By staff writer Kyle Wonzen

Grass cleanly trimmed, nachos cheesed, peanuts roasted, hot dogs grilled, popcorn popped, chalk laid, caps worn, and over 40,000 thrilled fans in Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City cheering as loud as they could, with millions more at home. It was game seven of the World Series!

After six intense games, 54 innings, and 53 runs scored, it all came down to one date, October 29, 2014. Two great teams, the San Francisco Giants — seeking their third title in 5 years — and the Kansas City Royals, trying to win their first world series since 1985, battled it down to the wire for the 110th World Series.

Both teams were wild card teams, and had fewer than 90 wins each. The Royals had been the best team so far in the postseason, sweeping every series so far. The Giants, however, were also playing at the top of their game, only losing two games so far. Both teams were definitely were “on a hot streak.”

The first six games went back and forth, with San Francisco taking the first, before Kansas City took the next two. The Giants rallied back and took the following two, before the Royals kept their dream alive by shutting out the Giants 10-0 in the sixth game of the series.

It all came down to game seven. Both starting pitchers Jeremy Guthrie (KC) and Tim Hudson (SF) were able to shut out the opposing team in the first inning, but in the second inning things got interesting. Guthrie’s pitch hit Pablo Sandoval on the elbow for the hit-by-pitch walk. Hunter Pence next hit a beauty down left field for a single. Next Brandon Belt hit another great hit right field to give Michael Morse the bases loaded with no outs. Morse gave a sacrifice fly to let Sandoval score and give the Giants the lead.

With a runner on second and third, Brandon Crawford hit another sacrifice fly to score Pence. However Perez couldn’t increase their lead, and the Giants were up 2-0 going to the bottom of the 2nd.

But the Royals came charging’ to the plate! Billy Butler and Alex Gordon hit a single and double respectively to give the plate to Salvador Perez with no one out, a runner on second and only now down by one (because Butler scored off Gordon’s double). However, Hudson’s first pitch slipped awkwardly and hit-by-pitched him right in the top thigh, affecting his play for the rest of the game.

Mike Moustakas hit a fly ball, sending Gordon to third. Next was Omar Infante, whose sacrifice fly tied the game 2-2. Escobar next singled Hudson’s pitch to right field. Bruce Bochy, the Giants manager, made a bold move, taking Hudson out of the game after only 1-⅔ innings. It proved to be a good move, however, with Affeldt getting the needed out against Nori Aoki.

After a scoreless 3rd, the Giants came up big in the fourth. Sandoval and Pence both doubled and singled to put the giants in good position. Brandon Belt’s fly ball to send Sandoval to third was enough to get KC manager Ned Yost to pull out Guthrie for Kelvin Herrera after only 4-⅓ innings, the earliest the two starting pitchers have both been pulled out in a world series game seven.

Kelvin Herrera’s pitch to Michael Morse was singled down right field to give the Giants the lead again. After two outs, the inning was over. After an unmemorable 5th inning, in came Madison Bumgarner, the Giants ace with the lowest postseason ERA with over 10 innings ever so far! He did his part and so did the Royal’s famous bullpen to shut out 3-½ more innings to set the stage for Madison Bumgarner to close out the game.

Set the scene: The bottom of the ninth, with two outs. Alex Gordon, the ace left fielder is up. Here comes the pitch: a routine hit down left field, no more than a single. But a communication error has the ball skip right between the left fielder, Juan Perez, and center fielder, Gregor Blanco. And Alex Gordon takes advantage of that and speeds down to third. As dramatic as could be.

Up 3-2, a 2-2 count with a man on third, Salvador Perez is up to the plate! The pitch! It’s fouled to the left! And Pablo Sandoval’s caught it! They did it! The Giants won their 3rd world series in 5 years!

Madison Bumgarner won MVP and broke his record set on October 29th 2014! It’s over! San Francisco!

Next year?