The 2014 World Series was the
championship series of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...
's (MLB)
2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a
best-of-seven playoff
There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly ...
between the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...
(NL)
champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...
and the
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...
(AL)
champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
. The series was played from October 21 to 29. The Giants defeated the Royals four games to three to clinch their third World Series championship in a five-season span (2010–14), and their third overall since the club's
move
Move may refer to:
People
* Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver
Brands and enterprises
* Move (company), an online real estate company
* Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer
* Daihatsu Move
Go ...
to
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
from New York.
[The Giants moved from New York City to San Francisco after the 1957 season.] It was the Giants' eighth World Series championship in franchise history, and the Giants became the first team in MLB history to win the World Series as a number five seed. The series was also the sixth straight World Series to be won by a team that had missed the playoffs the year before.
The Giants won Game 1 behind a strong pitching performance by
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
while the Royals won Games2 and3 as their pitchers limited San Francisco to two runs per game. The Giants won Games4 and 5, thanks to 11 runs in Game4 and Bumgarner's
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
in Game5. Kansas City tied the series in Game6, shutting out San Francisco and scoring 10 runs, which forced a Game7. The Giants won the final game, 3–2, thanks to timely
hitting, including the
game-winning RBI
A game-winning RBI (GWRBI) is a statistic that was used in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1980 to 1988. Building upon the run batted in (RBI) statistic, the ''game-winning'' RBI was defined in MLB rules as "the RBI that gives a club the lead i ...
by
Michael Morse
Michael John Morse (born March 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman and shortstop. Morse was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. ...
to score
Pablo Sandoval. Bumgarner pitched five shutout innings in relief on two days' rest to clinch the championship, claiming the series
MVP award
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
.
This was the first World Series to feature two teams with fewer than 90 wins since
1981, as that year's season was shortened due to a player's strike, and the first in a non-strike season.
Background
Kansas City Royals
The Royals made their third World Series appearance in franchise history, the others being in , when they lost to the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
in six games, and , when they defeated the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in seven games. Furthermore, the Royals ended a stretch of 28 consecutive seasons in which they did not appear in the postseason, the
second-longest such streak since the MLB postseason was expanded in 1995.
The 4th-seeded Royals entered the 2014 World Series after defeating the 5th-seeded
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...
9–8 in the
AL Wild Card game, sweeping the top-seeded
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...
in three games in the
ALDS
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
, and sweeping the 2nd-seeded
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
in four games in the
ALCS
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
. They were the first team to enter a World Series with an 8–0 record in that year's postseason and only the second to enter the World Series undefeated in the postseason since the creation of the Wild Card in 1994.
[The ]Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...
entered the 2007 World Series
The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American L ...
after going 7–0 in that year's postseason.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants made their third World Series appearance in five years, having defeated the
Texas Rangers in the
2010 World Series
The 2010 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2010 season. The 106th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Texas Rangers and the Nat ...
and the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
in the
2012 World Series
The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and ...
. This was also their 20th appearance overall, and their sixth appearance since moving to San Francisco from New York City in 1958. The No. 5 seed Giants defeated the No. 4 seed
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
8–0 in the
NL Wild Card game, the top-seeded
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
in four games in the
NLDS
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
3 games to 1, and the 3rd-seeded
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in five games in the
NLCS
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two National ...
four games to one via a walk-off home run (in the process denying a rematch of the
1985 World Series
The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1985 season. The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the N ...
). The World Series was the Giants' second trip to Kauffman Stadium in 2014, as the Royals had swept them in a three-game series on August 8–10. This was the sixth World Series in which the Giants faced a team from the
American League Central
The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all lo ...
Division (
1917,
1924
Events
January
* January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after.
* January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
,
1933
Events
January
* January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand.
* January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
,
1954
Events
January
* January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany.
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
).
Summary
Matchups
Game 1
![Giants outfielder Hunter Pence works out before the NL Wild Card Game](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Giants_outfielder_Hunter_Pence_works_out_before_the_NL_Wild_Card_Game.jpg)
Both teams sent their respective
aces
ACeS (PT Asia Cellular Satellite) was a regional satellite telecommunications company based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It offered GSM-like satellite telephony services to Asian market. The coverage area included Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philip ...
to the mound for Game1:
James Shields for the Royals and
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
for the Giants. The Giants scored the first run in the opening inning when a
Pablo Sandoval double scored
Gregor Blanco from second base, although
Buster Posey
Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement a ...
was thrown out at home. The next batter,
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
, hit a home run to center field to give the Giants a three-run lead. The Royals did not threaten until the third inning.
Omar Infante reached on an error by Giants' shortstop
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
, and
Mike Moustakas hit a double down the line to move Infante to third. Bumgarner struck out both
Alcides Escobar and
Norichika Aoki, but walked
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
to load the bases.
Eric Hosmer grounded out to second base on the first pitch to end the threat.
The Giants threatened again in the top of the fourth when Pence doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and
Brandon Belt walked.
Michael Morse
Michael John Morse (born March 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman and shortstop. Morse was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. ...
then singled to score the fourth run of the game, which knocked Shields out of the game.
Danny Duffy
Daniel Richard Duffy (born December 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
After being drafted by the Royals in 2007, Duffy spent t ...
was brought in. After allowing a sacrifice bunt to
Juan Pérez, Duffy walked Crawford and Blanco consecutively, bringing the fifth run in for the Giants. He retired the next two batters to end the inning. The score remained 5–0 until the top of the seventh, when Blanco drew another walk.
Joe Panik
Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an Al ...
hit a ball to right fielder Aoki, which he misplayed, allowing Blanco to score and Panik to reach third.
