If there were any doubts about the Kansas City Royals after their blowout loss in Game 1, then Game 2 reminded us exactly what this team is capable of and how they have made it this far. Kansas City turned the tables on the San Francisco Giants, winning 7-2 on Wednesday night to tie the series at one apiece, and in doing so proved that they were not going down without a fight.
Gregor Blanco started the game with a bang, hitting a solo home run to right field off Yordano Ventura to give the Giants a 1-0 lead, but it would not be long until the Royals would tie it up. In the bottom of the first with two outs, Kansas City started a rally off Jake Peavy with a double on a 3-2 count by speedy Lorenzo Cain and walk by Eric Hosmer which set the table for Billy Butler who hit a clutch single to score Cain from second.
The Royals would take the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning with doubles from both Omar Infante and Alcides Escobar, the only two hits of the inning.
After giving up the solo home run in the top of the first, Ventura held the Giants offense until the top of the 4th inning, as Pablo Sandoval and Brandon Belt both hit doubles of their own to tie the game 2-2. With the base hit, Sandoval was able to extend his postseason game hitting streak to 25 in a row.
Ventura’s night would end in the top of the sixth inning, after giving up singles to Buster Posey and Hunter Pence. However, the Royals would bring in their special weapon in fireballer Kelvin Herrera, who has been lights out the entire postseason. Herrera rang up the final two outs to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
The pivotal moment for the Royals came in the bottom of the sixth when they were finally able to break the game open. Peavy got into trouble early in the inning with a familiar situation, giving up a single to Cain and once again walking Hosmer to bring Butler up to the plate. Trying to limit the damage, Bruce Bochy brought in Jean Machi who gave up a single to left field. It appeared that Cain would not have a chance to score but his speed allowed him to easily cross home plate on the throw which was cut off by Sandoval.
It was a short night for Machi who was relieved after the single as he failed to get anyone out. Javier Lopez was called on next to pitch against Alex Gordon who flied out to left for the first out of the inning. The Giants would next look to rookie Hunter Strickland who has been up and down this postseason with a 6.45 ERA in five games before Wednesday night.
After a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, Salvador Perez proceeded to hit a monster double into the gap in left-center field, scoring both runs and further building on the lead making it 5-2. The damage would continue immediately after that, when Infante crushed a 98 MPH fastball over the left field fence for a two-run home run, blowing the game wide open with a 7-2 lead.
Every swing is enormous. Emotions run high. Hey, it’s the #WorldSeries! #TheNextBigThing @SamsungMobileUS https://t.co/QgHquKY0AX
— MLB (@MLB) October 23, 2014
Once the Royals had the lead, it was game over for the Giants as Kansas City would rely on their stellar bullpen in Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland to close out the game. They would compile 6 strikeouts between the three while giving up only one hit the rest of the game. The Giants – nor anyone else, for that matter – have been unable to touch this trio yet this postseason.
This was a huge win for Kansas City as they tied the series heading to San Francisco for the next three games. As we have seen tonight, the Royals still have a lot left in the tank and will be looking to Jeremy Guthrie, who has only pitched in one game this postseason, to keep the momentum going in game three. The Giants will send veteran Tim Hudson to the mound on Friday, who will be pitching in the biggest game of his sixteen-year career and will be making his World Series debut.
(Featured image: AFP/Rob Carr)