'Chevy Guy' overshadows Bumgarner's MVP moment

With the World Series on the line Wednesday night in Kansas City, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner came on in relief and tossed five shutout innings to deliver the Giants their third World Series title in five years.

He could not have been cooler under pressure.

The same can't be said for the man who presented Bumgarner with the World Series MVP trophy.

Chevrolet representative Rikk Wilde — or "Chevy Guy" as he was quickly dubbed on social media — fumbled through his lines as he tried to work through the advertorial elements ("technology and stuff?") of the sponsored trophy presentation.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig, a former car salesman himself, did not look impressed.

---

We feel for you, Rikk. It's a tough spot that the company didn't make any easier with that interminable script.

And it's good to hear that his job is safe, according to The Associated Press.

"The Chevy leadership team called and told him he did nothing wrong. It's all good. Everyone here has his back," Michael Albano, the brand's top spokesman, told the AP.

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Disappointed Royals focus on future

The emotions were still raw, the sting of defeat still fresh from Game 7 of the World Series when Billy Butler stood in front of his locker and spoke in a voice full of conviction.

They would be back, this scrappy bunch of kids. Their return to the playoffs after 29 years was just the beginning, their 3-2 loss on Wednesday night hardly the end. The same team that swept through the playoffs before falling to the San Francisco Giants has brighter days ahead.

"We have so many guys up here that are young, talented," Butler said. "You saw some young guys take that next step in the postseason, and it's an exciting thing to see, and for the future of this organization. The future couldn't be brighter. The whole nucleus is extremely young, and I think they're going to build off it. I just hope I'm part of that process."

That's the kicker: Butler may not be part of it.

The Royals must decide by Monday whether to exercise his expensive club option for next season, and most expect them to decline. That would make Butler a free agent for the first time in his career and leave Kansas City in search of a new designated hitter.

"Even if they decline it, you can still talk," Butler said. "If it's not here, it's somewhere else, but I'd rather it be here. That's the way it is. We're a small market. Business is business, but I feel like it's a little bit more than that here."

Ace Shields hitting market

Designated hitter isn't the only question mark facing the Royals next season.

Staff ace James Shields, who helped to turn around a losing clubhouse culture, will become a free agent. The Royals will likely make him a qualifying offer, but with big-budget teams such as the Red Sox in the market for pitching, the price could be driven up quickly.

That means the Royals could be in search of a starting pitcher, too.

"The next couple days I'm going to go home and enjoy some trick-or-treating with my kids," Shields said. "I'll be thinking about that a little bit later, but I'm not too worried about my free agency right now. Obviously I have to think about that and we'll see what happens."

Right fielder Nori Aoki will also become a free agent, though it's possible the Royals re-sign him. Relief pitchers Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Luke Hochevar could be headed elsewhere and veteran outfielders Raul Ibanez and Josh Willingham are not expected back.

"We're going to have to make some tough decisions with our roster," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "We'll continue to look to add players that fit in, but we're going to have to certainly look to add starting pitching. We'll try to put it together the way we have."

That means putting a premium on starting pitchers who offer substance over style, speedy position players who can play defense and provide versatility up and down the lineup.

Brilliant bullpen

There are already some solid cornerstones in place.

Centre fielder Lorenzo Cain was a breakout star of the post-season, first baseman Eric Hosmer began to realize his vast potential, and Salvador Perez proved to be one of the premier catchers in the game. Throw in a brilliant bullpen anchored by Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland and a staff featuring 23-year-old Yordano Ventura, and the Royals should solid next season.

"What we need to do now, Dayton and his people have built a base," Royals owner David Glass said, "and we have to sustain that and built on it and keep it going."

That means ushering along several prospects awaiting their chance in the minors.

Left-hander Brandon Finnegan provided valuable post-season innings as a reliever, but he's expected to return to starting. Fellow pitchers such as Sean Manea and Kyle Zimmer offer plenty of potential, but injuries and circumstances have held back some top prospects.

They'll get a chance to show what they can do in spring training.

For now, though, the Royals head into a strange post-season. For the first time in nearly three decades, the question they face is not, "When will you finally get back to the playoffs?"

No, the question now is, "What are you going to do for an encore?"

"It's a difficult task. Even the teams that win often don't get back," starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie said. "We'll work very hard to get back here. We have a lot of belief in ourselves. We have a lot of talent to make that possible. Each one of us will be working toward that goal of getting a chance to be back in the playoffs and go for a World Series."

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Bumgarner delivers Giants' 3rd World Series title in 5 years

A giant, indeed.

Madison Bumgarner punctuated his World Series performance for the ages by pitching the San Francisco Giants to their third championship in five years with a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

The big left-hander came out of the bullpen to throw five scoreless innings on two days' rest, saving a Series pushed to the limit. And by winning Game 7 on the road, Bumgarner and the Giants succeeded where no team had in 3 1/2 decades.

"I wasn't thinking about innings or pitch count. I was just thinking about getting outs, getting outs, until I couldn't get them anymore and we needed someone else," Bumgarner said in a monotone that made it sound as though he was talking about batting practice.

A two-out misplay in the ninth almost wrecked it for him.

Bumgarner had retired 14 in a row when Alex Gordon sent a drive to center field. The pitcher pointed his glove in the air, thinking it could be the final out, but the ball fell in front of Gregor Blanco for a single.

Blanco allowed it to skip past him to the wall, and left fielder Juan Perez kicked the ball before throwing to shortstop Brandon Crawford in short left, holding Gordon at third.

'What a warrior he is, and truly incredible what he did throughout the post-season. ... He's such a humble guy, and we rode him pretty good.'- Giants manager Bruce Bochy on pitcher Madison Bumgarner

"When it got by him, I had a smile on my face. I thought maybe I could score, but he got to it quickly enough," Gordon said. "I just put my head down and ran, almost fell around second base, was just waiting for Jirsch [third base coach Mike Jirschele] to give me the signal. It was a good hold. He had the ball in plenty of time."

Bumgarner, the Series MVP, retired Salvador Perez on a foulout to third baseman Pablo Sandoval near the Giants' dugout. The 25-year-old ace was immediately embraced by catcher Buster Posey, and the rest of the Giants rushed to the mound to join the victory party.

"What a warrior he is, and truly incredible what he did throughout the post-season," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I just told him I just can't believe what he accomplished through all this. He's such a humble guy, and we rode him pretty good."

Record-low Series ERA

Three days after throwing 117 pitches in a four-hit shutout to win Game 5, Bumgarner tossed 68 more and dropped his record-low career Series ERA to a minuscule 0.25. He's allowed one run and 14 hits in five outings covering 36 innings.

Bumgarner initially was credited with the win. But nearly an hour after the final out, the official scorers awarded it to Jeremy Affeldt, who was in the game when San Francisco took the lead.

Affeldt pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief in his longest outing since July 2012. He was helped by the first World Series reversal in the era of expanded replay, which gave the Giants a double play on Eric Hosmer's sharp grounder.

Rookie second baseman Joe Panik made a diving stop and flipped to Crawford with his glove for the relay, a key play that prevented a potential Royals rally.

Bumgarner joined Cincinnati's Rawley Eastwick in 1975 as the only pitchers with at least two wins and a save in a World Series, and the 15-out save set a Fall Classic record.

Consecutive sacrifice flies by Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford put the Giants ahead 2-0 in the second against Jeremy Guthrie, but Tim Hudson gave the lead right back in the bottom half on Gordon's RBI double and Omar Infante's sacrifice fly.

Morse hit a go-ahead single in the fourth on a 99-mile-per-hour fastball from reliever Kelvin Herrera to break a 2-all tie, and the Giants eked out a battle of bullpens on a night when both starting pitchers made unusually quick exits.

Home teams had won nine straight Game 7s in the Series since Pittsburgh's victory at Baltimore in 1979, including the Royals' 11-0 rout of St. Louis in 1985. Teams hosting the first two games had won 23 of the last 28 titles, including five in a row. And the Giants had lost all four of their previous World Series pushed to the limit.

Bumgarner gave up an opposite-field single to his first batter, Infante, and didn't allow another runner until the ninth. Bumgarner yielded two hits, struck out four and walked none. He pitched 52 2/3 post-season innings, 4 1/3 more than the previous mark set by Schilling for Arizona in 2001, and finished with 270 innings combined, including the regular season.

Hunter Pence batted .444 in the Series and Sandoval, a free-agent-to-be playing perhaps his last game for the Giants, finished at .429 following a three-hit night.

The core

Eight players have been on all three Series rosters for the Giants in the past five years: Affeldt, Bumgarner, Santiago Casilla, Tim Lincecum, Javier Lopez, Posey, Sergio Romo and Sandoval. Matt Cain, a member of the first two title teams, was hurt this October. Before this run, manager John McGraw (1905, `21-'22) was the only Giant with three titles. Bochy became the 10th manager to win three World Series title, the other nine are all in the Hall of Fame. 

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'Chevy Guy' overshadows Bumgarner's MVP moment

'Technology and stuff' now a thing

By Jesse Campigotto, CBC Sports Posted: Oct 30, 2014 9:55 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 30, 2014 10:31 AM ET

With the World Series on the line Wednesday night in Kansas City, San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner came on in relief and tossed five shutout innings to deliver the Giants their third World Series title in five years.

He could not have been cooler under pressure.

The same can't be said for the man who presented Bumgarner with the World Series MVP trophy.

Chevrolet representative Rikk Wilde — or "Chevy Guy" as he was quickly dubbed on social media — fumbled through his lines as he tried to work through the advertorial elements ("technology and stuff?") of the sponsored trophy presentation.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig, a former car salesman himself, did not look impressed.

---

We feel for you, Rikk. It's a tough spot that the company didn't make any easier with that interminable script.

And, hey, your World Series probably still went better than Royals manager Ned Yost's.

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Giants' ace Bumgarner wants to pitch in Game 7

Madison Bumgarner is ready to pitch in for Game 7.

The biggest World Series ace of all plans to be in the bullpen Wednesday night, just in case the San Francisco Giants need him against the Kansas City Royals for an out or two.

Asked how many pitches he could throw in relief, MadBum tossed out a playful estimate: "I said maybe 200."

