SF 7, KC 1: Bumgarner shines, Giants punish shaky Shields in Game 1 of World Series

The first World Series game in Kansas City in nearly three decades likely left the denizens of Kauffman Stadium pining for the good old days.

Madison Bumgarner stymied the Kansas City Royals over seven masterful innings while his teammates collected five runs off a shaky James Shields as the San Francisco Giants grabbed a 7-1 victory in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night.

Shields, known perhaps erroneously as "Big Game James", floundered in his second career World Series start, incurring a 3-0 deficit in a disastrous opening frame punctuated by a two-run home run from Hunter Pence. The 32-year-old right-hander held the Giants scoreless for the next two frames, surviving a barrage of hard contact, but Shields unraveled in the fourth inning.

Pence opened the fourth with his second hit of the evening, a double down the left-field line, advancing to third shortly thereafter on a wild pitch before Brandon Belt drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Michael Morse, making his first start of the postseason, then punched a single into shallow center that plated Pence and prompted Royals manager Ned Yost to remove his struggling right-hander, whose career postseason earned run average jumped to 5.74 on Tuesday.

Danny Duffy, however, struggled upon entering the game, issuing a one-out walk to Brandon Crawford to load the bases before yielding another free pass to Gregor Blanco as the Giants extended their lead to 5-0.

Operating with a lead, meanwhile, from the moment he stepped on the mound, Bumgarner's stretch of postseason dominance continued in Monday's series opener as he surrendered one run on three hits and one walk while fanning five over seven innings. Bumgarner, still just 25, lowered his career postseason earned run average to 2.54, though a seventh-inning solo shot from Salvador Perez snapped his major-league record of 32 2/3 straight scoreless innings on the road in the postseason. 

Perez's home run also snapped another impressive stretch from Bumgarner, who opened his World Series career with 21 2/3 shutout frames before Kansas City's catcher sent a drive beyond the wall in left field.

The Giants' vaunted bullpen took control when Bumgarner was removed after the seventh inning, as Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland each tossed scoreless frames to put the finishing touches on the young left-hander's gem while securing an early series lead.

X-factor

Pablo Sandoval, as he's wont to do, served as one of San Francisco's offensive catalysts in Game 1. The 28-year-old plated the game's first run with a first-inning double off Shields that scored Gregor Blanco before notching a run-scoring single in the top of the seventh.

Sandoval has reached base safely in each of his club's 11 games this postseason and recorded his second consecutive multi-hit game Tuesday night.

Starting pitchers' lines

Highlights

Pence entered Tuesday's game with no hits in 11 career at-bats against Shields, but emphatically snapped his slump with a first-inning home run that sailed beyond the fence in center field.

Bumgarner's defensive prowess and quick reflexes were on display during the sixth inning of Game 1.

Kansas City's lineup had no answer for Bumgarner's deep repertoire, though Mike Moustakas is at least aware now that the left-hander throws a 67-mph curveball.

Quote of the Night

Up Next

Desperate to rebound after a disastrous series opener, the Royals will send rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura to the mound for Game 2 on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, where he fashioned a 3.21 ERA over 17 starts during the regular season. Jake Peavy, meanwhile, will take the mound for the Giants on Wednesday after lasting just four innings in his previous start, where he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks in a 5-4 loss in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.