Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval lead Giants to Game 4 win

By Jake Misener | Oct 26, 2014

Scoring 10 unanswered runs to close out the contest, the San Francisco Giants – led by the offensive exploits of Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence – downed the Kansas City Royals, 11-4, in Game 4 Saturday, evening the best-of-seven series at two games apiece heading into a matchup of aces at AT&T Park Sunday in Game 5.

Heading to the sixth tied 4-4, San Francisco broke things wide open in a hurry, scoring two, three and four runs, respectively, over the course of the next three innings, while its bullpen held the Royals’ bats scoreless during the same stretch. However, the momentum began to swing in the bottom of the fifth, when the Giants erased the Kansas City lead.

Joe Panik, the San Francisco rookie second baseman, opened the frame with a leadoff double, chasing Royals’ starter Jason Vargas, who was replaced with Jason Frasor. A Buster Posey groundout advanced Panik to third and an RBI single off the bat of Pence to center scored the rookie, cutting the hole to 4-3. KC reliever Danny Duffy then entered, surrendering a single to Sandoval, on which Pence advanced to third, before walking Brandon Belt to load the bases.

More from MLB News

With the bases loaded and one out, Juan Perez lined the first pitch he saw to center, where Jarrod Dyson made a diving grab for the second out, but Pence raced home to give the Giants a 5-4 advantage. A strikeout of Brandon Crawford ended the inning, but Bruce Bochy‘s club had taken the lead and were just getting started.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Giants added three runs via RBI singles by Sandoval and Belt in what was a less-than-impressive outing from rookie Brandon Finnegan, who was charged with five earned on five hits and two walks in one inning of work – a far cry from his postseason work to that point.

San Francisco wasn’t done there, adding four more runs in the bottom of the seventh to blow things wide open.

Gregor Blanco continued the team’s relentless attack in the seventh with a bunt single with men at first and second and nobody out and Tim Collins on the hill. The left-hander fielded the ball, throwing to first in an attempt to get Blanco, but the ball got away from Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, allowing a run to score. Panik followed with a two-run RBI double and Pence capped things off with a double of his own, plating the rookie and making it an 11-4 ballgame.

Neither starter factored into the decision on Saturday, with Vargas going four innings, allowing three earned on six hits and two walks, while striking out three. His counterpart, Ryan Vogelsong, was chased in the third, lasting just 2 2/3 innings, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits. Yusmiero Petit was the star for the Giants bullpen, tossing three shutout innings of two-hit ball to earn his first postseason win.

Kansas City scored all four of its runs in a four-run third inning, thanks to an RBI single by Hosmer, a two-run base hit by Omar Infante and a third, and final, RBI base knock off the bat of Salvador Perez. The two teams combined for 28 hits on the night, but the Giants’ 7-for-19 mark with runners in scoring position proved to be the difference-maker.