From the outset Tuesday night in Game 6, there was little doubt this Series was headed to the limit.

Now, a true treat for everyone: A winner-take-all matchup, with Jeremy Guthrie pitching for the Royals against Tim Hudson — at 39, Hudson will be the oldest Game 7 starter ever.

"I mean, Game 7s are always special," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "As kids, what I fall back on is when I was 10 years old, hitting rocks in the backyard, trying to hit it over the fence for a home run."

San Francisco outfielder Hunter Pence echoed that.

"A Game 7 in the World Series is a gift for everyone. It's pretty special. It's like incredibly entertaining for fans, incredibly entertaining for the world and the game of baseball," Pence said.

Even Jake Peavy, who had a chance to clinch San Francisco's third title in five years but didn't make it through the second inning, could appreciate what was on deck.

"Who doesn't want a Game 7?" Peavy said. "That being said, we wanted to get it done tonight. I wanted to get it done."

Who will be the hero?

Maybe someone hits a home run to end Game 7, the way Bill Mazeroski did in 1960. Or there's a tremendous pitching performance, like the 10-inning shutout Jack Morris threw in 1991. Or a surprise ending, the way Arizona stunned Mariano Rivera in 2001.

Recent history favours Kansas City. Home teams have won nine straight Game 7s in the Series since Pittsburgh's victory at Baltimore in 1979, including Kansas City's 11-0 romp past St. Louis at this very same stadium in 1985.

The Giants have lost all four times the World Series went the distance. In 2002, Barry Bonds & Co. lost at the Angels.

"For both teams winning the wild-card game ... all the different series just to get to this point and to get to Game 7, it's been one remarkable ride for guys in this locker room and guys in their locker room," Giants designated hitter Michael Morse said.

No butterflies

Hudson, in fact, signed as a free agent with the Giants in the off-season for this chance. For all his success elsewhere, he had never reached the World Series.

Neither had hardly any of the Royals, playing with other teams.

"I don't there is any butterflies. I think tonight proved that. We're all made for this. We're a championship team," Kansas City reliever Tim Collins said.

The wild card in this final game is Bumgarner.

By winning the opener and then pitching a shutout in Game 5, the Giants lefty established himself as an October great. How else to describe a pitcher who's 4-0 with an 0.29 ERA in four World Series starts, allowing just one run in 31 innings?

Could Bumgartner start Game 7?

Giants manager Bruce Bochy certainly heard calls from some San Francisco fans that Bumgarner should start Game 7, albeit on two days' rest.

"This guy is human. I mean, you can't push him that much," Bochy said. "He'll be available if we need him, but to start him, I think that's asking a lot."

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Royals rout Giants to force World Series Game 7

Jake Peavy and the San Francisco Giants hoped Game 6 of the World Series would result in a parade.

It did, all right — a parade of Kansas City runs.

In the worst outing of his standout career, Peavy watched the Royals march around the bases on their way to an early blowout, routing the Giants 10-0 Tuesday night to force a Game 7.

Who will win Game 7 on Wednesday?

"It just wasn't my night. I don't know what else to tell you," Peavy said, shaking his head several times.

"It's hugely disappointing. It's as disappointing as it can get."

Always fired-up and vocal on the mound, Peavy walked to the dugout without any expression when he got pulled in the middle of a seven-run second inning that turned on a grounder botched by first baseman Brandon Belt.

On this evening, there wasn't much for the Giants to say. Not after a series of bloopers, bouncers and broken-bat hits doomed them.

The one good thing that did happen for manager Bruce Bochy: It was so one-sided early, he was able to preserve his best relievers for Wednesday night. That bullpen includes ace starter Madison Bumgarner, who has already volunteered to pitch if needed.

Now, San Francisco will have to reverse a most daunting trend. Home teams have won the last nine Game 7s in the World Series. The Giants are 0-4 when a best-of-seven Series has been pushed to the limit, most recently when Barry Bonds & Co. lost to the Angels on the road in 2002.

Peavy retired the first two batters of the game, then things unraveled in a hurry. The right-hander wound up escaping a two-on jam in the opening inning, showing no ill effects from a foul ball that rattled into the Giants' dugout in Game 3 and cut the thumb on his pitching hand.

In the second, it all fell apart.

Belt ranged far off the base, looked to see if he had a play at home -- Salvador Perez held at third -- and then missed his tag on a diving Escobar. Peavy yelled for Belt to check Perez for a possible play at the plate, and the Giants wound up getting no one.Mike Moustakas was able to ground an RBI double between a diving Belt and the bag for a 1-0 lead. Alcides Escobar came up with runners on second and third and no outs, and hit a grounder to the right side.

'I though he had pretty good stuff tonight. ... I know the numbers don't indicate that. If he had a little luck, he probably gets out of that [second] inning.'- Giants manager Bruce Bochy on SP Jake Peavy

The misplay seemed to open the door for the Royals. Nori Aoki followed with an RBI single, and that was all for Peavy.

"I thought he had pretty good stuff tonight. I did. I know the numbers don't indicate that," Bochy said. "If he had a little luck, he probably gets out of that inning. They just hit the ball where we couldn't get to it."

The 33-year-old Peavy was charged with five runs and six hits with a walk in just 1 1/3 innings.

It was the second-shortest of 346 career starts for Peavy over 13 seasons — in 2009, two years after winning the NL Cy Young Award with San Diego, he gave up four runs in one inning.

Peavy sat quietly in the dugout as the Royals kept scoring in the big second inning. By the time it ended, he was left with 7.98 earned-run average in nine post-season starts, and a 9.58 mark in three World Series tries. 

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Cardinals OF prospect Oscar Taveras dies in car accident

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, a 22-year-old slugger who was regarded as one of the majors' top prospects, died Sunday in a car accident in his native Dominican Republic.

Taveras was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro at the time of the crash on a highway between the beaches of Sosua and Cabarete in Puerto Plata, about 346 kilometres (215 miles) north of the capital of Santo Domingo, said Col. Diego Pesqueira of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency.

"He wasn't carrying documents at the time of the accident, but his body was identified by family members," Pesqueira said.

• SP Nick Adenhart, age 22, died April 9, 2009: Killed by drunk driver.​
• 1B Harry Agganis, 25, died June 27, 1955: Massive pulmonary embolism.
• OF Roberto Clemente, 38, died Dec. 31, 1972: Plane crash.
• OF Mike Darr, 25, died Feb. 15, 2002: Automobilie accident.
• OF Greg Halman, 24, died Nov. 21, 2011: Stabbing.
• RP Josh Hancock, 29, died April 29, 2007: Car accident.
• SP Darryl Kile, 33, died June 22, 2002: Coronary atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries).
• SP Cory Lidle, 34, died Oct. 11, 2006: Plane crash.
• C Thurman Munson, 32, died Aug. 2, 1979: Plane crash.
• Ps Steve Olin, 27, Tim Crews, 31, died in spring training 1993: Boating accident.

National police spokesman Jacobo Mateo Moquete said he was told by the mayor of Sosua that Taveras lost control of his vehicle and went off the road.

Taveras made his major league debut this year. He hit .239 with three homers and 22 RBIs in 80 games for the National League Central champions.

"I simply can't believe it," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said in a release. "I first met Oscar when he was 16 years old and will forever remember him as a wonderful young man who was a gifted athlete with an infectious love for life who lived every day to the fullest."

Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said the organization was "stunned and deeply saddened" by Taveras's death.

"Oscar was an amazing talent with a bright future who was taken from us well before his time," DeWitt said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends tonight."

Taveras was a teenager when he signed a free-agent deal with the Cardinals in 2008. Before this season, Taveras was ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by MLB.com and Baseball America, and had a .321 average over six minor league seasons.

He homered in his major league debut on May 31, a solo shot against Yusmeiro Petit of the San Francisco Giants.

"I think he can be a star," manager Mike Matheny said last Monday at his season-ending press conference. "He proved that at times. Right to the end, he was very, very much into the competition. Yes, he wanted to be the guy out there every day. You see some things offensively that absolutely excite you."

Have a look at this Taveras highlight package from this season.

Taveras held a Canadian passport. He spent four years as a teenager living in Montreal with his father, Francisco Taveras, and played for the Marquis de Montreal of the Quebec midget triple-A league before moving back to the Dominican Republic.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement that Taveras was "at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game."

"All of us throughout Major League Baseball are in mourning this evening, shocked by the heartbreaking news of the accident involving Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras and his girlfriend in the Dominican Republic," Selig said.

It looked as if Taveras was headed to the majors in 2013, but he had surgery for a high right ankle sprain last August for an injury that did not respond to treatment. He then got off to a nice start at triple-A Memphis this season, earning a promotion by batting .325 with seven homers in 49 games.

"Oscar had a very promising future, on and off the field, and this news is heartbreaking on many levels," Tony Clark, the leader of the players' association, said in a statement. "It's never easy to lose a member of our fraternity, and to lose one so young is devastating news."

Giants outfielder Juan Perez heard about Taveras's death during Game 5 of the World Series. He hit a big two-run double in the eighth inning of San Francisco's 5-0 victory and dedicated the hit to his fallen countryman.

"He's a really close friend of mine," Perez said. "I know his family pretty good, I know his mom, his dad, his brothers, we were really close. It's a huge loss for all his family, his teammates and the people that care about him."

Several of Taveras's Cardinals teammates took to Twitter to express their condolences.

"Last 30 minutes I've been sick to my stomach. Keep thinking about Oscar's big smile in the dugout whenever we made a big play/got a big hit," all-star reliever Pat Neshek posted.

Rookie second baseman Kolten Wong tweeted: "RIP you will be missed buddy."

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Bumgarner's Game 5 gem gives Giants World Series lead

With every pitch, Madison Bumgarner etched his place among the World Series greats.

The long, tall lefty kept slinging away and put the San Francisco Giants just one win from yet another championship, throwing a four-hitter to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 Sunday night for a 3-2 Series edge.

Hardly menacing on the mound, Bumgarner was simply untouchable -- again. As "MVP! MVP!" chants broke out from each packed corner of AT&T Park, Bumgarner finished off the first World Series shutout in 11 years.

Will the San Francisco Giants win the World Series in Game 6?