Tim Collins was brought in and allowed a single to Sandoval after Posey lined out, driving in the seventh and final run for San Francisco.
The Royals scored their only run on a
Salvador Pérez home run off Bumgarner in the bottom of the seventh inning, which proved to be the only run given up by Bumgarner in the series. That homer also ended Bumgarner's consecutive scoreless innings streak in the World Series at 21, second only to Giants Hall of Famer
Christy Mathewson, who went 28. Collins and
Jason Frasor each pitched scoreless innings for the Royals, while
Javier López and
Hunter Strickland closed out the game for the Giants with scoreless eighth and ninth innings. The loss was Kansas City's first of the 2014 postseason, following eight consecutive wins in the
Wild Card Game
The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was first instituted in 2012; best-of-three ...
,
ALDS
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series (ALDS) determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
and
ALCS
The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
. This also snapped the Royals' franchise postseason winning streak at 11 games dating back to the 1985 World Series.
Game 2
![Kelvin Herrera on May 25, 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Kelvin_Herrera_on_May_25%2C_2012.jpg)
Kansas City sent rookie
Yordano Ventura to the mound in an attempt to even the series. San Francisco countered with
Jake Peavy
Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw r ...
. The Giants scored first on a lead-off home run by
Gregor Blanco. This would turn out to be the last home run the Giants would hit in the series.
Alcides Escobar singled to lead off the Royals' half of the first but was thrown out trying to steal second base. The Royals, however, tied up the game on a
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
double,
Eric Hosmer walk and a
Billy Butler single, all with two outs.
The Royals gained the lead in the bottom of the second inning on doubles by
Omar Infante and Escobar, but the Giants tied the game on doubles by
Pablo Sandoval and
Brandon Belt. Belt was tagged out attempting to advance to third but was out returning to second when
Michael Morse
Michael John Morse (born March 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman and shortstop. Morse was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. ...
flied out to right fielder
Norichika Aoki, who threw to Ventura, who threw to Infante, thus ending the inning. In the top of the sixth inning, both
Buster Posey
Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement a ...
and
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
singled, knocking Ventura out of the game.
Kelvin Herrera
Kelvin de Jesús Herrera Mercado (born December 31, 1989) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2018, Washington Nationals in 2018, and Chicago Whi ...
was brought in and got the last two outs to end the inning.
Kansas City regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as Cain singled to center and Hosmer walked, prompting
Bruce Bochy
Bruce Douglas Bochy (; born April 16, 1955), nicknamed "Boch" and "Headly", is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the current manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the San Dieg ...
to take out Peavy and put in
Jean Machi. Butler singled to left, which drove in Cain and gave the Royals the lead. He was replaced by pinch runner
Terrance Gore
Terrance Jamar Gore (born June 8, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He played college baseball at Gulf Coast Community College. He made his MLB debut in 2014 with the Kansas City Royals and has also played ...
.
Javier López was brought in to face
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
, whom he retired.
Hunter Strickland was then brought in. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third.
Salvador Pérez hit a double to left center to drive in both runners. Infante then hit a two-run home run to left field, bringing the score to 7–2 Royals. Tensions began to rise as Strickland and Perez got into a shouting match as Perez was crossing home plate. Both dugouts cleared but the umpiring crew managed to calm the situation down.
Jeremy Affeldt came in and allowed a single to
Mike Moustakas but then induced a
double play
In baseball and softball, a double play (denoted as DP in baseball statistics) is the act of making two outs during the same continuous play. Double plays can occur any time there is at least one baserunner and fewer than two outs.
In Major Lea ...
from Escobar to end the inning.
Herrera returned for the seventh inning. He struck out
Travis Ishikawa but allowed consecutive walks to
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
and Blanco. He then retired the last two batters to end the Giants's seventh.
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "The Freak", "The Franchise", "The Freaky Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San ...
pitched innings for the Giants, but left the game due to an injury and
Santiago Casilla
Santiago Casilla (born July 25, 1980) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Casilla threw four pitches: a fastb ...
faced Lincecum's last batter in the eighth.
Wade Davis pitched a perfect eighth, and
Greg Holland
Gregory Scott Holland (born November 20, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington N ...
struck out the side in the ninth to end the game and secure the victory for the Royals.
Game 3
![Kansas_City_Royals_first_baseman_Eric_Hosmer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Kansas_City_Royals_first_baseman_Eric_Hosmer.jpg)
The series shifted to San Francisco for Game 3.
Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hu ...
started his first career World Series game, as did Royals' starter
Jeremy Guthrie
Jeremy Shane Guthrie (born April 8, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nation ...
. The Royals scored first when
Alcides Escobar doubled to lead off the game and came around to score on groundouts by
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
and
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
. Kansas City mounted a rally when
Mike Moustakas singled and
Omar Infante walked, but Hudson ended the threat by inducing a lineout and a double play. Both pitchers settled down until the sixth inning.
The Royals started another threat in the top of the sixth inning. Escobar singled with one out. Gordon then doubled to center field to score Escobar and increase the Royals' lead. Cain grounded to third for the second out, and
Bruce Bochy
Bruce Douglas Bochy (; born April 16, 1955), nicknamed "Boch" and "Headly", is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the current manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the San Dieg ...
brought in southpaw
Javier Lopez to face the left-hand hitting
Eric Hosmer. Hosmer battled an eleven pitch at-bat with Lopez until finally singling to center to score Gordon for what would end up being the game-winning RBI. Lopez retired Moustakas to end the inning.
