By Jacob Horton
Previewing the 2014 MLB World Series
It’s finally here. After five and a half months of Major League Baseball, the 2014 MLB World Series is officially among us. Everything that has been worked for over the course of the grueling 162-game MLB schedule comes down to this best-of-seven series.
This year’s series looks to promise excitement and lots of late-inning drama, as the Kansas City Royals are matched up against the San Francisco Giants. Both teams seem to have that “it” factor that can carry them to a world championship.
For Kansas City, the 2014 season marked the first time since 1985 that the organization qualified for postseason play. They’ve had no problem knocking off the cobwebs, however, as they have yet to lose a game this postseason.
That’s right. In eight postseason games thus far, the Kansas City Royals boast a perfect record of 8-0. Don’t let that fool you, however: it has been far from a cakewalk for the Royals. Despite their perfect record, the battle-tested Kansas City Royals have won just about every postseason game they’ve played in in dramatic fashion.
In the AL Wild Card Game, it took a 12th inning rally to come from behind and defeat the Oakland Athletics. In their three game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels in the divisional series, two of those victories took 11 innings to decide a winner. All four of their victories in the American League Championship Series were decided by two runs or fewer. This proves that the road to the fall classic has been no easy ride for Kansas City.
As for their counterpart, the San Francisco Giants looked just as primed and ready as Kansas City. They have also looked impressive this postseason and have a 2014 playoff résumé almost identical to Kansas City.
Their postseason run began with a wild card game victory over the Pittsburg Pirates. In the NLDS, they defeated the Washington Nationals three games to one. Each win recorded by the Giants in this series was only decided by one run. In the NLCS, they knocked off a very talented Cardinal team plagued by key injuries in just five games. Nevertheless, the Cardinals have just as much of a chance of winning it all as their opponent does.
Need I remind everybody that the San Francisco Giants have won two out of the last three World Series? Here we are in another postseason, and the chance for a Giants’ World Series Championship is yet again hanging in the balance.
As far as the outcome of this series goes, one could make an argument for either team. Kansas City is coming into this series red-hot, but one could say that they have not faced a team as elite as San Francisco. Nobody in all of baseball is as good at manufacturing runs as Kansas City, while San Francisco’s timely hitting has gotten them to where they are now.
Let’s give credit where it’s due here: what Kansas City has done this postseason is simply magical. As impressive as their current winning streak is, they are more likely to lose a game in this series. This San Francisco team isn’t going to lie down for them just because they are flirting with history. At the end of the day though, I see Kansas City riding their tidal wave of momentum all the way to a World Series Championship in six games.
Contact the writer: jhorton4@aum.edu