"You know what? For some reason, I keep getting really lucky this time of year, so I'll take it," Bumgarner said.

It must be more than luck.

Because by the time the 25-year-old from Hickory, North Carolina, outdid his own winning performance in Game 1, he had evoked memories of Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Curt Schilling and the top October aces of all-time.

Who else has gone 4-0 in four World Series starts with an 0.29 ERA? Throw in only 12 hits in 31 innings, along with 27 strikeouts, and that math makes him the very definition of Big Game Pitcher.

'We're looking forward to getting back to our home crowd, where it's going to be absolutely wild and crazy.'- Royals manager Ned Yost

On this evening, Bumgarner fanned eight without a walk and never was in trouble as he constantly changed speeds, with no runners reaching third base. There hadn't been a shutout in the Series since Josh Beckett's clinching gem for the Florida Marlins in 2003 at Yankee Stadium.

The Giants' work isn't done. To add to the crowns Bumgarner helped them take in 2010 and 2012, they'll need to win in Kansas City.

"We're looking forward to getting back to our home crowd, where it's going to be absolutely wild and crazy," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Jake Peavy gets the first chance to seal it for San Francisco when he starts Game 6 at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night against rookie Yordano Ventura.

If the Giants don't win then, there is always this possibility: Bumgarner said he's ready to come out of the bullpen in Game 7.

Hunter Pence once again was in the middle of things for Giants. He singled off James Shields in the second and scored on a groundout by Brandon Crawford, who had three RBIs.

Post-season star Pablo Sandoval also singled twice. Juan Perez broke it open with a two-run double off the top of the centre-field fence in the eighth against Wade Davis and scored on a single by Crawford.

Bumgarner won for the fourth time against one loss in this post-season, and this blanking bookended the four-hit shutout he threw at Pittsburgh in the National League wild-card game. Durable, he's thrown 47 2/3 innings this October, trailing just Schilling's 48 1/3 in 2001 for the most in a single post-season, with a 1.13 ERA.

About the only thing Bumgarner didn't do well was get a hit. He takes pride in his plate prowess and launched four home runs this season, including two grand slams. Bumgarner went 0-for-4, leaving him hitless in 22 post-season at-bats.

Yep, he's still got some work to do.

Of the 41 previous instances the World Series was tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven format, the Game 5 winner won the title 27 times. …​ Bumgarner's ERA is the lowest in World Series history for pitchers with at least 25 innings. Jack Billingham is next at 0.36. Among the leaders are Babe Ruth (0.87) and Mariano Rivera (0.99). … Since 1982, teams down 3-2 going home for Games 6 and 7 have won eight of 10 World Series, including the Royals in 1985.

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Giants rout Royals 11-4 in Game 4 to even World Series

Down three runs and in danger of getting pushed to the World Series brink, Pablo Sandoval and the San Francisco Giants raised up some Panda-monium.

Sandoval's single set up the tying run in the fifth inning and the 2012 Series MVP followed with a go-ahead, two-run single in the sixth that sent the Giants surging past the Kansas City Royals 11-4 Saturday night at pulsating AT&T Park.

Hunter Pence, eyes ablaze, had three hits, three RBIs and a nifty sliding catch in the ninth inning, and Joe Panik hit a two-run double in a four-run seventh. San Francisco piled on 16 hits in a marathon of exactly four hours.

"We never give up, that's the thing," Sandoval said. "We've been doing it all year in these situations. We know how that feels."

The Series is tied at two games apiece, ensuring the title will be decided at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium next week.

Madison Bumgarner tries to put the Giants ahead Sunday (8:07 p.m. ET) when he starts against Royals ace James Shields in a rematch of the opener, won by the Giants 7-1.

"This was a great ball game, I thought, especially the way we came back," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "So I enjoyed it."

Showcasing baseball at its exciting best, the game included a sprawling catch by Royals centre fielder Jarrod Dyson that left a pair of divots, and the first use of expanded video review in Series history, which became a turning point. Jeff Kellogg's safe call at second base was upheld on catcher Salvador Perez's pickoff attempt of Joaquin Arias, helping the Giants build the pivotal rally.

Ominous, dark clouds

The outlook seemed far different in the third inning, when ominous, dark clouds formed over the bayside ballpark, and the Royals burst ahead 4-1 against Ryan Vogelsong with the help of the botched grounder. Orange-clad fans quieted, and there even were scattered boos.

But Yusmiero Petit settled the National League champions with three innings of scoreless, two-hit relief to improve to 3-0 in the post-season, and 11 different Giants had hits, including three of 10 in the No. 9 spot; Petit's single made him the first Giants reliever to get a Series hit in 78 years.

Yost stayed with starter Jason Vargas into the fifth, removing him after Panik's leadoff double. Royals relievers had been 7-0 in the post-season and in Game 3 pitched four hitless innings to preserve a 3-2 win.

But Yost couldn't get to his HDH triad of hard-throwing relievers: Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland.

Jason Frasor and Danny Duffy combined to allow the tying run in a two-run fifth. And Brandon Finnegan, the first player to appear in the College World Series and World Series in the same year, allowed Sandoval's two-run single and Brandon Belt's RBI's single in the sixth.

Kansas City went ahead with a two-out four-run rally in the third with the help of two infield hits that gave the Royals 18 in the post-season, matching the total of all other teams combined.

Omar Infante grounded a two-run single up the middle for a 3-1 lead, and Perez followed with a bloop single for a 4-1 lead.

Buster Posey cut the deficit in the bottom half with an RBI single, tying Barry Bonds's' team record of 21 career post-season RBIs. Pence's RBI single in the fifth caused Frasor to throw up both arms in frustration, Sandoval singled Pence to third and Juan Perez's sacrifice fly made it 4-4. 

Up next

Royals: Shields has a 7.11 ERA this post-season, counting 19 innings in four starts.

Giants: Bumgarner is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA in five post-season starts this year.

Pitchers at the plate

Vargas became the first AL pitcher to bat twice in a Series inning since Boston's Luis Tiant in the 1975 opener. … The previous Giants reliever to get a Series hit was Slick Castleman, according to STATS.

Music to their ears

Carlos Santana played The Star-Spangled Banner on a guitar, joined by son Salvador Santana on keyboards. Just before that, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown, from the rubber, by Mo'ne Davis, the 13-year-old who this year became the first girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series. Bryan Stow, the Giants fan who sustained a traumatic brain injury when he was beaten outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 2011, yelled "Play Ball!" Stow was in a wheelchair near the Giants dugout, flanked by pitcher Jeremy Affeldt and third-base coach Tim Flannery. 

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Joe Maddon done as Rays manager

Joe Maddon won't be returning to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays announced Friday that Maddon has exercised an opt-out in his contract, which was due to expire after next season.

Owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement: "We tried diligently and aggressively to sign Joe to a third contract extension prior to his decision. As of yesterday afternoon, Joe enabled himself to explore opportunities throughout major league baseball. He will not be managing the Rays in 2015."

Maddon has managed the Rays for nine seasons, compiling a 754-705 record. He led Tampa Bay to the playoffs four times, won two AL East titles and one World Series appearance.

The 60-year-old did tell the Tampa Bay Times that leaving the Rays after nine seasons was a gut-wrenching decision.

"I have been doing this for a long time," Maddon told the newspaper. "I have never had this opportunity to research my employment on my terms. Never, never, never. And I think anybody given the same set of circumstances would do the same thing."

The decision comes less than two weeks after Tampa Bay lost executive vice-president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Friedman assembled the teams that Maddon guided in transforming the Rays from perennial losers into a club that had six consecutive winning seasons before finishing 77-85.

"In the last several days we worked with Joe to try to figure out a contract extension," Friedman's replacement, Matt Silverman, said during a conference call. "We engaged and made many offers and it became clear from his responses that it was not an exercise that was going to lead to an outcome."

Silverman, who took over as head of baseball operations after serving as team president for a decade, said Maddon's contract contained a clause that allowed to opt-out under certain conditions, including Friedman leaving the Rays.

Friedman's departure on Oct. 14 led to immediate questions that when Maddon's contract with the Rays expired after the 2015 season that Friedman might try to lure him to the Dodgers.

"As I said last week, Joe and I enjoyed a tremendous relationship working together in Tampa Bay and I wish him nothing but the best wherever his next stop will be," Friedman said in a statement. " However, nothing has changed on our end. Don Mattingly will be our manager next season and hopefully for a long time to come."

Silverman said he was "surprised" and "disappointed" by Maddon's decision. A search for a new manager will begin immediately, but there's no timetable for naming a successor.

"I believe Joe wanted to be the manager of the Rays long term. That was my intention and Stu's intention. We dove head-first into discussions, but it takes two parties to reach an agreement," Silverman said.

"I'm very comfortable with the financial offers that we made Joe. They were very generous," Silverman added. "He listened to those and chose to opt-out."

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Joe Maddon done as Rays manager

Joe Maddon won't be returning to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays announced Friday that Maddon has exercised an opt-out in his contract, which was due to expire after next season.

Owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement: "We tried diligently and aggressively to sign Joe to a third contract extension prior to his decision. As of yesterday afternoon, Joe enabled himself to explore opportunities throughout major league baseball. He will not be managing the Rays in 2015."

Maddon has managed the Rays for nine seasons, compiling a 754-705 record. He led Tampa Bay to the playoffs four times, won two AL East titles and one World Series appearance.

The 60-year-old did tell the Tampa Bay Times that leaving the Rays after nine seasons was a gut-wrenching decision.

"I have been doing this for a long time," Maddon told the newspaper. "I have never had this opportunity to research my employment on my terms. Never, never, never. And I think anybody given the same set of circumstances would do the same thing."

The decision comes less than two weeks after Tampa Bay lost executive vice-president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Friedman assembled the teams that Maddon guided in transforming the Rays from perennial losers into a club that had six consecutive winning seasons before finishing 77-85.

"In the last several days we worked with Joe to try to figure out a contract extension," Friedman's replacement, Matt Silverman, said during a conference call. "We engaged and made many offers and it became clear from his responses that it was not an exercise that was going to lead to an outcome."

