The Kansas City Royals have captured the imagination of every sports fan who’s spent years cheering for a team that’s often struggled to compete. The San Francisco Giants have a core group of battle-tested playoff veterans looking to win their third title in five years.
Those two extremes create an interesting contrast heading into the World Series. Most casual observers will probably side with the upstart Royals, who have gone unbeaten through three rounds. The Giants are highly likely to put up more of a fight, though.
The difference between the two squads is minimal on all fronts. That suggests a long series could be on the horizon after a postseason that’s moved quickly through the other rounds. Let’s check out the complete schedule along with a championship preview and prediction.
2014 World Series Schedule
Series Preview
Neither team reached the 90-win plateau during the regular season. The two teams don’t feature nearly as much star power as some of the teams eliminated along the way. But none of that matters now. All they care about is scraping together four more wins to win the World Series.
The Royals get the benefit of home-field advantage thanks to the American League’s triumph in the All-Star Game. It’s not a major edge, though. They actually won more games on the road during the regular season, and the Giants’ records at home and on the road were almost identical.
Yet even a small advantage may be enough to turn the series in their favor. Very little separated the two teams statistically during the regular season:
If those numbers were part of a poll, they would be within the margin for error. That’s why there’s a good chance fans are in for an extended series. It’s a toss-up.
One thing about the sides that isn’t similar is the length of time since they last played in the World Series. ESPN Stats and Info provides the breakdown:
The Giants raised the trophy in both 2010 and 2012. The Royals haven’t appeared since 1985, a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
It also represents a very much unexpected matchup. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News notes this potential World Series had the longest odds when the division series round began:
The Royals have been on a roll since the Wild Card Round. In that game, they trailed the Oakland Athletics by four runs heading into the eighth inning. They fought back to force extra innings. Then, after the A’s took the lead in the 12th, Kansas City scored twice in the bottom half to advance.
It’s like the Royals were given a second chance and don’t want to let it slip away. ALCS Most Valuable Player Lorenzo Cain summed it all up in one sentence, as noted by Dave Skretta of The Associated Press.
“We’re just clicking at the right moment now,” Cain said.
And in the postseason, that’s often the most important factor—who can come up with the clutch hits to turn the tide in their favor.
The Giants know all about that, of course. Over the previous four seasons, they won the World Series twice and didn’t even qualify for the playoffs twice. The team is full of scrappers who understand how to grind out wins at this stage, even if they aren’t dominant during the regular season.
Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval are the faces of the effort. But there’s also guys like Joe Panik, Brandon Belt and NLCS walk-off hero Travis Ishikawa. While they don’t generate nearly as much attention, they are crucial to the overall effort.
Adding veteran bulldogs like Tim Hudson and Jake Peavy to a rotation that already included Madison Bumgarner helped as well. Their numbers during the regular season won’t jump off the page, but they’ve stepped up in crunch time.
They will battle a Royals lineup known for its speed. The Royals have 13 stolen bases in the playoffs. No other team registered more than four. Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas also have some pop to balance out the lineup.
Pitching-wise, James Shields leads a solid rotation, but the true strength is the bullpen. The trio of Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera did outstanding work all year, and it’s carried into the postseason. The Giants don’t want to fall behind heading into the seventh inning.
Ultimately, it’s hard to separate the two teams. Even looking into the intangible realm, the Royals have the youth exuberance and the Giants have the veteran savvy. All signs point to an extended series with plenty of drama.
No matter which club comes out on top, Kevin Kaduk of Yahoo Sports passed along an interesting tidbit:
In the end, there’s seemingly something special about the Royals. Ever since that Wild Card Game comeback, they have been on a different level. Look for them to find a way to provide a storybook ending to a spectacular story.
MVP Prediction: Alex Gordon (Royals)
Title Prediction: Royals in seven games
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