World Series – Page 2 – North Platte Post Archive

Giants beat Royals 5-0 for 3-2 World Series lead

Posted on October 26, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Madison Bumgarner smothered the Kansas City Royals for the second time in a week, pitching a four-hitter that led the San Francisco Giants to a 5-0 victory Sunday night and a 3-2 World Series lead.

Bumgarner struck out eight and walked none in improving to 4-0 in four World Series starts. He has allowed one run in 31 Series innings, an astonishing 0.29 ERA.

Brandon Crawford drove in three runs and Juan Perez hit a two-run double for the Giants, seeking to become only the second NL team to win three titles in a five-year span.

James Shields lost to Bumgarner for the second time, allowing eight hits and two runs in six innings.

In the 41 previous instances the World Series was 2-2 in the best-of-seven format, the Game 5 winner has taken the title 27 times. After a day off, the Series resumes Tuesday night at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium. In a rematch of Game 2 starters, Jordano Ventura pitches for the Royals and Jake Peavy for the Giants.

Giants Surge past Royals 11-4 to Tie Series 2-All

Posted on October 25, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval charged up a pulsating crowd with their shouts and swings, and the San Francisco Giants surged past the Kansas City Royals 11-4 Saturday to tie the World Series at two games apiece.

Down by three runs in the early going and in danger of dropping into a huge hole, the Giants and their fans rallied.

The win ensured the Series will go back to Kansas City to decide the championship. In the meantime, there’s Game 5 on Sunday when postseason ace Madison Bumgarner starts for the Giants against struggling James Shields.

The fired-up Pence got three hits, drove in three runs, scored twice and made a terrific catch in the ninth inning. Sandoval delivered a huge, two-run single that he punctuated by tossing his bat several feet.

Royals Lose Replay Challenge, 1st in World Series

Posted on October 25, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost has lost the first instant replay challenge in the World Series under expanded rules this season.

In the sixth inning of Game 4 on Saturday night, San Francisco’s Joaquin Arias was ruled safe at second on a pickoff attempt by Royals catcher Salvador Perez.

Yost hustled out of the dugout to challenge the call, which was upheld after a replay review that took 1 minute, 47 seconds. Crew chief Jeff Kellogg, the first base umpire, signaled safe.

Fans in the sellout crowd chanted “Safe! Safe!” and signaled so.

Umpire Jerry Meals worked the replay booth in New York after serving as the plate umpire for Game 1.

Arias wound up being thrown out at the plate trying to score the go-ahead run later in the inning.

Royals Think Giants Wet Dirt to Slow Speedsters

Posted on October 25, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When it comes to the Royals’ running game, Kansas City manager Ned Yost thinks the San Francisco Giants are being sticks in the mud.

The area around first base appeared to be a bit mucky for Game 3 of the World Series on Friday night. The Royals appeared to conclude the dirt was hosed down with extra vigor.

Yost says “Maybe the groundskeeper just was looking at all the Royals’ fans up in the corner there and just forgot. I thought it was a little extra wet around first.”

Giants manager Bruce Bochy claimed not to notice unusual dampening.

Kansas City led the major leagues with 153 stolen bases during the regular season. After swiping 13 bases in their first six postseason games this year, the Royals hadn’t stolen any in five straight games entering Saturday.

Finnegan Passes Big Test, helps Royals Win Game 3

Posted on October 24, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Brandon Finnegan passed his biggest test yet.

Only four months after he pitched in the College World Series, the 21-year-old reliever trotted into a troubling seventh inning, got two key outs and helped the Kansas City Royals hold off San Francisco 3-2 Friday night in Game 3 of the World Series.

Along with making history with his rapid ascent, he did more for the Royals — he gave them a 2-1 lead over the Giants.

Back in June, Finnegan said he “lived the college dream” when he threw for TCU. But no one could have envisioned what would follow.

Yet there he was at a rollicking AT&T Park, warming up when he was summoned into a tense spot to take over for proven reliever Kelvin Herrera: Runner on first, one out, Royals clinging to a one-run lead over the rallying Giants.

All of Kansas City infielders huddled behind the mound as Finnegan got loose, realizing the most important point of their season was being entrusted to the rookie left-hander.

Right before pinch-hitter Juan Perez stepped up, Finnegan walked to the back of the mound, took off his hat, looked toward the stands and tried to steady himself.