Silverman, who took over as head of baseball operations after serving as team president for a decade, said Maddon's contract contained a clause that allowed to opt-out under certain conditions, including Friedman leaving the Rays.

Friedman's departure on Oct. 14 led to immediate questions that when Maddon's contract with the Rays expired after the 2015 season that Friedman might try to lure him to the Dodgers.

"As I said last week, Joe and I enjoyed a tremendous relationship working together in Tampa Bay and I wish him nothing but the best wherever his next stop will be," Friedman said in a statement. " However, nothing has changed on our end. Don Mattingly will be our manager next season and hopefully for a long time to come."

Silverman said he was "surprised" and "disappointed" by Maddon's decision. A search for a new manager will begin immediately, but there's no timetable for naming a successor.

"I believe Joe wanted to be the manager of the Rays long term. That was my intention and Stu's intention. We dove head-first into discussions, but it takes two parties to reach an agreement," Silverman said.

"I'm very comfortable with the financial offers that we made Joe. They were very generous," Silverman added. "He listened to those and chose to opt-out."

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Royals hang on for World Series victory over Giants

Sparkling defence, a stingy bullpen and just enough timely hitting. That winning formula of fundamental baseball has put the Kansas City Royals ahead in the World Series.

They even looked comfortable in the tricky territory at unfamiliar AT&T Park.

Jeremy Guthrie outpitched fellow World Series newcomer Tim Hudson, four Royals relievers combined on four hitless innings and Kansas City beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic.

Alex Gordon hit a run-scoring double for his first hit of the Series in 10 at-bats and Lorenzo Cain added an RBI and some slick defence in right field as the Royals backed Guthrie with nifty glove work.

Eric Hosmer had a sixth-inning RBI single in an 11-pitch at-bat for his first World Series hit — on his 25th birthday.

"This is the way our games have gone all year," said Royals manager Ned Yost, who made several lineup changes that paid off. "I'm getting really good at protecting a one-run lead because a lot of times that's exactly what we have to deal with.

"But I have the necessary tools to be able to do that. It's not me doing it. It's the guys that we put out there that are doing it. We have the type of pitchers in our bullpen that can accomplish that," he said.

Game 4 is Saturday night, with right-hander Ryan Vogelsong trying to get the Giants even against Kansas City lefty Jason Vargas.

Royals manager Ned Yost moved Cain from centre field to right in place of Nori Aoki for a defensive boost in the trickiest position at AT&T Park. It paid off, too. Cain chased down Buster Posey's slicing line drive in the first for a pretty catch from his knees, then snagged Travis Ishikawa's sinking liner in the second.

Giants 6-game Series home streak snapped

On a night that began with a remembrance of late Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, Kansas City produced just enough run support even without designated hitter Billy Butler. The Series shifted to AT&T Park and National League rules for three games.

The Giants had their six-game home winning streak in the World Series snapped. The unbeaten run dated to the 2002 wild-card club of Barry Bonds and Co. that lost in seven games to the Angels.

The Royals seemed unfazed by the fanfare and tough conditions in improving to 5-0 on the road this post-season. Of the first 56 times the World Series was tied 1-all, the Game 3 winner went on to win in 37 of those instances and four of the last five.

A cast of Giants Hall of Famers were celebrated on the field in a star-studded pregame featuring a "Play Ball!" chant by Huey Lewis.

Pinch-hitter Michael Morse hit an RBI double with none out in the sixth to chase Guthrie. Royals manager Ned Yost turned it over to his fantastic bullpen, and Kelvin Herrera immediately walked Gregor Blanco.

With the hard-throwing Herrera clocking 99-101 mph on the radar gun, Joe Panik had a tough time attempting a sacrifice bunt. His high-bouncing grounder still did the trick to advance both runners, and Buster Posey pulled the Giants to 3-2 on a groundout.

Then, the Royals shut down San Francisco the rest of the way.

Herrera worked 1 1-3 innings, rookie Brandon Finnegan got two outs in his World Series debut, and Wade Davis pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. Greg Holland got three outs for a save.

The four hitless innings of relief were the most in the World Series in 22 years.

Guthrie retired 10 straight during one stretch and combined with Hudson to retire 20 in a row. That was the longest Series streak since the Yankees' Don Larsen and the Brooklyn Dodgers' Sal Maglie retired the first 23 batters during Larsen's perfect game in 1956, according to STATS.

"What a gutsy performance, and that's one of the performances we needed right now, to be able to take this first one here," Royals teammate James Shields said. "He went out there and pitched his heart out. He did a phenomenal job tonight."

As a gorgeous Bay Area afternoon turned into a breezy night along the water, the 39-year-old Hudson left in the sixth to a rousing ovation from the orange towel-twirling sellout crowd.

Hudson waited 16 years for his first World Series chance only to watch Alcides Escobar hit the game's first pitch for a double. Escobar scored on Cain's groundout, and Hudson settled in nicely after the second. The right-hander retired 12 in a row before Escobar's one-out single through Hudson's legs in the sixth. Gordon followed with an RBI double.

Guthrie's mark

In a quirky stat, Guthrie became the fifth starting pitcher in World Series history to not record a walk or a strikeout through five innings and the first since Hall of Famer Greg Maddux in Game 2 of the 1996 Series for Atlanta against the Yankees.

Up next

Royals: Vargas, an 11-game winner who pitched the ALCS clincher against Baltimore, attended Game 1 of the Giants' 2010 World Series at AT&T Park against Texas with his wife as a fan.

Giants: Vogelsong is the only pitcher to yield no more than one run in his first five post-season starts. That run ended in the NL Championship Series when Vogelsong allowed four runs in three innings of a no-decision against St. Louis. ... San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said he and pitching coach Dave Righetti discussed going with ace lefty Madison Bumgarner in Game 4 on short rest if trailing — something they know he can handle physically despite his heavy workload.

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World Series fans break Twitter over commentator

Poll

Fans overloaded the social media outlet with anti-Harold Reynolds tweets

CBC Sports Posted: Oct 21, 2014 9:26 PM ET Last Updated: Oct 21, 2014 10:07 PM ET

Of all the broadcast commentators in sports, those who call baseball games may have the toughest job.

More appropriately, they may be the most criticized by fans.

During Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night, James Shields had not even pitched through the top of the first inning before viewers started in on FOX commentator Harold Reynolds.

You get the point. 

There were plenty of other tweets cursing the former Seattle Mariner. Unfortunately they were not shareable due to the amount of cursing in them.

Which sport has the best commentators?

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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World Series: Royals draw even, belting Giants

Salvador Perez and the pesky Kansas City Royals fought back from a Game 1 flop to beat the San Francisco Giants' brilliant bullpen and even the World Series.

Perez broke Game 2 open with a two-run double in a five-run sixth inning, and the Royals' own cast of clutch relievers kept the Giants in check for a 7-2 victory Wednesday night that spiced things up as the Series shifts to San Francisco for the next three games.

Jeremy Guthrie will be on the mound Friday night for the Royals, who had won eight straight playoff games before a 7-1 loss in the opener. Tim Hudson will start for San Francisco.

Sixth inning meltdown

The Royals had already pulled ahead 3-2 on Billy Butler's RBI single in the sixth when Perez doubled into the left-field gap. Omar Infante followed with a two-run shot off Hunter Strickland, the fifth home run the feisty Giants reliever had allowed to 23 post-season batters.

Strickland appeared to mutter to himself as he stalked back to the mound, and Perez overheard him. The two exchanged words and players from both dugouts spilled onto the field. More streamed in from the outfield bullpens before order was finally restored.

"I felt like definitely it was a must-win for us," said Butler, likely to be on the bench when the Series shifts to San Francisco for the next three games. "We felt like with our big sixth inning there, we took a little momentum out of how they were playing."

They were by far the biggest hits in Butler's career, and came after a most trying season.

Young flamethrower Yordano Ventura, with his 100 mph fastball singeing the brims of the Giants' batting helmets, allowed just two runs while pitching into the sixth inning. The 23-year-old hardly looked like the first rookie to make a World Series start in Royals history.

The dynamic trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland did the rest.

Herrera got the final two outs of the sixth to escape a jam, two of his first three pitches clocking 101 mph on the radar gun. He also survived a shaky seventh that included a pair of walks before Davis locked down the eighth, striking out two in a perfect inning.

Greg Holland, who saved each game in the Royals' sweep of Baltimore in the AL Championship Series, allowed a two-out single to Brandon Crawford before fanning Gregor Blanco to end the game.

The Giants' only runs came on a homer by Blanco and a double by Brandon Belt, their streak of seven straight World Series wins ending on a crisp, breezy night.

Home team thriller

ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain stretched a liner to left field into a two-out double later in the first, and Eric Hosmer walked on four pitches. Butler, Peavy's long-time nemesis, then bounced a single past the outstretched glove of Crawford at shortstop to knot the game 1-all.

The Royals kept the pressure on in second. Infante doubled over the head of Travis Ishikawa in left field, and Escobar sliced a two-out double down the right-field line to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead, its first in the World Series since Game 7 in 1985.

The Giants, so accustomed to October baseball, still didn't look rattled — even as Ventura kept pounding the strike zone with a steady dose of 100 mph fastballs.

Eventually, Pablo Sandoval sent a high fly to the warning track leading off the fourth, and a stiff wind blowing out to left turned Cain around. The ball caromed away for a double, and Belt drove in Sandoval with a double that bounced off Nori Aoki's glove in right field.

The game was still knotted at 2 when the Royals got their first two batters aboard in the sixth. Giants manager Bruce Bochy finally pulled the fiery Peavy, hoping to play for matchups with his bullpen. Butler promptly hit a go-ahead single off Jean Machi, and Strickland came in two batters later to face Perez, whose homer in Game 1 represented the Royals' only run.

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World Series: Royals draw even, belting Giants

Salvador Perez and the pesky Kansas City Royals fought back from a Game 1 flop to beat the San Francisco Giants' brilliant bullpen and even the World Series.

Perez broke Game 2 open with a two-run double in a five-run sixth inning, and the Royals' own cast of clutch relievers kept the Giants in check for a 7-2 victory Wednesday night that spiced things up as the Series shifts to San Francisco for the next three games.

