2014 World Series

The 2014 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the American League (AL) champion Kansas City Royals. The series was played from October 21 to 29. The Giants defeated the Royals four games to three to clinch their third World Series championship in a five-season span (2010–14), and their third overall since the club's move to San Francisco from New York. It was the Giants' eighth World Series championship in franchise history, and the Giants became the first team in MLB history to win the World Series as a number five seed. The series was also the sixth straight World Series to be won by a team that had missed the playoffs the year before. The Giants won Game 1 behind a strong pitching performance by Madison Bumgarner while the Royals won Games 2 and 3 as their pitchers limited San Francisco to two runs per game. The Giants won Games 4 and 5, thanks to 11 runs in Game 4 and Bumgarner's complete game shutout in Game 5. Kansas City tied the series in Game 6, shutting out San Francisco and scoring 10 runs, which forced a Game 7. The Giants won the final game, 3–2, thanks to timely hitting, including the game-winning RBI by Michael Morse to score Pablo Sandoval. Bumgarner pitched five shutout innings in relief on two days' rest to clinch the championship, claiming the series MVP award. This was the first World Series to feature two teams with fewer than 90 wins since 1981, as that year's season was shortened due to a player's strike, and the first in a non-strike season. Additionally, this was the last...