The World Series ended last night in exciting fashion. Game 7. Probably one of the best game 7s played in quite a while. Tons of storyline surrounded the game. Would Bumgarner pitch? How long would he pitch? Would Tim Hudson finally get the ring he deserves? Would Guthrie continue his hot streak? Could the Royals bullpen (aka the three headed monster) shut down the Giants one more time? But probably the most interesting story line is how both teams got here. The Giants and Royals were both wildcard teams who barely snuck into the playoffs. Both teams had to survive the tough one game series just to get into the Division Series. Both teams were underdogs. These team seemed so similar but in all actuality they were completely different. The Royals hadn't won the Fall Classic since 1985. The Giants on the other hand won it in 2010 and again in 2012. The Royals didn't have a single person on the team who had won a ring before. The Giants had 23 players already with rings. The Royals had Ned Yost, a manager with an overall losing record in his career. The Giants had Bruce Bochy, a man who had been here before. Basically these teams were polar opposites. Which makes baseball so much fun to watch. You just never know.
The game itself was just incredible. Both starters struggled out of the gate which made me to believe it was going to be a high scoring game... Man was I wrong. A 3-2 win by the Giants gave them their 3rd World Series title in 5 years. MadBum was rewarded MVP honors for his dominant performance not only in relief in game 7 but also for his shutout complete game game 5 and his 7 inning, 1 run effort in game 1.We witnessed the greatest pitching performance in the history of the sport. BUT I believe the MVP of game 7 was not Bumgarner, but actually Pablo "The Panda" Sandoval. Not only did he go 3 for 3, but he also scored 2 runs. The latter run ended up being the deciding factor. Sandoval only scored that run because of his heads up base running. While on second base a ball was hit to deep left field. Sandoval, a big and slow man, noticed the outfielder was going to have to catch the ball while still backing up so Sandoval got back on 2nd and tagged up to try for third. It was a relatively close play at third but he did make it without a real tag effort. A few batters later, he scored on a Morse single that may not have scored him if he was still on second. Heads up, smart base running won the game. Well that and MadBum's nerves of steel.
You see, here's the thing about baseball. There is no clock. There are nine innings in every single game no matter what (unless it goes into extra innings of course- more on that later). Since there is no clock, you can't just run out the clock to end that game. You have to keep playing. Instead of taking a knee, the pitcher has to throw the next pitch. Instead of just holding on to the ball, the batter has to step up to the plate and take his hacks. That's why it ain't over till it's over! This was present in game 7. With 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth the Giants held a 3-2 lead. In most other sports the game would be basically over. Not in baseball. Alex Gordon stepped up and Bumgarner had to pitch to him. Gordon then singled to center and then advanced all the way to third on an error by the left fielder. The game wasn't over. The Giants still needed that 27th out to win. Luckily for them, they had a man on the mound who wouldn't let losing be an option. Perez eventually popped out in fould ground and the Giants won the Pennant.
The only thing that could have made this game better was if it actually did go to extra innings. Another reason why baseball is the greatest sport. Baseball never ends in a tie. Ties are the stupidest things in the world. The whole point of a sport is to play a game and then crown a winner and a loser. Baseball recognizes this and has extra innings that will go one until there is a winner. Also baseball doesn't change the rules like some sports do during overtime. For example, shootouts are a way some soccer matches (only during tournaments) and hockey games end. Does that really prove one team was better than the other? No. It proves one team got lucky or one team has a better goalie. In baseball, the whole team is involved in every loss and every win.
...wow I didn't know I could write that much! Well I do have more to say but I think I'll stop here. Comments are welcome! Have a good day.