Jeremy Guthrie will be on the mound Friday night for the Royals, who had won eight straight playoff games before a 7-1 loss in the opener. Tim Hudson will start for San Francisco.

Sixth inning meltdown

The Royals had already pulled ahead 3-2 on Billy Butler's RBI single in the sixth when Perez doubled into the left-field gap. Omar Infante followed with a two-run shot off Hunter Strickland, the fifth home run the feisty Giants reliever had allowed to 23 post-season batters.

Strickland appeared to mutter to himself as he stalked back to the mound, and Perez overheard him. The two exchanged words and players from both dugouts spilled onto the field. More streamed in from the outfield bullpens before order was finally restored.

"I felt like definitely it was a must-win for us," said Butler, likely to be on the bench when the Series shifts to San Francisco for the next three games. "We felt like with our big sixth inning there, we took a little momentum out of how they were playing."

They were by far the biggest hits in Butler's career, and came after a most trying season.

Young flamethrower Yordano Ventura, with his 100 mph fastball singeing the brims of the Giants' batting helmets, allowed just two runs while pitching into the sixth inning. The 23-year-old hardly looked like the first rookie to make a World Series start in Royals history.

The dynamic trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland did the rest.

Herrera got the final two outs of the sixth to escape a jam, two of his first three pitches clocking 101 mph on the radar gun. He also survived a shaky seventh that included a pair of walks before Davis locked down the eighth, striking out two in a perfect inning.

Greg Holland, who saved each game in the Royals' sweep of Baltimore in the AL Championship Series, allowed a two-out single to Brandon Crawford before fanning Gregor Blanco to end the game.

The Giants' only runs came on a homer by Blanco and a double by Brandon Belt, their streak of seven straight World Series wins ending on a crisp, breezy night.

Home team thriller

ALCS MVP Lorenzo Cain stretched a liner to left field into a two-out double later in the first, and Eric Hosmer walked on four pitches. Butler, Peavy's long-time nemesis, then bounced a single past the outstretched glove of Crawford at shortstop to knot the game 1-all.

The Royals kept the pressure on in second. Infante doubled over the head of Travis Ishikawa in left field, and Escobar sliced a two-out double down the right-field line to give Kansas City a 2-1 lead, its first in the World Series since Game 7 in 1985.

The Giants, so accustomed to October baseball, still didn't look rattled — even as Ventura kept pounding the strike zone with a steady dose of 100 mph fastballs.

Eventually, Pablo Sandoval sent a high fly to the warning track leading off the fourth, and a stiff wind blowing out to left turned Cain around. The ball caromed away for a double, and Belt drove in Sandoval with a double that bounced off Nori Aoki's glove in right field.

The game was still knotted at 2 when the Royals got their first two batters aboard in the sixth. Giants manager Bruce Bochy finally pulled the fiery Peavy, hoping to play for matchups with his bullpen. Butler promptly hit a go-ahead single off Jean Machi, and Strickland came in two batters later to face Perez, whose homer in Game 1 represented the Royals' only run.

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World Series: Bumgarner leads Giants to Game 1 win

Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants put a sudden stop to the Kansas City Royals' perfect post-season roll.

Bumgarner pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Hunter Pence homered early and the Giants showed off their October poise, shutting down the Royals 7-1 Tuesday night in the World Series opener.

From the get-go, the Giants simply did everything right to win their seventh straight World Series game. There's a reason Bumgarner and these guys in black and orange are trying for their third title in five years.

The Royals, meanwhile, looked nothing like the fresh team that had become baseball's darlings by starting the playoffs with eight wins in a row — pitching, hitting and fielding all deserted them.

The fates seemed to change from the very first batter, in fact. Gregor Blanco led off with a soft line drive to centre field and AL Championship Series MVP Lorenzo Cain charged, then backed off as the ball fell for a single. It would've taken a near miracle to catch it, but that's the kind of play the Royals had been making on a routine basis.

Big Game Shame

Moments later, Pence's two-run homer highlighted a three-run burst in the first inning against James Shields. Nicknamed "Big Game James," he once again failed to live up to that billing and left in the fourth when the Giants made it 5-0.

By then, Royals fans who had waited since 1985 for the Series to come to town had gone silent. Or, worse, they were booing while small "Let's go, Giants!" chants echoed through Kauffman Stadium.

Just like that, what many figured would be a tight matchup had turned into a mismatch. And it was a good omen for the Giants — the Game 1 winner has won 15 of the last 17 World Series.

The Royals will try to get even in Game 2 on Wednesday night when rookie Yordano Ventura starts against veteran Jake Peavy.

Giant performance

Bumgarner added to his sparkling World Series resume, improving to 3-0 and extending his scoreless streak to 21 innings before Salvador Perez homered with two outs in the seventh.

"He's special. He's got that flair for the spectacular," Pence said. "He never makes it bigger than it is. He just gets out there and competes."

The 25-year-old called MadBum by his teammates was in trouble only once. Down 3-0 in the third, the Royals loaded the bases with a two-out walk and cleanup man Eric Hosmer stepped to the plate, but grounded out on the first pitch.

Bumgarner went on to stretch his road post-season scoreless streak to a record 32 2-3 innings as the Giants cruised. He pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, struck out five and walked one.

"He was dynamite. I mean, man, was he good tonight," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We had an opportunity in the third, and I was really impressed with the way he fed off our aggressiveness and just worked up the ladder to get out of that jam. But he was nails tonight."

Michael Morse, getting to play as the designated hitter in the AL park, had an RBI single that finished Shields, and reliever Danny Duffy walked Blanco with the bases loaded.

Rookie Joe Panik hit an RBI triple that bounced past usually reliable right fielder Nori Aoki in the seventh and scored on a single by October force Pablo Sandoval. The MVP of the 2012 World Series triumph, Sandoval also had an RBI double in the first that extended his post-season streak of reaching base to 24 straight games.

Pence also doubled and walked.

Before the game, the mood at the ballpark was positively giddy. Ushers greeted fans with "Welcome to the World Series!" and some hot-dog vendors high-fived each other behind the counter.

Yet the Giants wrecked that fun, and won for the 16th time in their last 18 post-season games.

"We didn't expect to come in here and sweep the San Francisco Giants," Yost said. "We knew that this was a series that was going to go deep. We know how tough they are. They swung the bats really well."

The Royals had won 11 straight in the post-season dating to their 1985 championship run, one short of the record held by a pair of New York Yankees clubs.

But it was clear from the start that this would not be their night, and not even the little things went well.

Early in the game, Kansas City third base coach Mike Jirschele retrieved a foul ball and tried to flip it into the stands. Instead, his toss fell well short of reaching the seats.

Up next

Giants: Peavy lost 12 straight decisions this season, spanning his July trade from Boston to the Giants.

The 33-year-old is 1-3 with a 7.03 ERA in seven post-season starts, including an outing for the Red Sox in last year's World Series. He beat Washington in the NL Division Series and was pulled after four innings vs. St. Louis in the NL Championship Series.

Kansas City DH Billy Butler is 14 for 33 (.424) with three home runs off Peavy.

Royals: The 23-year-old Ventura will become the first rookie to start a World Series game at any position for the Royals. No Giants hitter has ever faced the right-hander with a 100 mph heater.

Ventura pitched well in a start vs. the Angels in the ALDS and struggled vs. Baltimore in an ALCS start.

No replay needed

The first Series game in the expanded replay era didn't require a single video review. But all six umpires quickly huddled to discuss a foul ball that glanced off Perez's bat on a bounce, and got it right.

Who will win Game 2 of the World Series?

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World Series fans break Twitter over commentator

Poll

Fans overloaded the social media outlet with anti-Harold Reynolds tweets

CBC Sports Posted: Oct 21, 2014 9:26 PM ET Last Updated: Oct 21, 2014 10:07 PM ET

Of all the broadcast commentators in sports, those who call baseball games may have the toughest job.

More appropriately, they may be the most criticized by fans.

During Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night, James Shields had not even pitched through the top of the first inning before viewers started in on FOX commentator Harold Reynolds.

You get the point. 

There were plenty of other tweets cursing the former Seattle Mariner. Unfortunately they were not shareable due to the amount of cursing in them.

Which sport has the best commentators?

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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World Series: Bumgarner leads Giants to Game 1 win

Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants put a sudden stop to the Kansas City Royals' perfect post-season roll.

Bumgarner pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Hunter Pence homered early and the Giants showed off their October poise, shutting down the Royals 7-1 Tuesday night in the World Series opener.

From the get-go, the Giants simply did everything right to win their seventh straight World Series game. There's a reason Bumgarner and these guys in black and orange are trying for their third title in five years.

The Royals, meanwhile, looked nothing like the fresh team that had become baseball's darlings by starting the playoffs with eight wins in a row — pitching, hitting and fielding all deserted them.

The fates seemed to change from the very first batter, in fact. Gregor Blanco led off with a soft line drive to centre field and AL Championship Series MVP Lorenzo Cain charged, then backed off as the ball fell for a single. It would've taken a near miracle to catch it, but that's the kind of play the Royals had been making on a routine basis.

Big Game Shame

Moments later, Pence's two-run homer highlighted a three-run burst in the first inning against James Shields. Nicknamed "Big Game James," he once again failed to live up to that billing and left in the fourth when the Giants made it 5-0.

By then, Royals fans who had waited since 1985 for the Series to come to town had gone silent. Or, worse, they were booing while small "Let's go, Giants!" chants echoed through Kauffman Stadium.

Just like that, what many figured would be a tight matchup had turned into a mismatch. And it was a good omen for the Giants — the Game 1 winner has won 15 of the last 17 World Series.

The Royals will try to get even in Game 2 on Wednesday night when rookie Yordano Ventura starts against veteran Jake Peavy.

Giant performance

Bumgarner added to his sparkling World Series resume, improving to 3-0 and extending his scoreless streak to 21 innings before Salvador Perez homered with two outs in the seventh.

"He's special. He's got that flair for the spectacular," Pence said. "He never makes it bigger than it is. He just gets out there and competes."

The 25-year-old called MadBum by his teammates was in trouble only once. Down 3-0 in the third, the Royals loaded the bases with a two-out walk and cleanup man Eric Hosmer stepped to the plate, but grounded out on the first pitch.