The Giants responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
singled and
Michael Morse
Michael John Morse (born March 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman and shortstop. Morse was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. ...
doubled, scoring Crawford, and causing the Royals to replace Guthrie with
Kelvin Herrera
Kelvin de Jesús Herrera Mercado (born December 31, 1989) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2018, Washington Nationals in 2018, and Chicago Whi ...
. Herrera walked
Gregor Blanco to put runners on first and second. After
Joe Panik
Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an Al ...
grounded out to advance the runners to second and third,
Buster Posey
Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement a ...
then hit an RBI groundout scoring Morse and cutting the Giants' deficit to one.
Pablo Sandoval then grounded out to Hosmer to end the inning.
Sergio Romo
Sergio Francisco Romo (born March 4, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Mi ...
pitched a scoreless seventh for the Giants. Herrera walked
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning, but struck out
Brandon Belt.
Brandon Finnegan
Brandon Kyle Finnegan (born April 14, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds.
Prior to his professional ca ...
was then brought in for the Royals, which also made him the first rookie pitcher to pitch in the
College World Series
The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...
and the World Series in the same year. He retired the last two batters to end the seventh.
Romo struck out the first batter of the eighth inning.
Jeremy Affeldt came in for the Giants and retired Gordon and Cain.
Wade Davis retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth. Affeldt retired the first two batters of the ninth.
Santiago Casilla
Santiago Casilla (born July 25, 1980) is a Dominican former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2018 for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Casilla threw four pitches: a fastb ...
came in and retired the last batter.
Greg Holland
Gregory Scott Holland (born November 20, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington N ...
was brought in to save the game for the Royals. He retired the middle of the Giants lineup in order and saved the game for the Royals, giving them a 2–1 series lead.
This was only the second World Series loss at home for the Giants since
AT&T Park
Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's curren ...
opened in 2000, and the first since Game3 of the Series. Holland saved his record-tying seventh game of the playoffs, tying
John Wetteland
John Karl Wetteland (born August 21, 1966) is an American former baseball pitcher who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (1989–2000). He pitched for four teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, New York Yankees, and Texas Rang ...
,
Robb Nen,
Troy Percival,
Brad Lidge
Bradley Thomas Lidge (born December 23, 1976) nicknamed "Lights Out" is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Lidge played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 2002–2012. He played for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phi ...
, and
Koji Uehara
is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (M ...
for most ever in a single postseason.
Game 4
![Yusmeiro Petit on July 10, 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Yusmeiro_Petit_on_July_10%2C_2014.jpg)
The Giants sent
Ryan Vogelsong to the mound, while the Royals sent
Jason Vargas. The Giants scored in the bottom of the first inning when
Gregor Blanco walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, stole third base, and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
.
The Royals countered in the top of the third inning where they batted around.
Alcides Escobar singled with one out, but was eliminated as a runner when
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
grounded into a forceout for the second out of the inning. Gordon then stole second base and consecutive infield singles by
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
and
Eric Hosmer brought Gordon home to tie the game.
Mike Moustakas then walked to load up the bases.
Omar Infante singled to center to score Cain and Hosmer to give the Royals a 3–1 lead.
Salvador Pérez followed with another single to score Moustakas and knock Vogelsong out of the game.
Jean Machi came in and walked
Jarrod Dyson
Jarrod Martel Dyson (born August 15, 1984) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirate ...
, but struck out the pitcher with the bases loaded to end the threat.
The Giants scored a run in the bottom of the inning when pinch hitter
Matt Duffy
Matthew Michael Duffy (born January 15, 1991), nicknamed "Duffman", is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent. He played college baseball at Long Beach State. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) f ...
singled, advanced to second on a groundout, and scored on a single to left field by
Buster Posey
Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III (born March 27, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher. Posey spent his entire twelve-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the San Francisco Giants, from 2009 until his retirement a ...
.
Yusmeiro Petit
Yusmeiro Alberto Petit (; born November 22, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washi ...
pitched three scoreless innings starting with the fourth to keep the Royals off the board.
After the Royals failed to do anything with a lead-off double from Hosmer in the top of the 5th, the Giants tied the game in the bottom of the inning.
Joe Panik
Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an Al ...
started the inning with a double to right center, which knocked Vargas out of the game.
Jason Frasor was brought in. A groundout moved Panik to third, and he scored on a single to center by Pence.
Danny Duffy
Daniel Richard Duffy (born December 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
After being drafted by the Royals in 2007, Duffy spent t ...
replaced Frasor in the game.
Pablo Sandoval singled and
Brandon Belt walked to load the bases.
Juan Pérez hit a sinking liner to center, but it was caught by a diving Jarrod Dyson. Pence tagged up at third and scored the tying run. Duffy struck out
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
to end the inning.
San Francisco gained the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Brandon Finnegan
Brandon Kyle Finnegan (born April 14, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals and the Cincinnati Reds.
Prior to his professional ca ...
replaced Duffy. Pinch hitter
Joaquín Árias and Blanco both singled to lead off the inning. Panik bunted to move the runners over to second and third. Finnegan intentionally walked Posey to load the bases and set up a force play at any base.
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
hit the ball to shortstop Escobar, who threw home for the forceout. However, Sandoval singled to center to score Blanco and Posey, giving the Giants a two-run lead. Belt hit another single to center which scored Pence to score the third run of the inning. Pérez grounded out to end the inning.
Jeremy Affeldt pitched a scoreless seventh for the Giants. Finnegan started the Giants' seventh by allowing an infield single to Crawford and a walk to pinch-hitter
Michael Morse
Michael John Morse (born March 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman and shortstop. Morse was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. ...
