Fans of the Kansas City Royals have anxiously been waiting 29 years for this moment, as tonight Kauffman Stadium will play host to Game 1 of the World Series. The Royals, winners of eight straight, will take on the San Francisco Giants in a best of seven series for the ultimate title in Major League Baseball.
Each team will send the ace of their starting rotation to the mound in Game 1, with Kansas City rolling out James Shields and the Giants countering with Madison Bumgarner.
Shields proved once again to be a durable force atop the rotation, tying for the league lead with 34 starts and topping the 200 inning plateau for the eighth season in a row. The 32 year old right-hander went 14-8 in the regular season while posting a 3.21 ERA, 1.181 WHIP, and 7.1 K/9. He’s made three more starts this postseason, totaling 16.0 IP in which he’s allowed 10 runs.
Shield made one start against the Giants this season, a complete game shutout in which he allowed just four hits and allowed one walk.
Bumgarner, meanwhile, showed that he was once of the top young arms in the game today. He made 33 starts for the Giants, totaling 217.1 IP. He went 18-10 while posting a 2.98 ERA, 1.090 WHIP, and 9.1 K/9. Without the benefit of seeing his team sweep, Bumgarner made four more starts in the postseason, allowing just five earned runs in 30.2 IP.
The 25 year old left-hander faced the Royals once this season, going 8.0 innings while allowing three earned runs on seven hits – including a two run home run by Billy Butler.
Game 1 start times: Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 PM EST. First pitch is scheduled for 8:07 PM EST.
TV broadcast: FOX
San Francisco radio: KNBR 680, ESPN Radio, KTBR 860
Kansas City radio: KCSP 610, Royals Radio Network, ESPN Radio