Bumgarner went on to stretch his road post-season scoreless streak to a record 32 2-3 innings as the Giants cruised. He pitched three-hit ball for seven innings, struck out five and walked one.

"He was dynamite. I mean, man, was he good tonight," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "We had an opportunity in the third, and I was really impressed with the way he fed off our aggressiveness and just worked up the ladder to get out of that jam. But he was nails tonight."

Michael Morse, getting to play as the designated hitter in the AL park, had an RBI single that finished Shields, and reliever Danny Duffy walked Blanco with the bases loaded.

Rookie Joe Panik hit an RBI triple that bounced past usually reliable right fielder Nori Aoki in the seventh and scored on a single by October force Pablo Sandoval. The MVP of the 2012 World Series triumph, Sandoval also had an RBI double in the first that extended his post-season streak of reaching base to 24 straight games.

Pence also doubled and walked.

Before the game, the mood at the ballpark was positively giddy. Ushers greeted fans with "Welcome to the World Series!" and some hot-dog vendors high-fived each other behind the counter.

Yet the Giants wrecked that fun, and won for the 16th time in their last 18 post-season games.

"We didn't expect to come in here and sweep the San Francisco Giants," Yost said. "We knew that this was a series that was going to go deep. We know how tough they are. They swung the bats really well."

The Royals had won 11 straight in the post-season dating to their 1985 championship run, one short of the record held by a pair of New York Yankees clubs.

But it was clear from the start that this would not be their night, and not even the little things went well.

Early in the game, Kansas City third base coach Mike Jirschele retrieved a foul ball and tried to flip it into the stands. Instead, his toss fell well short of reaching the seats.

Up next

Giants: Peavy lost 12 straight decisions this season, spanning his July trade from Boston to the Giants.

The 33-year-old is 1-3 with a 7.03 ERA in seven post-season starts, including an outing for the Red Sox in last year's World Series. He beat Washington in the NL Division Series and was pulled after four innings vs. St. Louis in the NL Championship Series.

Kansas City DH Billy Butler is 14 for 33 (.424) with three home runs off Peavy.

Royals: The 23-year-old Ventura will become the first rookie to start a World Series game at any position for the Royals. No Giants hitter has ever faced the right-hander with a 100 mph heater.

Ventura pitched well in a start vs. the Angels in the ALDS and struggled vs. Baltimore in an ALCS start.

No replay needed

The first Series game in the expanded replay era didn't require a single video review. But all six umpires quickly huddled to discuss a foul ball that glanced off Perez's bat on a bounce, and got it right.

Who will win Game 2 of the World Series?

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World Series: 10 players to watch

Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

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Well-rested Giants, Royals eager to begin World Series

Alex Gordon took a big rip at a batting-practice fastball, fouled it off badly into the cage, and ducked when the carom nearly hit him in the head.

Gordon let out a huge laugh, and so did a bunch of his Kansas City Royals teammates watching Monday's workout.

"I can't believe that just happened, dude," pitcher James Shields razzed.

It'll be more frustrating than funny if those are the same awkward swings the Royals and San Francisco Giants take once the World Series begins.

Who will win World Series, and in how many games?

Going into Game 1 Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City (8 p.m. ET), both teams will deal with a familiar issue this deep in the post-season: Does an extended layoff translate into rest or rust?

Buster Posey and the Giants zipped through the playoffs, and now will try for their third title in five years. Lorenzo Cain and the Royals zoomed along, reaching the Series for the first time since 1985.

And then, they all got some time off. Almost an eternity, by October standards.

The Royals went 8-0 in the American League playoffs, giving them five idle days before Shields starts the opener. San Francisco went 8-2 on the National League side and had four days to relax before Madison Bumgarner pitches.

"It's definitely different because we have played so many games over the last 7 1/2, eight months. But you just understand it's one of those things," Posey said.

As recent history has shown, hitters can be very vulnerable when they get out of rhythm.

"It affects a bit with your timing, especially when trying to adjust to pitchers," Kansas City second baseman Omar Infante said. "It's hard to recover that groove you have."

The slightly favoured Giants and Royals held practices, studied video and checked out scouting reports. But as several teams that stumbled in the World Series after long breaks discovered, nothing can duplicate playing a real game.

Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Detroit got nearly a week off in 2012, then the Tigers hit a combined .159 and totalled six runs in getting swept by the Giants.

'It's a short series, you need some luck. ... In this series, I think both teams are even.'- Royals 2nd baseman Omar Infante

Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies rushed into the 2007 World Series, waited a week and got outscored 29-10 in Boston's sweep.

A year earlier, Magglio Ordonez and the Tigers looked so powerful in the playoffs, but fell apart a week later and hit only .199 in a five-game loss to St. Louis.

Infante played on both of those Detroit teams that got wiped out. He actually excelled in 2012, hitting .333.

"It's a short series, you need some luck. We lost four in a row and they were coming from playing seven. In this series, I think both teams are even," he said.

Royals reserve Raul Ibanez, who's enjoyed post-season success in the past, said "determination and will" carry players in the fall. Yet the timing and confidence that lifts them for so long can be lost in a hurry.

All of a sudden, a ball that might've been a solid double becomes a soft fly. A line drive up the middle turns into a foul ball straight back. A big hit winds up a great catch.

Just like that, a magical touch is missing, and can't be recaptured until it's too late.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez hooted at himself after a popup and an easy grounder in BP on Monday, and changed bats for his next round. He homered on his final swing.

"When you've been playing for seven or eight months, it's nice to have an off day every now and then. But when you do have those workout days where you just go in and hit BP and take grounders and stuff, you try to keep it as much like game day as possible," Giants first baseman Brandon Belt said.

Royals designated hitter Billy Butler said he didn't see the five-day break being a detriment.

"Hey, they've had four days off. That's the way you look at it. They played one day later than we have, they've had a layoff, too," he said.

"I don't know if it'll play any factor. It definitely won't be the reason if we go out there and don't win tomorrow," Butler said.

Shields and Bumgarner seemed unconcerned.

This will be Shields' first start since Oct. 10 in the AL Championship Series opener against Baltimore.

"I think this late in the year almost too much throwing is too much," he said. "So I've just kind of rested my body up for tomorrow."

Bumgarner has already thrown 249 innings this year, including four post-season outings. He was the NLCS MVP, and started last Thursday when the Giants closed out St. Louis.

"Honestly, I feel the best I've felt all year for the last probably two months," the lefty said.

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Madison Bumgarner named Game 1 starter for Giants

The reliable southpaw is getting the ball for another important Game 1.

Left-hander Madison Bumgarner will pitch the World Series opener for the San Francisco Giants at Kansas City on Tuesday.

Manager Bruce Bochy made the expected announcement Saturday as his team worked out under sunny skies, one day before traveling. Bumgarner, an 18-game winner, was voted NL Championship Series MVP as the Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

Despite MadBum's high innings, Bochy wasn't worried about the 18-game winner. Bumgarner didn't get a decision in the pennant clincher against the Cardinals on Thursday night.

"I think I would've insulted him if I checked with him," Bochy said. "He's a big, strong guy. His last game I thought he had great stuff. It's not like he's thrown 120-130 pitches. His workload has been under control."

Bochy is keeping his rotation the same as the first two rounds of the postseason. Right-hander Jake Peavy will pitch Game 2 on Wednesday, followed by 39-year-old right-hander Tim Hudson in his World Series debut Thursday at AT&T Park and then righty Ryan Vogelsong.

Yusmeiro Petit, who has twice provided a huge lift as a long man, will stay in his role as Bochy stuck with Vogelsong in the rotation.

"Petit in the job he's done in that role that we've had him in, you go back to Washington and without Petit it's hard to say what would have happened," Bochy said. "In St. Louis he went out there and gave us three big innings. He's a great swingman. Vogey, he threw a great game against Washington. He had a little bit of a hiccup but no, I didn't think about changing."

Unused two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will make the roster. Bochy didn't expect to make any changes from the 25 players used in the NLCS.

Lincecum pitched the Game 5 World Series clincher at Texas in 2010, then held a key role as a reliever in the 2012 championship run. Lincecum pitched his second no-hitter June 25 against San Diego but hasn't pitched since Sept. 28.

"I've been thinking about Timmy, trust me," Bochy said. "Timmy's done a lot for us, and we know that."

Lincecum was undergoing treatment for a a problem that developed overnight.

"Timmy's got a stiff neck right now but we talked about him throwing to hitters today," Bochy said. "He'll be back tomorrow, but he's still on the roster. I don't think it's serious. ... I'm pretty sure at some point he'll be in the game."

Bochy didn't announce a designated hitter, though Michael Morse is the obvious candidate. He has been unable to play left field and hasn't started since late August because of an oblique injury, but hit a tying pinch homer in the 6-3 Game 5 NLCS win. "I haven't got the order set, DH," Bochy said. "Right now we don't have any plans to change our roster. Now that doesn't mean we can't change our mind as we look at this further."

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World Series: Royals' relievers have locked down late innings

The Royals had one of the stingiest bullpens in baseball this season, but the back end was especially dominant.

Kelvin Herrera, who usually handles the seventh inning, had a 1.41 ERA in 70 games. Wade Davis, the eighth-inning guy, had a 1.00 ERA in 71 appearances. And Greg Holland had a 1.44 ERA while saving 46 games, one shy of his franchise record set just last season.

Herrera pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings against Baltimore, allowing just two hits. Davis went five scoreless innings, also giving up two hits. Holland was the only one to give up a run, but he still managed to save all four games, joining Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley as the only pitchers to accomplish the feat since the ALCS went to a best-of-seven format.

All three relievers have four-seam fastballs that approach 100 mph, and all three have a devastating secondary pitch. 

But that's where the similarities end. The three of them took very different paths to reach this point, key cogs in a perfectly tuned strikeout machine.

World Series begins on Tuesday

Herrera exploded onto the scene two years ago, a fireballer who never seemed to quite know where his fire balls were headed. What little command he had finally failed him last season, and he was banished to the minor leagues, where he was able to rein everything in.

"He's meant so much to this team over the last few years," Holland said. "He's tough."

Just about as tough is Davis, who at one point was considered an after-thought in the trade that brought staff ace James Shields over from Tampa Bay in December 2012.

