Giants blow past Royals to take Game One

By Nate Discavage @DiscavageSavage

The Kansas City Royals’ postseason winning streak came to an end tonight against the San Francisco Giants in game one of the 2014 World Series.  Kansas City lost its first playoff game since game four of the 1985 World Series.

The Giants, winners of three National League pennants in the last five seasons, dominated the upbeat Kansas City team on the mound, from the batter’s box, and on the field.

Madison Bumgarner earned the win for the Giants.  The 6’5 southpaw out of Hickory, North Carolina allowed one run on three hits in seven innings pitched, striking out five.

“He’s special; he has the flare for the spectacular,” Giants’ right fielder Hunter Pence said of Bumgarner’s performance in a postgame interview.

James “Big Game” Shields had anything but as he suffered the loss.  Shields continued his postseason struggles allowing five runs on seven hits in only three innings.  He has a 5.66 postseason ERA in his career.

The Giants set the tone of the game early with a three-run first inning.  Pablo Sandoval hit an RBI double before coming around to score on Pence’s homerun.

Kansas City threatened in the bottom of the third following a San Francisco error and Mike Moustakas double with no outs before Bumgarner struck out two and forced a groundout to end the frame.

San Francisco padded its lead in the fourth with an RBI single by Michael Morse and bases loaded walk by Gregor Blanco all with one out.

Rookie Joe Panik hit a fly ball to right field in the top of the seventh that was misplayed by Royal’s outfielder Nori Aoki and fell in for an RBI triple.  Sandoval’s second hit of the night gave his team their seventh run of the night.

The Royals ended Bumgarner’s World Series scoreless streak at 21 innings when Salvador Perez launched a fastball over the left field fence but failed to make much noise in the game to make it 7-1.

Pence led both teams offensively going 2-3 with a homerun, double, two RBIs, two runs, and two walks.  Sandoval reached base three times and drove in two.

The Giants have won eight straight playoff series since 2010 and look to push it two nine against the Royals.

Game two will start tomorrow at 8 p.m. on FOX.  Jake Peavy will start for San Francisco while Yordano Ventura will toe the rubber for Kansas City.