.
Tim Collins was then brought in. He fielded a bunt ground ball by Blanco, but threw the ball away, allowing Crawford to score. Panik then hit a double to center field to score both Morse and Blanco. After Posey grounded out, Pence doubled to left field, scoring Panik, and giving the Giants' their eleventh and final run of the game.
Sergio Romo
Sergio Francisco Romo (born March 4, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has previously played in MLB for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Mi ...
pitched a scoreless eighth for the Giants, as did Collins for the Royals.
Hunter Strickland allowed a double to Gordon in the ninth inning, but he did not score, as Hosmer grounded out to end the game.
Game 5
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
became the first pitcher to record a
complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
shutout
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball.
Shutouts are usuall ...
in a World Series game since
Josh Beckett
Joshua Patrick Beckett (born May 15, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). A three-time MLB All-Star, he played for the Florida Marlins, the Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
A ...
did so for the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
in Game6 of the
2003 World Series
The 2003 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2003 season. The 99th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Florida Marlins and the American Lea ...
,
and the first Giants pitcher to accomplish the feat since
Jack Sanford
John Stanley Sanford (May 18, 1929 – March 7, 2000) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through . Sanford was notable for the meteoric start to his career when, he led ...
in Game2 of the
1962 World Series
The 1962 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1962 season. The 59th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the defending American League (AL) and World Series champion Ne ...
.
Bumgarner only allowed four hits, recorded eight strikeouts and no walks. When Bumgarner did allow a hit, he shut down the Royals after that by coming up with six of his eight strikeouts immediately after allowing a hit. The only time that the Giants' pitcher allowed the Royals to get into
scoring position was
Omar Infante's one-out double in the fifth inning, but Bumgarner then struck out the next two Kansas City batters.
This was the third straight game in which neither team hit a home run, the first such occurrence in a World Series since . The Giants opened the scoring in the second, starting with
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
's single and
Brandon Belt's bunt base hit. After
Travis Ishikawa flied out to center to advance both runners,
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
grounded out to second, with Pence scoring. Crawford then recorded an RBI single to right in the fourth, allowing
Pablo Sandoval to score from second base to give San Francisco a 2–0 lead. Kansas City starter
James Shields was relieved by
Kelvin Herrera
Kelvin de Jesús Herrera Mercado (born December 31, 1989) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2018, Washington Nationals in 2018, and Chicago Whi ...
after pitching six innings. Herrera kept the score at 2–0 in the seventh. But in the eighth, Sandoval and Pence led off with back-to-back singles, and Herrera was then relieved by
Wade Davis.
Juan Pérez hit a one-out double, scoring Sandoval and Pence, with Pérez reaching third base on a throwing error by Royals shortstop
Alcides Escobar. Pérez had learned of his friend
Oscar Taveras
Oscar Francisco Taveras (June 19, 1992 October 26, 2014) was a Dominican–Canadian professional baseball outfielder who played one season for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Known as ''"El Fenómeno"'' (Spanish for ...
having died in the middle of the game and broke down in tears. He dedicated the double to Oscar, posting a tweet. Crawford then recorded his third RBI of the game with a single to left to score Pérez to make it 5–0.
Game 6
![Yordano Ventura on October 8, 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Yordano_Ventura_on_October_8%2C_2015.jpg)
The Royals scored seven runs in the second inning en route to a 10–0 win and forcing a Game7. In memory of his recently deceased friend
Oscar Taveras
Oscar Francisco Taveras (June 19, 1992 October 26, 2014) was a Dominican–Canadian professional baseball outfielder who played one season for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Known as ''"El Fenómeno"'' (Spanish for ...
, Kansas City starter
Yordano Ventura pitched seven innings, allowing only three Giants hits.
Royals hitters knocked out starter
Jake Peavy
Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw r ...
after innings. After
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
and
Salvador Pérez led off the second with back-to-back singles,
Mike Moustakas hit an RBI double to score Gordon. After
Omar Infante struck out for the first out with runners on second and third,
Alcides Escobar reached base safely on an infield hit, where first baseman
Brandon Belt hesitated to make sure Pérez didn't try to head home, which allowed Escobar to slide safely to first. Now with the bases loaded,
Nori Aoki recorded an RBI single to score Pérez, which ended Peavy's night.
Yusmeiro Petit
Yusmeiro Alberto Petit (; born November 22, 1984) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Washi ...
replaced Peavy on the mound, and allowed a single by
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
, and doubles by
Eric Hosmer and
Billy Butler that scored five more Kansas City runs made the score 7–0. Cain then hit an RBI ground rule double in the third, Escobar an RBI double in the fifth, and Moustakas a home run in the seventh, his fifth homer of the postseason, which broke
Willie Aikens
Willie Mays Aikens (born October 14, 1954) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball for the California Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays between 1977 and 1985. He had established ...
' franchise record of 4 home runs in a single postseason.
Game 7
![Madison Bumgarner on September 3, 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Madison_Bumgarner_on_September_3%2C_2013.jpg)
Although Giants starter
Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hu ...
failed to make it past the bottom of the second inning after giving up two runs, reliever
Jeremy Affeldt and series MVP
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
shut out the Kansas City offense the rest of the game, as the Giants held on for a tense 3–2 victory.
After a scoreless first inning, the Giants struck first in the top of the second inning.
Pablo Sandoval reached on a hit by pitch and
Hunter Pence
Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...
and
Brandon Belt each singled to load the bases with nobody out.
Michael Morse
Michael John Morse (born March 22, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman and shortstop. Morse was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the third round (82nd overall) of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. ...
hit a sacrifice fly to right that scored Sandoval and moved Pence to third.