The Royals tried to use him as a starter, but for some reason he couldn't get on track. So almost out of desperation, they sent him back to the bullpen, where he'd had success in Tampa Bay. Everything suddenly clicked. By the time the Royals were climbing into contention last season, Davis had become a lock-down eighth-inning reliever.

Davis didn't allow a run from April 23-June 25, a streak of 20 appearances and 22 1-3 innings. It took 43 appearances, 45 1-3 innings and 179 batters before he allowed an extra-base hit. When Holland sustained a minor injury late in the season, Davis closed out three games.

"He's a guy that just comes in and goes right after you with his stuff," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's a guy that's a tremendous competitor."

In that respect, he's a bit like Holland, who has come out of nowhere to become one of the game's top closers. He was drafted by the Royals in the 10th round out of Western Carolina, and was in the big leagues three years later. But after scuffling during that first-call up, Holland proved he belonged in his first full season, eventually taking over the ninth inning.

He never gave it up, compiling a 1.86 ERA in 246 games over the last four seasons.

Tough to beat Royals' relievers

No wonder Showalter and every other opposing manager have learned the best chance of beating the Royals is to beat their starters. If they have the lead by the seventh inning, the chances of mounting a comeback against their "Big Three" aren't very good.

"Just get us through six in the ballgame and we can turn it over to the bullpen guys," Yost said. "We've got a lot of confidence in everybody we've got down there. Our offence has a lot of confidence in everybody we've got down there, too, because they know, hey, look, let's keep it close, let's get it to the bullpen, and if we can take a lead and get it to the bullpen, odds are we're going to be celebrating a victory at the end of the day."

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Travis Ishikawa's 3-run homer sends Giants to World Series

Travis Ishikawa hit the first homer to end an NL Championship Series, a three-run shot that sent the San Francisco Giants to the World Series with a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 on Thursday night.

These every-other-year Giants will face the Royals in an all wild-card Fall Classic that begins Tuesday night in Kansas City.

Pablo Sandoval singled to start the ninth against Michael Wacha, making his first appearance of the post-season for the Cardinals. After an out, Brandon Belt walked to bring up Ishikawa, who drove a 2-0 pitch into the elevated seats in right field to set off an orange towel-waving frenzied celebration.

It was the first time a homer sent the Giants into the World Series since perhaps the most famous drive ever in baseball — Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" in a 1951 playoff.

"These guys have been through it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They have been battle-tested and they know how to handle themselves on this type of stage, and then add to that the kids that we brought up, and then Ishikawa. I mean, what a great story."

Ishikawa knew right away on his first career post-season homer, raising his right arm into the air as he watched his ball sail into the seats. He emphatically threw his helmet down to the dirt in triumph and joined his jubilant teammates at home plate as fireworks shot off from the centre field scoreboard.

Pinch-hitter Michael Morse homered leading off the eighth against Pat Neshek, who replaced Adam Wainwright to start the inning, to tie it 3-all.

Morse was batting for Madison Bumgarner, who was named NLCS MVP.

After taking a 3-1 lead in the series wild throws the past two days, the Giants used the long ball to advance to their third Series in five years by knocking out the defending NL champions.

Rookie Joe Panik hit a two-run drive in the third inning off Wainwright for the Giants first homer in seven games.

"Just a gutty effort through all this and I couldn't be prouder of these guys. They just don't stop fighting," Bochy said.

Ishikawa was Pittsburgh's opening-day first baseman, but was soon cut. He re-signed with the Giants, his original team, and went to the minor leagues before making it back to the majors.

Ishikawa took a winding journey to his winning home run, too. Earlier in the game, he misplayed a flyball to left field that cost his team a run. He more than made up for it with his final swing.

Bumgarner did not allow a hit after Tony Cruz homered to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead with two outs in the fourth, working eight efficient innings. Matt Adams also went deep in the fourth.

Santiago Casilla worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth for the win.

Adams drew a one-out walk and Daniel Descalso entered to pinch run. Randal Grichuk singled and Descalso reached third on Kolten Wong's grounder.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford snagged the chopper that glanced off diving third baseman Sandoval's glove, then Crawford threw to second for the force.

Cruz walked to load the bases with two outs after consecutive pitches near his head, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy lifted him for Jeremy Affeldt. Pitching for the fourth straight day, the lefty retired pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras on a grounder that Affeldt fielded and sprinted to first.

Out to prove himself, Wainwright rediscovered his old post-season rhythm after a couple of rough October outings, and that still wasn't enough once the bullpen took over with a one-run lead.

Once Wainwright left the game, the Giants grabbed their chance.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny turned to Neshek after Wainwright reached 97 pitches and retired his final 10 batters in order.

For the bottom of the ninth, Matheny made a move that will be second-guessed all off-season. He went with Wacha, the hard-throwing star of the 2013 NLCS. But Wacha had missed much of the summer with an injury and last pitched on Sept. 26.

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Royals regulars raise play in post-season

The Kansas City Royals will compete for a World Series championship for the first time since 1985, an unlikely scenario at various times during the regular season.

For example, third baseman Mike Moustakas, who leads the team in this post-season with four home runs, was farmed out to triple-A Omaha on May 22 because of poor performance (.152 batting average) and confidence issues.

Left-fielder Alex Gordon, who made an outstanding catch on a JJ Hardy liner in Wednesday's 2-1 American League Championship Series-clinching win over Baltimore, had one homer and a .317 on-base percentage through April.

In early July, there were reports of rising tension in the clubhouse between Royals management and designated hitter Billy Butler, a middle-of-the-order hitter who had been demoted to the seventh spot. Talk of trading the 28-year-old or simply releasing him soon followed.

But in the end, all three did their part to help Kansas City secure the American League's second and final wild-card berth on the final day of the regular season. And they, along with others, have stepped up their performance in the post-season, helping the Royals to a major league record eight consecutive victories to begin the playoffs.

The team's winning formula also includes solid starting pitching, outstanding fielding, speedy baserunning, timely hitting and lights-out relief pitching.

Below, we take a look at the players who have made a significant contribution in the playoffs and how their post-season output compares to their regular-season performance.

Hosmer has been scorching the ball in the post-season to the tune of a .448 batting average after hitting .270 in 131 games during the regular campaign. He has also shown some power with two home runs in eight games (nine in the regular season) and patience at the plate by drawing seven walks to eight strikeouts. Hosmer had a 35:93 walk-to-strikeout ratio in the regular season.

The 28-year-old is getting better as the playoffs move along, capturing MVP honours in the AL Championship Series sweep of Baltimore. Cain went 8-for-15 (.533) in the four-game series to raise his post-season mark to .353, a jump from his team-leading .301 in the regular season. Cain also has 15 total bases in eight contests after 194 in 133 games during the regular season.

The man many were writing off earlier in the season tops the Royals with four home runs in eight post-season games after hitting 15 long balls in 140 regular-season appearances. Moustakas will also carry a .241 average into the World Series, an increase of 29 percentage points from the regular campaign.

While Gordon's average is a fair bit lower (.222) than during the regular season (.266), he's driving in runners at a much higher rate with a club-leading nine runs batted in through eight games. He did lead the team in the regular season with 74 RBIs in 131 starts. Gordon has also shown to be a threat on the bases in the post-season with three steals to top the Royals after just 12 thefts in the regular season.

The former Los Angeles Angels left-hander limited Baltimore to one run on Wednesday over 5 1/3 innings, lowering his 2014 post-season earned-run average to 2.38. That compares to a 3.71 mark in 30 starts during the regular season. Vargas has drastically cut the number of hits allowed with just five through 11 1/3 post-season innings after giving up 197 over 187 frames in the regular campaign.

The ex-Toronto Blue Jays reliever has two wins in four playoff appearances in 2014 and has yet to surrender a run through three innings. In 23 games with the Royals after being acquired in a July 16 trade from Texas, Frasor sported a 1.53 earned-run average.

Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis (pictured at right) and Greg Holland, Kansas City's go-to guys in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively, have been an even better shut-down crew than during the 162-game regular season. Each has lowered his ERA, led by Davis at 0.96, down from 1.00 in a team-high 71 appearances in the regular season. Herrera is next at 1.08 (1.41 in regular season) followed by Holland, the closer, at 1.13 (1.44). Davis and Holland have pitched in each of the eight playoff games, one more than Herrera.

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Royals regulars raise play in post-season

The Kansas City Royals will compete for a World Series championship for the first time since 1985, an unlikely scenario at various times during the regular season.

For example, third baseman Mike Moustakas, who leads the team in this post-season with four home runs, was farmed out to triple-A Omaha on May 22 because of poor performance (.152 batting average) and confidence issues.

Left-fielder Alex Gordon, who made an outstanding catch on a JJ Hardy liner in Wednesday's 2-1 American League Championship Series-clinching win over Baltimore, had one homer and a .317 on-base percentage through April.

In early July, there were reports of rising tension in the clubhouse between Royals management and designated hitter Billy Butler, a middle-of-the-order hitter who had been demoted to the seventh spot. Talk of trading the 28-year-old or simply releasing him soon followed.

But in the end, all three did their part to help Kansas City secure the American League's second and final wild-card berth on the final day of the regular season. And they, along with others, have stepped up their performance in the post-season, helping the Royals to a major league record eight consecutive victories to begin the playoffs.

The team's winning formula also includes solid starting pitching, outstanding fielding, speedy baserunning, timely hitting and lights-out relief pitching.

Below, we take a look at the players who have made a significant contribution in the playoffs and how their post-season output compares to their regular-season performance.

Hosmer has been scorching the ball in the post-season to the tune of a .448 batting average after hitting .270 in 131 games during the regular campaign. He has also shown some power with two home runs in eight games (nine in the regular season) and patience at the plate by drawing seven walks to eight strikeouts. Hosmer had a 35:93 walk-to-strikeout ratio in the regular season.

The 28-year-old is getting better as the playoffs move along, capturing MVP honours in the AL Championship Series sweep of Baltimore. Cain went 8-for-15 (.533) in the four-game series to raise his post-season mark to .353, a jump from his team-leading .301 in the regular season. Cain also has 15 total bases in eight contests after 194 in 133 games during the regular season.

