Binge Sports: 2014 World Series-SF Giants v. KC Royals
Welcome back to Binge Sports. Yes, I’m calling it Binge Sports now to match up with the new Twitter account, @BingeSports. Look at that subtle name drop. But I digress.
The leaves are turning. The air is chilling. The dog days are over and the boys of summer are ready for a long winter’s nap. But we’ve got one more thing to get through. The World Series. Tell me you predicted this matchup back in the spring and I’ll straight up call you a liar. But here we are. The San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals are ready for battle. Let’s take a quick look at the Fall Classic’s participants.
REGULAR SEASON: 88-74 (2nd in NL West-Wild Card Berth)
WILD CARD ROUND: def. Pittsburgh Pirates
NLDS: def. Washington Nationals (3-1)
NLCS: def. St. Louis Cardinals (4-1)
The Giants come into the World Series having won nine straight postseason series dating back to 2010. It’s an even year, which is probably why the Giants are here, after winning it all in 2010 and 2012. They’ll come into Kansas City on Tuesday night, but winning on the road certainly hasn’t been a problem. They haven’t had home field advantage during the playoffs, and Game 1 starter Madison Bumgarner is actually on a 26 2/3 inning scoreless streak away from home. Pair that with an overall 1.42 ERA this postseason and you’ve got a good shot to steal home field right off the bat.
Speaking of bats, San Francisco may not have the chance to manufacture runs the way they normally do. Before the three big homers in the Game 5 clincher against St. Louis, the Giants had gone six full games without hitting a ball out of the park. And with the way Kansas City has been stealing scoring opportunities, the Giants will need to find some power and find it early. You don’t want to be playing catchup against that Kansas City bullpen.
REGULAR SEASON: 88-74 (2nd in AL Central-Wild Card berth)
WILD CARD ROUND: def. Oakland Athletics
ALDS: def. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (yes, they’re still calling them that) (3-0)
ALCS: def. Baltimore Orioles (4-0)
It’s hard not to be rooting for the Royals right now. They were supposed to be improved this year, but nothing like this. They hit a rough patch during the middle of the season, but they’re peaking at exactly the right time and have won all eight of their postseason games thus far, including the epic wild card win against the A’s.
Game 1 starter James Shields is going to need to be better than he has been for Kansas City. Yes, they’ve won all of his starts, but the 5.63 ERA doesn’t look good. Some of the KC starters have been bailed out this year due to the fantastic year that the bullpen has had. If you count the postseason, the Royals are 75-1 when leading after seven innings. That’s simply an incredible stat and really shows how dominant the bullpen has been all year.
The defense has been getting a lot of press thus far and it’s completely deserved, but the offense has been really fun to watch. The Royals almost play a National League style with all the speed they have. They led the majors in stolen bases this year and with thirteen already this postseason, they’re only two behind the nine other playoff teams combined. But they’ve also been hitting the long ball at very opportune times. They’ve just played clean baseball and these young guys are just having some fun, making them extremely entertaining to watch.
TV SCHEDULE
Game 1-Tuesday, October 21 in Kansas City-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
Game 2-Wednesday, October 22 in Kansas City-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
Game 3-Friday, October 24 in San Francisco-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
Game 4-Saturday, October 25 in San Francisco-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
*Game 5-Sunday, October 26 in San Francisco-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
*Game 6-Tuesday, October 28 in Kansas City-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
*Game 7-Wednesday, October 29 in Kansas City-8:07 Eastern/7:07 Central (FOX)
*-if necessary
It’s very difficult to pick a favorite in this series. Both teams are playing very good baseball, both at home and on the road. If you know me, then you know I’m a big Cubs fan, so part of me wants to root for the National League. But as I said before, it’s really hard to root against the Royals right now. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed watching a team as much as I’ve enjoyed watching this Kansas City squad, so just for fun, I’m going to go ahead and pick the Royals in six.
So where do you come out on the 2014 World Series? Will the Giants win their third championship in five years or can the Royals claim their first title in 29 years? Make your pick below or tweet @BingeSports or you can also follow me directly @THElukenorris. Enjoy some great October baseball. I know I will.