Brandon Crawford
Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). H ...
followed with another sacrifice fly to center that scored Pence, giving the Giants a 2–0 lead.
The Royals immediately struck back in the bottom of the second.
Billy Butler came through with a single and then an
Alex Gordon
Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
double managed to score the slow-running Butler from first.
Salvador Pérez was hit by a pitch from Hudson on the knee, which put the now hobbled Perez on first.
Mike Moustakas advanced Gordon to third and then the Royals tied the game on a sacrifice fly by
Omar Infante. After
Alcides Escobar singled to put two men on with two outs, manager
Bruce Bochy
Bruce Douglas Bochy (; born April 16, 1955), nicknamed "Boch" and "Headly", is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the current manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the San Dieg ...
brought in Affeldt, who retired
Nori Aoki to end the threat.
Affeldt pitched a scoreless third inning, with excellent defensive help by Giants rookie second baseman
Joe Panik
Joseph Matthew Panik (born October 30, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays, and Miami Marlins. Panik was an Al ...
on a key double play. With a runner on first and no outs, Panik made a diving stop on a ball hit up the middle by
Eric Hosmer and then flipped the ball from his glove while still on the ground to Crawford at second base, who quickly threw over to Belt at first. Hosmer made a diving slide into first instead of running through the bag. Although first base umpire
Eric Cooper
Eric Richard Cooper (December 18, 1966 – October 20, 2019) was an American professional baseball umpire, whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 1999 until his death in October 2019. He wore umpire uniform number 56. As a Major Lea ...
initially ruled that Hosmer was safe, Giants manager Bochy challenged the umpire's call. After a nearly three-minute video review, the call was overturned. That play became the first successful challenge by a manager in a World Series.
In the top of the fourth inning, Sandoval reached on an infield single and moved to third after Pence singled and Belt flied out to left. Manager
Ned Yost
Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos.
Early life
Yost was born o ...
brought in
Kelvin Herrera
Kelvin de Jesús Herrera Mercado (born December 31, 1989) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals from 2011 to 2018, Washington Nationals in 2018, and Chicago Whi ...
to face Morse, but Morse fought off an 0–2 pitch and looped a broken-bat single to right field to score Sandoval, giving the Giants a 3–2 lead. After Affeldt pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth, the Giants brought in Bumgarner on two days' rest to protect their one-run lead in the fifth. Bumgarner promptly gave up a single to Infante who then made it to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Escobar. Aoki then hit what appeared to be a game-tying double toward the left field corner. But left fielder
Juan Pérez, who was playing a good five feet closer to the left field line than usual, made a nice running catch only a few feet from foul territory. Bumgarner then struck out
Lorenzo Cain
Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
to end the inning.
After allowing the single to Infante in the fifth inning, Bumgarner retired 14 batters in a row. The game ended in dramatic fashion when, with two outs, Gordon of the Royals lined an slider to left center field. Center fielder
Gregor Blanco misplayed the ball, and it rolled to the wall. Left-fielder Pérez had trouble grabbing the ball, which allowed Gordon to reach third base as the potential tying run, on a base hit and error combination. (After the game, there was much discussion among fans and statisticians about the decision by third base coach,
Mike Jirschele
Michael John Jirschele (; born March 3, 1959) is an American professional baseball coach who is the current manager of the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. He previously served as manager of the Storm Chasers ...
, not to wave Gordon home in an attempt to tie the game.) With the tying run away Bumgarner faced Pérez who had the game-winning hit in the
AL Wild Card Game on his resume. Bumgarner decided to throw high, inside fastballs to Perez, which are the easiest to see and the hardest to hit. Bumgarner threw six pitches—all fastballs—to Perez, which finally induced a foul popup that was caught by Sandoval to end the game, series, and baseball season. Bumgarner was initially credited with the
win, which would have given him a 3–0 record in the series, the first since
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...
in the
2001 World Series
The 2001 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2001 season. The 97th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Arizona Diamondbacks and the three- ...
. However, following deliberation among the official scorers, it was decided that Affeldt by rule was entitled to the win.
This win made the Giants the first visiting team since the
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates to win Game7 of the World Series,
continuing their trend of clinching World Series titles while on the road, having done so at
Globe Life Park in Arlington
Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Tex ...
in and
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium.
History Construction
Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...
in . To date, the Giants have not clinched a World Series at AT&T (now Oracle) Park, but they hosted Game7 at
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...
in , which the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
won, and the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
completed a four-game sweep by winning Games3 and4 at Candlestick in . With the win, the Giants' postseason record against
American League Central
The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all lo ...
teams improved to 4–2, and they have officially beaten every AL Central team in the World Series except the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...
.
Composite line score
2014 World Series (4–3):
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...
(NL) beat
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
(AL)
In all but one of the seven games, the team that scored first went on to win; the exception was in Game2. As of the 2019 World Series, the team that scores first in the final game of a World Series has won 64% of the time, as the Giants did in 2014.
Broadcasting
Television
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
broadcast the series in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(simulcast in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
on
Sportsnet
Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...
), with
play-by-play
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
announcer
Joe Buck
Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is an American sportscaster.