The man many were writing off earlier in the season tops the Royals with four home runs in eight post-season games after hitting 15 long balls in 140 regular-season appearances. Moustakas will also carry a .241 average into the World Series, an increase of 29 percentage points from the regular campaign.

While Gordon's average is a fair bit lower (.222) than during the regular season (.266), he's driving in runners at a much higher rate with a club-leading nine runs batted in through eight games. He did lead the team in the regular season with 74 RBIs in 131 starts. Gordon has also shown to be a threat on the bases in the post-season with three steals to top the Royals after just 12 thefts in the regular season.

The former Los Angeles Angels left-hander limited Baltimore to one run on Wednesday over 5 1/3 innings, lowering his 2014 post-season earned-run average to 2.38. That compares to a 3.71 mark in 30 starts during the regular season. Vargas has drastically cut the number of hits allowed with just five through 11 1/3 post-season innings after giving up 197 over 187 frames in the regular campaign.

The ex-Toronto Blue Jays reliever has two wins in four playoff appearances in 2014 and has yet to surrender a run through three innings. In 23 games with the Royals after being acquired in a July 16 trade from Texas, Frasor sported a 1.53 earned-run average.

Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis (pictured at right) and Greg Holland, Kansas City's go-to guys in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively, have been an even better shut-down crew than during the 162-game regular season. Each has lowered his ERA, led by Davis at 0.96, down from 1.00 in a team-high 71 appearances in the regular season. Herrera is next at 1.08 (1.41 in regular season) followed by Holland, the closer, at 1.13 (1.44). Davis and Holland have pitched in each of the eight playoff games, one more than Herrera.

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Travis Ishikawa's 3-run homer sends Giants to World Series

Travis Ishikawa hit the first homer to end an NL Championship Series, a three-run shot that sent the San Francisco Giants to the World Series with a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 on Thursday night.

These every-other-year Giants will face the Royals in an all wild-card Fall Classic that begins Tuesday night in Kansas City.

Pablo Sandoval singled to start the ninth against Michael Wacha, making his first appearance of the post-season for the Cardinals. After an out, Brandon Belt walked to bring up Ishikawa, who drove a 2-0 pitch into the elevated seats in right field to set off an orange towel-waving frenzied celebration.

It was the first time a homer sent the Giants into the World Series since perhaps the most famous drive ever in baseball — Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" in a 1951 playoff.

"These guys have been through it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "They have been battle-tested and they know how to handle themselves on this type of stage, and then add to that the kids that we brought up, and then Ishikawa. I mean, what a great story."

Ishikawa knew right away on his first career post-season homer, raising his right arm into the air as he watched his ball sail into the seats. He emphatically threw his helmet down to the dirt in triumph and joined his jubilant teammates at home plate as fireworks shot off from the centre field scoreboard.

Pinch-hitter Michael Morse homered leading off the eighth against Pat Neshek, who replaced Adam Wainwright to start the inning, to tie it 3-all.

Morse was batting for Madison Bumgarner, who was named NLCS MVP.

After taking a 3-1 lead in the series wild throws the past two days, the Giants used the long ball to advance to their third Series in five years by knocking out the defending NL champions.

Rookie Joe Panik hit a two-run drive in the third inning off Wainwright for the Giants first homer in seven games.

"Just a gutty effort through all this and I couldn't be prouder of these guys. They just don't stop fighting," Bochy said.

Ishikawa was Pittsburgh's opening-day first baseman, but was soon cut. He re-signed with the Giants, his original team, and went to the minor leagues before making it back to the majors.

Ishikawa took a winding journey to his winning home run, too. Earlier in the game, he misplayed a flyball to left field that cost his team a run. He more than made up for it with his final swing.

Bumgarner did not allow a hit after Tony Cruz homered to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead with two outs in the fourth, working eight efficient innings. Matt Adams also went deep in the fourth.

Santiago Casilla worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth for the win.

Adams drew a one-out walk and Daniel Descalso entered to pinch run. Randal Grichuk singled and Descalso reached third on Kolten Wong's grounder.

Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford snagged the chopper that glanced off diving third baseman Sandoval's glove, then Crawford threw to second for the force.

Cruz walked to load the bases with two outs after consecutive pitches near his head, and Giants manager Bruce Bochy lifted him for Jeremy Affeldt. Pitching for the fourth straight day, the lefty retired pinch-hitter Oscar Taveras on a grounder that Affeldt fielded and sprinted to first.

Out to prove himself, Wainwright rediscovered his old post-season rhythm after a couple of rough October outings, and that still wasn't enough once the bullpen took over with a one-run lead.

Once Wainwright left the game, the Giants grabbed their chance.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny turned to Neshek after Wainwright reached 97 pitches and retired his final 10 batters in order.

For the bottom of the ninth, Matheny made a move that will be second-guessed all off-season. He went with Wacha, the hard-throwing star of the 2013 NLCS. But Wacha had missed much of the summer with an injury and last pitched on Sept. 26.

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Royals World Series-bound with sweep of Orioles

James Shields led thousands of fans in a celebratory chant. Lorenzo Cain pranced along the warning track, cradling his newborn son. Ned Yost finally allowed himself to smile.

After nearly three decades spent as one of the game's biggest laughingstocks, the Kansas City Royals are once again baseball royalty. They are headed to their first World Series since 1985, finishing a four-game sweep in the AL Championship Series with a 2-1 victory Wednesday over the Baltimore Orioles.

In a perfect post-season, the Royals are intent to relish every moment.

"It's hard to explain," said Cain, whose clutch hits and dramatic catches earned him the series MVP award. "We're clicking at the right moment right now."

There's no doubt about that.

Now, the Royals will carry an 11-game playoff win streak into the World Series, one shy of the major league record. That includes their first eight this season, something that had never been done in post-season history. Kansas City beat Oakland in a 12-inning wild-card thriller to start things off, then swept the Los Angeles Angels in the Divisional Series.

Kansas City will open its first World Series since 1985 on Tuesday against the winner of the NLCS between the Giants and Cardinals. San Francisco leads that series 2-1.

Coincidentally, it was the Cardinals who the Royals beat for their only World Series title.

"It's been an amazing run," Royals outfielder Alex Gordon said. "It's nothing better than when you win. Today, same old story: good pitching, good defence and scratch out a win."

Same old story for the Orioles, too: Solid pitching, good defence — and just not enough offence. They managed seven hits over the last two games against Kansas City, resulting in the first sweep for the franchise in 21 post-season series.

"You saw how close the games were," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "It's more a testament to what they did. They were playing great defensively."

After holding the Orioles to three hits in Game 3, Jason Vargas and the Royals bullpen held them to four hits Wednesday night. Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis got the game to Greg Holland, who matched Dennis Eckersley's record with his fourth save of the best-of-seven series.

Holland got J.J. Hardy to ground out to third base for the final out, and the Royals spilled onto the infield in a wild celebration. Fireworks shot over the crown-shaped scoreboard in centre field, and a blue-clad sellout crowd that included Royals greats George Brett and Brett Saberhagen let out a roar while cars on nearby Interstate 70 honked their horns.

Orioles headed home despite 96-win season

"That's what you dream of as a kid," Holland said. "Punch your ticket to the World Series, especially before your home crowd. These fans have been waiting a long time. They deserve it."

The Orioles, meanwhile, will limp into the off-season after a 96-win season in which they overcame injuries and suspensions to several key players along the way.

"I think it's not what we didn't do. It's more what they did," said the Orioles' Ryan Flaherty, whose home run represented their lone run. "We played good baseball."

Making his first start in nearly two weeks, Vargas shut down the vaunted Orioles lineup in Game 4. The only damage he allowed came in the third inning, when Flaherty went deep.

By that point, the Royals had already manufactured a pair of runs.

Alcides Escobar singled off Orioles starter Miguel Gonzalez to open the game, and Nori Aoki was drilled on the right knee a couple pitches later. Yost then opted to bunt with Cain, one of his hottest hitters, to advance both of the runners.

It was a questionable decision so early in the game. But like almost every unorthodox move that Yost has made, it worked out perfectly — for the first sacrifice of Cain's career.

Eric Hosmer followed with a chopping groundball, and first baseman Steve Pearce went home with it. Escobar slid safely and the ball bounded away from catcher Caleb Joseph, allowing Aoki to follow his teammate home and giving the scrappy, small-ball Royals a 2-0 lead.

After that, it was up to their defence and bullpen.

Escobar turned a pair of double plays early in the game to help Vargas escape jams, and Gordon made a spectacular catch while crashing into the left-field wall to rob Hardy of extra bases leading off the fifth inning. In the sixth, second baseman Omar Infante was in perfect position to snag Nelson Cruz's line drive and leave runners on the corners.

Herrera breezed through the seventh and Davis handled the eighth, just as they have all season, and Holland slammed the door on his fourth save of the series.

And set off of a raucous celebration that had been 29 years in the making.

In the midst of it all was Yost, the often-criticized Royals manager who has guided a collection of budding young stars to baseball's grandest stage. In doing so, Yost became the first manager in major league history to win his first eight post-season games.

Now, just four more wins stand in the way of an improbable World Series championship.

"These guys are willing to play selfless baseball where all they're concentrating on is winning the game," Yost said. "Nobody is looking to be a hero right now, they're just looking to win a ballgame, and they've done a tremendous job."

Tight games

The Royals' win was the 14th decided by one run this post-season, topping the record set in 2011 and tied last year. That includes the last two games of the ALCS.

Stacking up

Kansas City did well this season against both potential World Series opponents.

The Royals swept a three-game series from the visiting Giants in August, beating Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson and Tim Lincecum. KC hasn't played at San Francisco since 2005.

The Royals went 3-1 against St. Louis, sweeping two games at Busch Stadium and splitting back at Kauffman Stadium.

Up next

Royals: The Royals are in the World Series for the third time in franchise history. "It's been incredible to watch," said Saberhagen, one of the star pitchers on the '85 title team.

Orioles: It's on to the off-season for a team that overcame a series of injuries (Matt Wieters, Manny Machado) and suspensions (Chris Davis) to reach the ALCS. Baltimore still has not made it back to the World Series since 1983.

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