Giants Battle Royals in World Series

WHS Lions Pride Original Story:

by Adam Hostetter

The World Series is the most prestigious title in all of baseball. October 21, 2014 marked the start of the 110th edition of this finale to the 2014 season.  The Kansas City Royals battle the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants have many strengths that have driven their post season success. One of these strengths of is their stellar starting pitching. A big contributor is their ace Madison Bumgarner. He leads the team in K’s, ERA, and wins. Bumgarner won game one on Tuesday.

As for hitting, the Giants have a very productive offensive year. Buster Posey, catcher, leads the team in BA, HR’s, RBI’s, and OBP. He has an amazing year, coming back from a restricting leg injury in 2011. He finally is back in his groove and has providing most of the Giants offense this season.

Kansas City has the overwhelming edge in speed. With base runners like Dyson and Gordon, the Royals have topped the league in stolen bases with 153. The Giants are second to last with only 56. Kansas City’s proficient base running is enough to produce enough offense to counteract their lifeless bats.

The Royals are no stranger to solid starting pitching. James Shields squared off against Bumgarner in Tuesday’s game one.  Shields has had a great year and has recorded over 180 strikeouts. Shields also tops his team in wins. He was hit hard in game one.

The Royals have some heavy hitters in their lineup which include Alex Gordon and Norichika Aoki. Both players have exceptional speed and can steal. Aoki leads the team with the highest batting average, while Gordon leads in homers and RBI’s. The teams offense is well rounded and isn’t missing any blairing component.

Both teams consist of solid players, both defensive and offensive. This game should go to at least six, if not seven. Game two is Wednesday at 8:07 PM,