The son of sportscaster Jack Buck, he worked for Fox Sports from its 1994 inception through 2022, including roles as lead play-by-play announcer for the network's Nation ...
calling the action along with
color analysts
Harold Reynolds
Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from to , most prominently as a member of the Se ...
and
Tom Verducci
Thomas Verducci (born October 23, 1960) is an American sportswriter who writes for ''Sports Illustrated'' and its online magazine SI.com. He writes primarily about baseball. He is also a reporter and commentator for Fox Major League Baseball and ...
and
field reporter
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
s
Ken Rosenthal
Ken Rosenthal (born September 19, 1962) is an American sportswriter and reporter. He serves as a field reporter for ''Fox Major League Baseball'' since 2005, and was an in-studio reporter for MLB Network from 2009 to 2022. Since August 2017, h ...
and
Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978) is an American sportscaster, television personality, and actress. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sp ...
. This was the first World Series telecast for Reynolds and Verducci, who replaced longtime Fox analyst
Tim McCarver
James Timothy McCarver (born October 16, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from to , most prominently as a member of the St. Louis Cardinal ...
after the latter's retirement from the network following the
2013 World Series
The 2013 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 season. The 109th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National Lea ...
.
Kevin Burkhardt
Kevin Burkhardt (born ) is an American sportscaster. He is currently the lead play-by-play voice for the ''NFL on Fox'' and lead studio host for ''Fox Major League Baseball''.
Burkhardt was formerly a reporter with SportsNet New York (SNY) du ...
hosted the pre-game and post-game shows with analysts
Gabe Kapler
Gabriel Stefan Kapler (born July 31, 1975), nicknamed "Kap", is an American former professional baseball outfielder, and current manager of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Kapler was a 57th-round draft pick (1,487th ove ...
,
Frank Thomas, and
Nick Swisher
Nicholas Thompson Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was a switch hitter who threw left-handed, and played for the Oakland Athletics, Chica ...
;
David Ortiz joined them for Games1 and 2.
Fox Deportes
Fox Deportes (formerly Fox Sports en Español and stylized in all caps as FOX Deportes) is an American pay television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming in Spanish, aimed at the Hispanic population in the United States ...
offered a Spanish-language telecast of the series, with Pablo Alsina, Duaner Sánchez, and José Tolentino commentating.
MLB International
MLB International is a division of Major League Baseball primarily responsible for international broadcasts of games. In partnership with DirecTV and MLB Network, it produces and syndicates the All-Star Game, and the World Series, as well as the C ...
televised the series outside the U.S. and Canada, with
Gary Thorne
Gary F. Thorne (born June 9, 1948) is an American sportscaster. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for Baltimore Orioles games on MASN from 2007 to 2020. He has also worked for ESPN and ABC, including National Hockey League, Major League ...
and
Rick Sutcliffe
Richard Lee Sutcliffe (born June 21, 1956), nicknamed "The Red Baron", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals between 1976 and ...
announcing.
The World Series started on a Tuesday for the first time since 1990, instead of a Wednesday as in previous years.
[The series started on a Tuesday to avoid a game on Thursday, generally a big day of television viewing, where Fox's telecast would face stiff competition from '']Thursday Night Football
''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...
'', ''ESPN College Football Thursday Primetime
''ESPN College Football Primetime'' is a live game presentation of Division 1-FBS college football on ESPN or sometimes ESPN2. In the past, the presenting sponsor was Cooper Tires, but since the 2006 season, the current presenting sponsor is App ...
'', and various popular primetime entertainment shows. The change also meant that the series only had to compete with the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
on one night (Sunday
Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week.
For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...
) instead of three (Thursday, Sunday and Monday
Monday is the day of the week between Sunday and Tuesday. According to the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 8601 standard, it is the first day of the week and in countries that adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is ...
).
Ratings
The 2014 World Series averaged a national
Nielsen rating
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
of 8.3/14, making it the second-worst rated World Series in Major League Baseball history (after the series). Through six games, the series was averaging 7.4, which would have made it the worst-rated World Series, but Game7 produced a respectable 13.7 to bolster the series average enough to avoid the notorious distinction.
[The ]2012 World Series
The 2012 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2012 season. The 108th edition of the World Series, the series was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and ...
currently holds the record for lowest rating at 7.6, though this Series was only four games.
The 2014 World Series set records for lowest-rated Games 1, 4, 5, 6, and7 in World Series history. The previous Game7 in World Series history occurred in 2011, when the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
and
Texas Rangers produced a 14.7 rating, a full 1.0 over 2014's Game7.
This was the fifth consecutive World Series (and the sixth in seven years) to earn a national rating under 10.0.
[Since 2007, the 2009 World Series between the ]New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
and the Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
is the only series to produce a rating over 10.0 (it drew a 11.7). Prior to 2008, the World Series had never averaged below 10.0.
Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
aired the series, with
Dan Shulman
Daniel Shulman is a Canadian sportscaster with Sportsnet as well as the American network ESPN.
Shulman serves as a play-by-play announcer for select Toronto Blue Jays telecasts on Sportsnet and during 2018 and 2020 he hosted the baseball-the ...
on play-by-play and
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. As a player, ...
handling color commentary.
Marc Kestecher
Marc David Kestecher (born March 22, 1968) is a play-by-play announcer radio sports and news anchor.
Early life and education
He was raised in Guilderland, New York and graduated from Syracuse University's S. I. Newhouse School of Public Commun ...
anchored pre- and post-game coverage for the network along with
Jon Sciambi
Jon "Boog" Sciambi (; born April 11, 1970) is an American sportscaster for ESPN and the Marquee Sports Network, currently the everyday play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs TV broadcasts. He has worked extensively as a baseball play-by-pla ...
,
Chris Singleton and Peter Pascarelli.
ESPN Deportes Radio
ESPN Deportes Radio was an American Spanish language sports radio network created and produced by Disney-owned ESPN. Programming included call-in talk shows and commentary from hosts about a full range of sporting events, including soccer, Amer ...
offered a Spanish-language broadcast, with
Eduardo Ortega
Eduardo Ortega is a Mexican-American baseball broadcaster. He has worked as the Spanish language broadcaster of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1987.