Then it was time for business, and Finnegan delivered. He retired Perez on an easy fly and struck out Brandon Crawford to end the inning.

Finnegan started to jog off the mound, stopped short of the dugout and walked the rest of the way to the bench, where he was congratulated by Herrera and several other Royals.

Picked 17th overall in the June draft, Finnegan became the first person to be in the College World Series and major league World Series in the same season.

Royals Beat Giants 3-2 for 2-1 World Series Lead

Posted on October 24, 2014October 24, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jeremy Guthrie pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning, Lorenzo Cain drove in an early run off Tim Hudson and made a pair of nifty catches, and the Kansas City Royals beat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 Friday night to take a 2-1 World Series lead.

Cain’s RBI groundout three batters in put the Royals ahead, and Kansas City expanded its lead to 3-0 in the sixth when Alex Gordon hit an RBI double off Cain and scored on Eric Hosmer’s single off left-hander Javier Lopez.

San Francisco finally got to Guthrie in the bottom of the sixth when pinch-hitter Michael Morse hit an RBI double over third base just past the glove of a diving Michael Moustakas and scored on Buster Posey’s groundout against Kelvin Herrera.

Herrera, Brandon Finnegan, Wade Davis and Greg Holland combined for four innings of hitless relief, the longest in a Series game in 22 years.

Royals Shift Cain to Tricky Right Field for Game 3

Posted on October 24, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain has been moved from center field to right for Game 3 of the World Series to boost defense in one of AT&T Park’s trickiest positions.

Kansas City manager Ned Yost made the move Friday night with the best-of-seven matchup 1-all. Usual right fielder Nori Aoki is not in the starting lineup, while Jarrod Dyson is starting in center field and batting eighth.

Alex Gordon, who batted sixth in Games 1 and 2 this week at Kauffman Stadium, has moved up into the No. 2 hole as the Royals lose their designated hitter — Billy Butler — in the NL ballpark.

With the loss of the DH, San Francisco’s Michael Morse is out. The rest of the lineup the same behind starter Tim Hudson, making his World Series debut at age 39 and after 16 major league seasons.

Orange-Clad Marlins Fan Stands out at World Series

Posted on October 24, 2014

MIAMI (AP) — Among the standouts at the World Series has been a Miami Marlins fan in the front row behind home plate.

Laurence Leavy’s orange Marlins jersey made him easy to spot at Games 1 and 2 amid a sea of Kansas City Royals blue. He says a Royals official approached him offering to move him to the team owner’s suite, but Leavy (pronounced Leh’-vee) declined.

Two nights of network TV air time made Leavy a celebrity. Since the World Series began, his followers on Twitter have climbed from 175 to 6,800.

The 58-year-old South Florida attorney describes himself as a sports geek who can afford to go to games around the country because he has no wife or children. He has been traveling to big events for 15 years, buying tickets on the Internet.

World Series TV Ratings Increase from Game 1 to 2

Posted on October 23, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) — Game 2 of the World Series stayed close deeper into the night, boosting television ratings.

The 12.9 million viewers Wednesday on Fox for the Kansas City Royals’ 7-2 win over the San Francisco Giants were an increase of 6 percent from Game 1. The 7.9 rating with a 14 share was still the second-lowest ever for a Game 2. The Giants’ 2-0 win over the Detroit Tigers in 2012 drew a 7.8/12.

The Giants’ 7-1 victory Tuesday earned a 7.3, a record low for a Game 1. San Francisco led 5-0 after four innings. On Wednesday, the game stayed tied into the sixth.

Ratings measure the percentage of homes with televisions tuned to a program, while shares represent the percentage of TVs in use at the time.

Royals Beat Giants 7-2, Even World Series 1-All

Posted on October 22, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Billy Butler hit a tiebreaking single, Salvador Perez and Omar Infante drove in two runs each with big hits in a five-run sixth inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the San Francisco Giants 7-2 Wednesday night to even the World Series at one game apiece.

A night after the Giants opened with a 7-1 victory for their seventh straight Series win, Gregor Blanco led off the game with a home run against hard-throwing rookie Yordano Ventura. Brandon Belt tied the score 2-all with an RBI double in the fourth.

Butler’s single off Jean Machi drove in his second run of the night and put the Royals ahead 3-2. Perez lined a two-run double to the left-center wall for a three-run lead, and Infante homered into the left-field bullpen off Hunter Strickland.

Game 3 is Friday night in San Francisco.