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Kansas City Royals: Game Three Was Must See Baseball

By Les Bailey

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The Kansas City Royals turned in one of the finest team-effort performances I’ve seen in Major League Baseball on Friday night in Game three of the 2014 World Series. The Royals won a 3-2 nail-biter at AT&T Park that wasn’t over, as Yogi Berra used to say “until it’s was over” to spoil the San Francisco Giants series home opener. The game puts the Royals up 2 to 1 in a series that has been entertaining, to say the least.

The Kansas City Royals look more like a National League team who can play small-ball with the best and won this game with good pitching, great defense, and timely hitting. After the Game One loss at home on Tuesday to San Francisco ace, Madison Bumgarner, the Royals have turned this series into one that has all the ear-marks of an NLCS match-up.

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After winning Game Two at home on Wednesday night, Royals manager Ned Yost made two major adjustments in his line-up in moving to the National League Park, and giving up his designated hitter, Billy Butler.

He moved Lorenzo Cain to right field, and inserted Jarrod Dyson into center field for defensive support. He also moved left fielder, Alex Gordon into the second spot in the lineup.

Cain, with his speed,  ran down some mistakes from starting pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie, and some nice defensive plays were turned in by shortstop, Alcides Escobar, and catcher, Salvador Perez. Perez also threw out Giants spark plug, Hunter Pence at second base.

Both managers got to the late innings with their starters, and both got into their fine bullpens. The Royals had been 8-0 when getting to their big three in the bullpen, and nothing changed in game three.

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Yost even batted his fire-baller, Kelvin Herrera with a runner on first, and two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Herrera had never had an at-bat in the majors, or minor league. He wasn’t particulary sharp, and was pulled in the seventh inning by 21 year-old rookie, Brandon Finnegan.

Finnegan became the first player in history to pitch in a College World Series, and a Major League World Series int he first year.

The sad story in the Royals victory was that of Tim Hudson. Hudson became the second oldest pitcher in history to make a World Series debut when he took the mound on Friday evening, and the first pitch of the game was the one that bit him.

Hudson, who spent the majority of his career with the Atlanta Braves, has made a living throwing the hard sinker, got that first pitch up in the strike zone, and Royals lead-off hitter Alcides Escobar jumped on it for a game opening double. The only saving grace for the Giants starter was that it didn’t get out of the park.

Jamie Moyer was the oldest pitcher to make a World Series Debut when he started game three of the 2008 series for the Philadelphia Phillies against the Tampa Bay Rays. Moyer was 45 years 322 days old in that start.

Bruce Bochey had his 2010 ace, Tim Lincecum, warming when Hudson got in trouble, but never inserted him in the game. Lincecum should be ready for some spot duty later in the series.

The game four starters for Saturday night will be the Royals sending Jason Vargas to the mound to face the Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong. Vargas is 11-10 with a 3.71 ERA and Voglesong is 8-13 with a 4.00 ERA. I thought Giants Manager, Bruce Bochey might bring his ace, Bumgarner back before this thing gets out of hand, but will save him for game five.

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