All Tied at 1. KC Royals Win Game 2 of World Series
22 Oct, 2014
The Kansas City Royals rediscovered their post-season magic in a 7-2 victory on Wednesday that leveled the World Series and signaled they were not overmatched by the experienced San Francisco Giants.
Billy Butler snapped a 2-2 tie with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning and the Royals added four more before the frame was over to break open a tight game and restore joy to their home fans in Kauffman Stadium.
“We needed to get something going,” Butler told reporters after finishing with two hits and two RBIs.
“We had a couple big hits and the floodgates opened. It’s big to get the series back even going back to their place.”
Despite being outclassed in a 7-1 series-opening loss on Tuesday, Kansas City has tied the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
Game Three is on Friday in San Francisco.
With the series headed back to San Francisco for the next three games, Wednesday’s win was a crucial one for a Kansas City team that was coming off their first loss of the postseason after marching to the World Series with an 8-0 record.
San Francisco, vying for their third World Series title in five years, appeared to flex their advantage over a Kansas City franchise competing in their first post-season in 29 years.
But that was not the case in Game Two, where the Royals got back to running the bases and playing sound defense while rookie starter Yordano Ventura did his part with 5 1/3 solid innings.
Much like the Giants, starter Jake Peavy entered the night with the experience edge over Ventura but Peavy was charged with four runs and chased in the sixth where San Francisco brought five pitchers to the mound.
Salvador Perez delivered a two-run double during the rally, and Omar Infante blasted a back-breaking two-run home run that left the Giants fuming.
The homer came against San Francisco’s Hunter Strickland, who has allowed five in the playoffs. As Kansas City base-runner Perez was rounding home, Strickland shouted in his direction and the two exchanged words as some of the Royals players emerged from the dugout.
The sixth was an inning San Francisco would like to forget.
“That was a tough inning for us,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. “(Strickland) is a really intense kid. That’s probably an area where he is going to have to keep his poise.”
It was an especially dreadful night for the Giants bullpen, and making matters worse, pitcher Tim Lincecum was forced to leave with an injury during the eighth inning.
Kansas City kept their cool throughout even as they surrendered a lead-off home run to Gregor Blanco to start.
Butler tied the game with a single in the bottom of the first and the Royals took a 2-1 lead in the second on a double by Alcides Escobar.
Brandon Belt forced another tie for San Francisco with a run-scoring double in the fourth.
Reuters
Image mike oz twitter
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