Oct 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) reacts after popping out in the 8th inning against the San Francisco Giants during game seven of the 2014 World Series at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Royals could not close the deal at home, becoming the first team since 1979 to lose a game 7 of the World Series at home.
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The Royals lost on Mike Morse‘s broken bat single off Kelvin Herrera in the 4th inning, that scored Pablo Sandoval from 3rd base. Then Jeremy Affeldt and Madison Bumgarner shut down the Royals the rest of the way to win their 3rd World Series in 5 years.
The fact is, Kansas City’s failure to solve Bumgarner is the biggest reason they lost the World Series.
On the Mound
Jeremy Guthrie only lasted into the 4th inning for the Royals. Guthrie pitched 3.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, 0 walks, and 3 earned runs with 3 strikeouts. Guthrie left the game tied 2-2.
Kelvin Herrera entered the game in the 4th, and allowed Pablo Sandoval to score the lead run on a broken bat single by Mike Morse. Herrera then escaped the inning without further damage by getting a strikeout and fly out.
Herrera pitched through the 6th inning, going 2.2 innings, allowing 3 hits, 0 walks, and 0 earned runs with 4 strikeouts.
Wade Davis entered in the 7th and pitched two scoreless innings despite allowing a 2-out double to Pablo Sandoval in the 8th.
Greg Holland entered in the 9th and retired the side without allowing a baserunner while striking out 2.
At the Plate
The Royals fell behind 2-0 in the top of the 2nd inning, and struck back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Billy Butler started the innnig with a leadoff single, followed by a double into the right-center gap by Alex Gordon to drive in Butler from first. Salvador Perez got hit in the left thigh with a pitch putting runners at 1st and 2nd. Mike Moustakas flied out, advancing Gordon to 3rd. Omar Infante‘s fly ball to center brought home Gordon with the tying run.
Alex Gordon hit a single to left that Gregor Blanco misplayed into a 2 base error with 2 outs in the 9th inning to put the tying run on 3rd base. But Salvador Perez popped up to lose the game.
I have to admit, when the ball rolled to the wall, I thought 3rd base coach Mike Jirchele would send Gordon home. However, the TV angle was bad and we couldn’t really see where the ball was relative to the runner. I’m sure a lot of Royals fans will wonder about that decision for years to come.
This and That
In the top of the 4th, Giants 2nd baseman Joe Panik made a great play on a hard grounder up the middle with Lorenzo Cain on first base. Not only was Panik able to stop the ball, he flipped it to second so that Brandon Crawford could turn a fabulous double play. Hosmer was initially ruled safe at first, but the play got overturned on appeal.
Panik’s play killed a Royals rally which would have had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs in the fourth.
In the bottom of the inning, Omar Infante failed to make a throw to 1st in time to stop an infield hit by Pablo Sandoval because he slipped on the infield grass. Sandoval came around to score the winning run on Mike Morse’s broken bat single in the 4th.
That’s what the World Series came down to, one 2nd baseman made a great play on a grounder up the middle that the losing team’s 2nd baseman could not make.
KC Kingdom Player of the Game
Wade Davis is our KC Kingdom Player of the game for his 2 shutout innings that gave the Royals a chance to come back. Alas, he couldn’t get any help from his offense.
Questionable Decisions by Ned Yost
While Yost broke his pattern by bringing in Kelvin Herrera into the 4th inning, he would have been better served by going to Wade Davis who has a significantly higher strikeout rate with runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Herrera strikes out 13.9 per 9 innings, while Herrera only has a K/9 of 7.6.
In the firth inning, Omar Infante led off with a single against Madison Bumgarner.. Even when the count went to 2-0, Yost continued to ask Alcides Escobar to bunt to set up Nori Aoki. Aoki bats left handed, while Escobar bats from the right side. Yost gave up an out while giving up the platoon advantage against a pitcher that is murder on left-handed hitters.
Aoki did drive the ball down the left field line for what looked to be a game tying double, but Juan Perez made an outstanding running catch.
Up Next
Spring training. As great as a season as it was, it’s hard to see it right now after losing game 7 on a broken bat single.