Ortega began announcing baseball in Mexico when he was 20 years old. Fo ...
announcing along with Renato Bermúdez, Armando Talavera and José Francisco Rivera.
Locally, the series was broadcast on the teams'
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
radio stations with their respective announcing crews. In San Francisco,
KNBR KNBR may refer to:
* KNBR (AM), a radio station (680 AM) licensed to serve San Francisco, California, United States
* KNBR-FM
KNBR-FM (104.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San ...
aired the games in English (with
Jon Miller
Jon Miller (born October 11, 1951) is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. Since 1997 he has been employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball annou ...
,
Duane Kuiper
Duane Eugene Kuiper (born June 19, 1950), nicknamed "Kuip", is an American sportscaster and former professional baseball player. As a player, he was a second baseman for the Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball ( ...
,
Mike Krukow
Michael Edward Krukow (born January 21, 1952), nicknamed "Kruk", is an American former professional baseball player and sportscaster. As a starting pitcher, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and ...
and
Dave Flemming
David Braxton Flemming (born May 31, 1976) is an American sportscaster who has been a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2003. Flemming also calls college football, college basketball, major leagu ...
announcing), while
KTRB broadcast in Spanish (with Erwin Higueros and
Tito Fuentes
Rigoberto Fuentes Peat (born January 4, 1944) is a retired professional baseball player. He played for 13 seasons in the major leagues between 1965 and 1978, primarily as a second baseman. Fuentes played for most of his career with the San Fra ...
announcing). In Kansas City,
KCSP broadcast the games (with
Denny Matthews
Denny Matthews (born November 14, 1942) is an American sportscaster, best known as a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals since the team's inception in .
Early history
Matthews grew up in Bloomington, Illino ...
and
Ryan Lefebvre
Ryan Lefebvre (; born February 12, 1971) is an American sportscaster, best known as a play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals since 1999. In 2008, he became the primary announcer for Royals' television broadcasts on ...
announcing). Due to contractual obligations, the affiliate stations on the teams' radio networks had to carry the ESPN Radio feed of the games, although the local broadcasts were also available on
Sirius
Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
and
XM satellite radio and to Gameday Audio subscribers at
MLB.com
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...
. In Kansas City,
WHB
WHB (810 AM) is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Union Broadcasting and it airs an all-sports radio format. For most of the 1950s through the 1970s, while it was broadcasting at 710 AM, ...
carried the ESPN Radio feed in direct competition with KCSP's broadcast.
Historical notes
This was the second World Series in history in which two
wild card teams faced each other, the first being the
2002 World Series between the Giants and the
Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
.
[The 2002 World Series between the ]Giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
and the Anaheim Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
was also between two wild card teams. It was the first World Series to involve a team (let alone two) that played in the additional
wild card game
The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Major League Baseball postseason, postseason. A single wild card game was first ...
instituted in 2012. Consequently, by winning, the Giants set the record for most victories in a single postseason with 12. This was also only the second World Series since
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
to go to seven games.
[The 2011 World Series also lasted seven games.] Additionally, this was the first World Series in which both teams played in a
[A includes the wild card game since 2012, and the ]tie breaker
In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests.
General operation
In matches
In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
from 1994–2011. since the
Division Series
The Division Series is the quarterfinal round of the Major League Baseball playoffs. Four series are played in this round, two each for both the American League and the National League.
1981 season
The first use of the term "Division Series" date ...
was added in 1994. It was also the first time in World Series history (after the advent of the 162-game schedule) that the opponents both had fewer than 90 wins in the regular season.
["Fewer than 90 wins" excludes seasons when the schedule was cut short.] It was the first Series in history in which at least five games were decided by five or more runs.
It was the third World Series to end in Game7 with the tying run on third base, after
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
and
1962.
The Giants became the first road team to win Game7 of the World Series since the
1979 Pirates
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
, ending a string of nine straight home team victories in the deciding game. The Giants were also the first team to come back to win Game7 after losing Game6 since the
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
Marlins
The marlin is a large billfish sometimes also known as the ''spearfish.''
Marlin may also refer to:
Places
*Marlín, Castile-Leon, a village in Spain
*Marlin, Texas, city in Falls County, Texas, United States
Sports
*Cincinnati Marlins, a swim t ...
as well as the first road team to do since the
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
Reds
Reds may refer to:
General
* Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism
* Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863
* USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...
. It was the Giants' first ever Game7 victory in a best-of-seven World Series.
[The ]Giants
A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore.
Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to:
Mythology and religion
*Giants (Greek mythology)
*Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...
won Game7 in 1921
Events
January
* January 2
** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil.
** The Spanish lin ...
, but it was a best-of-nine series and they went on to defeat the New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
five games to three The victory wrapped up the Giants' third championship in five seasons, a feat accomplished only once previously by a National League team since the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in
1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...
,
1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
, and
1946
Events January
* January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held.
* January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...
. The Giants became the fifth franchise to win at least three titles in five years (or fewer), joining the
Athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
,
Cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
,
Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
, and
Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
.
Manager
Bruce Bochy
Bruce Douglas Bochy (; born April 16, 1955), nicknamed "Boch" and "Headly", is an American professional baseball manager and former catcher who is the current manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He managed the San Dieg ...
became the tenth manager in MLB history to win three championships, with the previous nine all inducted into the
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
.
[The previous nine are ]Joe McCarthy
Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most vis ...
