World Series: San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals get ready for intriguing showdown
A SAN Francisco Giants dynasty seeking its third crown in five seasons faces a team of destiny in the Kansas City Royals. It’s World Series time.
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A SAN Francisco Giants dynasty seeking its third crown in five seasons faces a team of destiny in the Kansas City Royals when the 110th World Series begins on Wednesday (EDT).
The Royals, who host the first two games of Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final, snapped a 29-year playoff drought this season — what had been the longest active futility streak in major North American sport — and have become the first team to start a playoff run with eight wins in a row.
Add three straight triumphs to close out their only World series triumph in 1985 to their current run and the Royals would match the all-time multi-season playoff win streak of 12, set by the New York Yankees, with a game-one triumph.
The Giants, who lost all three regular-season games against the Royals, ousted Pittsburgh to start the post-season, then downed Washington and St. Louis to win the National League title and book another World Series for a team whose core players took championships in 2010 over Texas and 2012 over Detroit.
Here is your ultimate guide to the World Series:
What is the World Series?
It’s the culmination of a long season (162 games per team and a month-long post season) featuring the winners of the two leagues — National and American — in a best-of-seven game series.
Who are the defending champions?
Boston Red Sox proved too strong for St Louis Cardinals last year, winning 4-2.
When are the games on?
Game one starts on Wednesday morning at 11am (EDT) at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas. Game two will be played on Thursday morning at 11am (EDT). The series then heads to San Francisco for the next three before heading back to Kansas for the final two, if required.
Pitching match-ups
Game 1: Madison Bumgarner v James Shields
Game 2: Jake Peavy v Yordana Ventura
Game 3: Tim Hudson v Jason Vargas
Game 4: Ryan Vogelsong v Jeremy Guthrie
Games 5, 6 and 7 starters are yet to be determined.
What about a bit of historical context?
The Royals won their only World Series appearance back in 1985. With staff ace and eventual series MVP Bret Saberhagen pitching two complete games, they beat St Louis Cardinals four games to three.
The intervening 29 years haven’t been so profitable though, with the franchise often on the end of ridicule for their poor performance.
They posted nine consecutive losing records from 2004 to 2012 before bouncing back last year with a season — while a massive improvement — that hardly gave notice of a run of this magnitude.
It's really happening #Royals fans, #WorldSeries preparations in full swing at #TheK! #TakeTheCrown pic.twitter.com/IBMe8Go9a0
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) October 18, 2014But fortunes can change quickly in Major League Baseball and, while they only reached the post-season by virtue of a wildcard, they are currently riding an eight-game winning streak.
The Giants franchise is the one all modern professional sports should aspire to follow.
Hardly one of the big spenders, they have consistently overachieved in an era when huge contracts rule the roost.
Under the guidance of Bruce Bochy they have won two of the last four World Series, beating the Texas Rangers in 2010 and backing up in 2012 with a 4-0 demolition of the Detroit Tigers. Their only other appearance in the big one came back in 1989 in the Bay Bridge Series against near-neighbours Oakland A’s.
In a series famously disrupted by an earthquake, the Giants were demolished in four games in one of the most lopsided deciders in history.
How did they get this far?
Both teams have done it the hard way by qualifying from the wildcard round — a one-off game to decide the final post-season berth — in their respective leagues.
The Royals, after finishing second behind Detroit in the American League Central, have gone on an unprecedented win streak, beating the Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles without dropping a game. The Giants, who finished as runners-up in the National League West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been nearly as dominant, dropping just two games on the way to beating the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals and St Louis Cardinals.
What is their roster construction?
With some exciting homegrown talent, a pitching leader in James Shields and a bullpen rated the best in the game, Kansas City is a formidable foe.
While the Royals have some excellent young hitters like Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas, they base their game on the value of defence, especially in the outfield with the likes Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon and Norichika Aoki, and at shortstop with Alcides Escobar.
Shields heads a decent pitching staff that includes exciting young Cuban flamethrower Yordana Ventura and journeymen Jason Vargas and Jeremy Guthrie, but it’s the bullpen where their strength lies.
The three-headed monster, as it’s known, comprises of Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera and they have been virtually untouchable in the post-season.
The Giants are another defensive-orientated team that, even when their big hitters are having an off day, are capable of scratching out runs when they need them most. They simply have the players to get on base and make things happen. Between underrated lead-off hitter Gregor Blanco and young shortstop Joe Panik, they tend to set the platform for hitters like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence to exploit.
In left-hander Madison Bumgarner they also have the most effective pitcher this post-season. \
Veterans Jake Peavy, Tim Hudson and Ryan Vogelsong round out the rotation. The bullpen — led by closer Santiago Casilla and the impressive Yusmeiro Petit — is strong but not quite as potent as their opponents.
They said what?
“We’re just clicking at the right moment” — Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain.
“We’re changing lives. We’re bringing excitement back. That’s our goal” — Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson.
“This is a wonderful time for America to watch our team and I think what they have done is they’ve fallen in love with our team” — Royals manager Ned Yost.
Who will win?
The Giants are in the mood. Bochy to win again 4-2.
Originally published as World Series: San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals get ready for intriguing showdown
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