Bumgarner Makes History, Leads Giants to Third Title in Five Years

The World Series is the pinnacle of baseball’s 162-game season, and this year the battle for the best team took place between a band of misfits, the San Francisco Giants, and America’s team, the Kansas City Royals.

Game one seemed to be established in the first inning of the game. Pablo Sandoval’s RBI double started the Giant’s offense, which scored three runs in the first inning. Adding to the offense, Hunter Pence hit a two run home run in the first inning allowing the Giants to lead by three early. For the Royals, Salvador Perez hit a solo homerun and gave them their only run in the seventh inning. The Giants started off Game One with offense and Bumgarner secured their win with impeccable defense; the final score was Giants,7, and Royals, 5.

Game two did not start out with gripping offense. Game two was tied at two by the fourth inning. This game settled into monotony until the sixth inning. An RBI single by Billy Butler changed the entire game. Butler’s single headed off a Royals’ five-run rally, which was then maintained by their bullpen. The sixth inning also sparked a bench clearing by both teams after the Giants’ Strickland scoffed at the Royals’ Perez. No serious fighting took place, but Strickland was escorted to his dugout by an umpire. Game Two tied the series at a game each.

Game Three fully displayed the unorthodoxy of Royals’ manager Ned Yost. Yost was criticized for being a hothead who made questionable calls. However, he certainly seemed to know what he was doing in Game Three at AT&T Park. Yost rearranged his batting order, put in a player who did not start in a game for five weeks, and allowed a pitcher with more losses than wins to pitch the first five innings. During the game, Yost encouraged a questionable situation: he allowed Royals’ pitcher Kelvin Herrera to bat for the first time in his career. The radical coaching calls in Game Three allowed the Royals to take the lead in the World Series, making the series Royals 2, Giants 1.

Game Four was a full demonstration of the Giant’s offense and defense. Though the Giants’ starting pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, only lasted three innings, reliever, Yusmeiro Petit, got the win with his three scoreless innings pitched. The Giants’ offense, which had been ineffective in the prior two games, became explosive. Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval, and Joe Panik went 7 for 14 in Game Four. The Royals were leading the Giants until the fifth inning when Pence hit an RBI single off Royals reliever Jason Frasor, and Juan Perez hit a sacrifice fly that scored Pence. Sandoval put his team in the lead with his two run double. San Francisco kept up with their explosive offense, beating the Royals 11 to 4 and tying the series.

Game Five was a quiet one for the Royals who were shut out by Giants’ pitcher Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner pitched nine straight scoreless innings for the pivotal fifth game of the series, and he became the first pitcher since 2003 to pitch a shutout. Hunter Pence also kept up his impressive offense going 9 for 19 in the five games so far. Bumgarner made history and the Giants now led the series 3 to 2.

Game Six consisted of another great show of pitching, but this time it was the Royals starter, Yordano Ventura, who pitched seven shutout innings and allowed only three hits. The Royals scored 7 runs in the first inning and did not relent. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas hit a homer, ending the series’ three game homerun drought. The Royals shutout the Giants in their 10 to 0 win forcing the ever exciting game seven.

Game seven culminates the end of season and the end of the Fall Classic. The Giants scored two runs in the second inning. Game seven was tied at two until the fourth inning when Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence, and Michael Morse all hit singles; Morse hit in the winning run. After that it was the battle of the bullpens. Bumgarner entered the game in the fifth inning immediately getting two outs. Bumgarner pitched 68 powerful pitches, clinched the World Series for the San Francisco Giants, and was the series MVP.