(7), Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel (; July 30, 1890 – September 29, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and manager, best known as the manager of the championship New York Yankees of the 1950s and later, the expansion New York ...
(7), Connie Mack
Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...
(5), Walter Alston
Walter Emmons Alston (December 1, 1911 – October 1, 1984), nicknamed "Smokey", was an American baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball He is best known for managing the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1954 through 1976, and si ...
(4), Joe Torre
Joseph Paul Torre (; born July 18, 1940) is an American professional baseball executive, serving as a special assistant to the Commissioner of Baseball since 2020. He previously served in the capacity of Major League Baseball's (MLB) chief baseb ...
(4), Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coach, and manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third t ...
(3), Miller Huggins (3), Tony La Russa
Anthony La Russa Jr. (; born October 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. His MLB career has spanned from 1963 to 2022, in several roles. He is the former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland At ...
(3), and John McGraw
John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...
(3).
Earlier in the postseason, both teams extended their record streaks of victories in postseason elimination games to seven in their respective wild card games.
[The Royals won three elimination games in the 1985 ALCS, three more in the ]1985 World Series
The 1985 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1985 season. The 82nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals and the N ...
, followed by a victory in the 2014 AL Wild Card Game. The Giants won three elimination games in the 2012 NLDS, three more in the 2012 NLCS
The 2012 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff pitting the San Francisco Giants against the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League pennant and the right to play in the 2012 World Series. The series, the 43rd NLCS ...
, followed by a victory in the 2014 NL Wild Card Game
The 2014 National League Wild Card Game was a play-in game during Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 Major League Baseball season#Postseason, 2014 postseason played between the National League's (NL) two Major League Baseball wild card, wild ca ...
. The Royals extended their streak to eight games with their victory in Game6. With their victory in Game7, the Giants also extended their streak to eight games and consequently ended the Royals streak. The Giants extended their streak of postseason series wins to ten, extending the National League record, a streak surpassed only by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
from 1998–2001 (11 consecutive series wins).
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
pitched 21 innings in the 2014 World Series and allowed just one run, giving him a series ERA of just 0.43, the lowest since
Sandy Koufax
Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...
's 0.38 ERA in the
1965 World Series
The 1965 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1965 season. The 62nd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Amer ...
. In the World Series, Bumgarner pitched more than one-third of the 61 innings thrown by the Giants.
Bumgarner set a new World Series record for lowest career ERA with 0.25 (minimum 25 innings pitched), besting
Jack Billingham
John Eugene Billingham (born February 21, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty th ...
's 0.36 career ERA. Bumgarner's innings pitched in the postseason set a new record, surpassing
Curt Schilling
Curtis Montague Schilling (born November 14, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who is a commentator for conservative media outlet BlazeTV. He helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a World Series appearance ...
's innings pitched in 2001.
Aftermath
Despite rainy weather, hundreds of thousands of fans turned out for the Giants' victory parade in San Francisco on October 31, 2014.
The Giants continued their pattern of winning the World Series in even-numbered years and missing the postseason in odd-numbered years, failing to make the playoffs in the
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
season with an 84–78 record. Despite a successful season from Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco was unable to return to the playoffs due to numerous injuries and a below-par performance from its pitching staff. Although the Giants made the postseason again in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, they lost to the eventual world champion
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
in the
NLDS
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
; the Giants then followed that with a 64–98 record in 2017, tying
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
for the worst record in the majors, and also finishing with their worst record since 1985 (62–100). A 73–89 record in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
helped end the Giants' streak of making the postseason in even-numbered years that started in 2010. The Giants ended a five-year postseason drought in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, winning a team-record 107 games; however, they lost to their
division rival Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
in the
NLDS
In Major League Baseball, the National League Division Series (NLDS) determines which two teams from the National League will advance to the National League Championship Series. The Division Series consists of two best-of-five series, featuring e ...
. To date, the 2014 World Series was the last time the Giants won a postseason series.
The Royals carried over their momentum from the previous fall, winning the
American League Central
The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all lo ...
the very next season. This was Kansas City's first division title since
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, when they won the
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams curr ...
. Their 95–67 record was the best in the American League, and the Royals' best since
1980. Kansas City would go on to return to the
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
, where they defeated the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
four games to one, making them the first team since the 1989 Oakland Athletics to win the World Series after losing the previous year.
With the Giants being the first visiting team to win Game 7 since 1979 (the home team having a 9-0 record in the interim), this began a streak of visiting teams winning Game 7 of the World Series, next with the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
in , the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
in , and the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
in all winning on the road.
World Series hero
Madison Bumgarner
Madison Kyle Bumgarner (born August 1, 1989), commonly known by his nickname, "MadBum", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants ...
became a free agent for the first time of his career in 2019. On December 17, 2019, Bumgarner signed a five-year contract with the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...
, ending his 10 year run with the San Francisco Giants, the team that drafted him out of high school in 2007. He finished his Giants career top five in most significant pitching categories for the ballclub, on top of three World Series rings.
The Giants and Royals have yet to meet again in the MLB postseason.
Notes
See also
*
2014 Japan Series
*
2014 Korean Series
The 2014 Korean Series was the championship series of the 2014 Korea Professional Baseball season. The regular season champions, the Samsung Lions, defeated the Nexen Heroes in six games to win their fourth consecutive Korean Series championship. ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:2014 World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
2010s in Kansas City, Missouri
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
Kansas City Royals postseason
San Francisco Giants postseason
Sports competitions in Kansas City, Missouri
Sports competitions in San Francisco
Baseball in Missouri
Baseball in San Francisco
World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...