Photo by Jose Carlos Faiardo
They did exactly what they said they would do after last night's loss. The Giants scored first and took their time chipping away at the lead the Royals set in the third inning. San Francisco turned things around in the fifth off Kansas City's bullpen and evened the series by beating the Royals 6-5. The series goes back to Kansas City where the World Series winner will be crowned.
"We were hoping to do something to get us going," said Gregor Blanco. "And we were able to do that and that's why we won the ballgame because we came together as a team. In a big situation we executed and did the job."
The Giants leadoff batter Blanco was issued a free pass to start the first. A wild pitch advanced him to second and he stole third. Royals pitcher Jason Vargas walked Buster Posey putting two on in the corners. Hunter Pence followed with a fielder's choice scoring in Blanco for the 1-0 lead. That was enough to set the tone but San Francisco's ace failed to keep his command on the mound.
"If you been following us all year, if you knew it was going to happen, it would happen to me," Ryan Vogelsong said. "I was making pitches until Omar Infante and that at-bat was the one that really hurt me the most. But they picked me up and that's what good teams do."
Voglesong got off to a great start but didn't last long on the mound. He gave up five hits and walked two as Kansas City scored four runs in the third. Vogelsong tossed 2 plus innings allowing seven hits, four runs, one walk and struck out two. The inning got away from him when Eric Hosmer tied the game 1-1 with a RBI single. Infante followed with a two-run single extending the Royals lead 3-1.
Catcher Salvador Perez added a RBI single making it a 4-1 game. After that the bullpen came in and shut Kansas City's offense down. Yusmeiro Petit was simply stellar as he's been throughout the regular and postseason. He's become a postseason star every time he takes the mound. Petit also recored his first hit as a reliever in the World Series since since Al Leiter did it in 1993.
"I throw indiscernible in the postseason," said Petit. "I try to work like how I work during the regular season because you never know when Bochy will need you, so I'm ready for that, especially in the World Series. I'm working everyday for the command for when I'm needed there, so I can throw strikes."
Photo by Nhat V. Meyer
The Giants kept splintering away at the lead, Posey's RBI single scored pinch-hitter Matt Duffy who leadoff the third with a single. Vargas gave up two singles to both Juan Perez and Petit. But Blanco flew out to end the inning and stranded two. Pence had his second hit of the night and made it a one-run game with a RBI single in the fifth. Pablo Sandoval delivered with a single up the middle.
"It's a big game especially the way we won coming from behind," Sandoval said. "Everybody in the lineup and on the bench can do the job. My teammates and the fans help me to play at this level especially at this time of the season."
"They got better as the game went on," said manager Bruce Bochy on Sandoval hitting from the left and right. "Really, he's been swinging the bat better from the right side. I just thought as the game went, he saw lefties all night, he really came through and delivered for us in a big way."
Perez tied the game with a sacrifice fly scoring in Pence while Jarrod Dyson made an amazing diving catch on that play but that was a memory after San Francisco opened up a offensive hitting clinic over the next two innings. The Giants posted sixteen hits last night, marking the most in a World Series game since the Boston Red Sox collected seventeen hits in game one of the 2007 World Series against Colorado.
"Well, it's always big to score first but it negates it a bit when they score four," said Posey. "It was a nice effort all the way around, I thought we did a nice job putting pressure on them. Got some bunts down, moved some runners over and guys were able to come through with guys in scoring position. It was a good night."
Pinch-hitter Joaquin Arias leadoff the sixth with a single and Blanco followed with a single. Sandoval who went 2-for-5 with two RBI's. He hit a two-run single single and Brandon Belt followed with a RBI single making it 7-4 game. They scored three runs off a maxed-out Royals bullpen. Sandoval has hit safely in seven of his eight Fall Classic contests.
Kansas City's bullpen suffered its first loss of the postseason and San Francisco took advantage. An infield hit to leadoff the seventh from Brandon Crawford, a walk from pinch-hitter Michael Morse and a base hit from Blanco. A pitching error scored in the next run. Panik's two-run double extended the Giants lead 10-4 and Pence's RBI double added on the final run. He went 3-for-5 tonight with a double, three RBI's and two runs scored.
Pence has reached base safely in seventeen consecutive postseason games dating back to game 2 of the 2012 World Series. He has hit safely in 12 of his 14 postseason games this year, while batting .315 with a home run, five doubles, eight RBI's and ten runs scored. It was a collective effort last night from the entire team who contributed in some way towards their victory. There were no home runs hit for the second consecutive night, marking the first time since 2012 (games 2 and 3).
"I was put in these great situations because everyone at the top of the order was getting on base," Pence said. "So I think getting so many opportunities that many times tonight is very rare. I was just trying to be as free, as convicted and determined as I could to compete."