Madison Bumgarner, Giants win third title in five years

By Jake Misener | Oct 29, 2014

Called upon to work in relief, San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner stepped up, tossing five shutout innings to squash any chance of a Kansas City Royals rally late and give his team its third World Series title in the last five years with a 3-2 win in Game 7 on Wednesday night.

Bumgarner allowed just two hits in his five innings of work, striking out three. After falling behind several hitters in his first inning of work, the fifth, the southpaw settled into a groove as he has time and time again during this postseason, even taking care of Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon in the bottom of the ninth.

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After setting down Hosmer on strikes, Bumgarner retired Butler on a foul pop-out. Gordon then lined a ball to center, and it got past Gregor Blanco, who took slipped on the grass, allowing him to advance all the way to third, bringing up Salvador Perez with the game-tying run at third with two out. However, the Kansas City catcher popped a ball into foul territory for the final out of the game, ending the home faithful’s hopes of a late-inning rally.

In the top of the second, San Francisco struck first. Pablo Sandoval was hit by a Jeremy Guthrie pitch and Hunter Pence, who was red-hot throughout the entire series, signed to advance Sandoval to second. A Brandon Belt single loaded the bases and back-to-back sacrifice flies by Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford pushed a pair of runs across to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.

Kansas City, as it has so many times this postseason, answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, chasing San Francisco starter Tim Hudson. Butler led the inning off with a single and a double by Gordon made it a 2-1 game. Perez was then hit by a pitch before Mike Moustakas was set down via a fly for out number one, advancing Gordon to third. An Omar Infante sacrifice fly scored the Royals’ left-fielder, tying the game, 2-2.

The base hit that proved to be the game-winner came in the top of the fourth when Michael Morse singled to right against Kelvin Herrera, who inherited runners, scoring Sandoval and pushing the Giants ahead, 3-2.

Bumgarner was also named the World Series MVP, allowing just one run in 21 innings of work, after earning the National League Championship Series MVP in the series against the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this month.