grew up in Overland Park, Kansas and has some reasonable credits including 40-Year-old Virgin, Anchorman 1&2 and Knocked Up. After the Royals swept away Baltimore he invited everybody back for a party at his mom’s house, which is a reasonable response.
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