The San Francisco Giants piled up runs relentlessly in an 11-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday to level the 110th World Series at two games apiece.
With the win, the Giants gained some much-needed breathing room, ensuring that Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship showcase will return to Kansas City for Game 6 tomorrow.
Before then, the Giants were to have a chance to regain the Series lead at home when they hosted Game 5 yesterday.
Photo: EPA
The Royals, back in the post-season for the first time since they won their only World Series crown in 1985, had won two games straight to put the Giants under pressure.
However, the Giants, seeking their third title in five years after snapping a 56-year title drought in 2010 and winning again in 2012, insisted there was no reason to panic.
They showed no sign of doing so as they remorselessly pounded out 16 hits — 13 of them singles.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval knocked in the go-ahead runs with a single in the sixth inning, and the Giants added three more runs in the sixth and four in the seventh.
Joe Panik hit two of their three doubles, driving in two runs. Hunter Pence had a double among his three hits for three runs-batted-in.
Gregor Blanco singled twice and scored three times.
Even relief pitcher Yusmeiro Petit got in on the act. He threw three scoreless innings and was credited with the win, but also stroked a single to become the first reliever in 23 years with a hit in the World Series.
“Everybody did something to contribute,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.
The Giants set the tone by scratching out a run in the first inning. Royals starting pitcher Jason Vargas walked Gregor Blanco to open the game. Blanco took second base on a wild pitch, stole third and scored when Hunter Pence beat a throw to first to break up a double-play bid.
Kansas City struck back in the third with a four-run rally featuring run-scoring singles from Omar Infante and Salvador Perez.
The outburst ended the night for Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong, who departed after 2-2/3 innings having given up four runs on seven hits.
“The guy was making great pitches and we couldn’t get that last out,” Bochy said. “I think if he gets out of that inning, he has a nice game for us.”
Royals manager Ned Yost was feeling anything but comfortable with a 4-1 lead.
“We still had a lot of game to play,” Yost said. “I knew that we had to continue to try to find ways to get outs and try to get to the seventh inning, tied or with the lead to get to our main [bullpen] guys.”
The Giants did not let that happen, pulling back a run in the bottom of the third and knotting the score at 4-4 with two runs in the fifth.
The Giants opened the sixth inning with back-to-back singles from Joaquin Arias and Blanco.
Sandoval later delivered his bases-loaded hit to knock in the go-ahead runs, and Brandon Belt added an RBI single to make it 7-4.
“He’s a warrior,” Panik said of Sandoval, the burly slugger who was feeling under the weather before the game.
“If you didn’t know he was sick, you couldn’t tell,” Panik said. “For him to come out the way he did was huge for us because he’s one of the main guys on this team.”
In the seventh, Brandon Crawford’s leadoff single sparked a four-run burst that put the game out of reach.
Blanco drove in a run with a single, then Panik’s second double of the night to center field scored two and Pence doubled down the line to put the hosts up 11-4.
“We got our tails whipped today, but it’s Game 4 of the World Series, we’re tied 2-2 — how much more fun can that be?” Yost said. “This is a phenomenal series. It’s exciting. It’s fun.”
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