Royals put on a show, and upset an obscure reliever, to even Series

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One day we had fun Hunter, the quirky Giants' famed homer hitter Hunter Pence.

The next day we had fun-killer Hunter, the non-nonsense Giants' infamous homer surrenderer Hunter Strickland.

That's how quickly a World Series can change, and this one is getting very interesting in a hurry.

The Giants dominated Game 1 behind ace Madison Bumgarner, but without their ace, things took on a very different (and eventually dark) tone for the visitors as the upstart Royals showed their resilient side yet again. Royals fans absolutely love it, as fans, some paying as much as $1,500 a ticket (and a few even more than that) were treated to the first Royals World Series victory in 29 years, a 7-2 victory that even a series that promises to remain even at one game apiece.

The Giants, a picture of cool and composure through their impressive every-other-year dynasty, momentarily lost it - or at least one of them did. Strickland, the late-acquired, well-used hard thrower apparently isn't caught up in the Royals' surprise fun, and inexplicably started screaming at Kansas City leader Salvador Perez following an Omar Infante home run that blew the game open.

It isn't known exactly what Strickland was yelling at Perez, but we can assume it didn't have anything to do with how lovely it is in Missouri (or Kansas, or wherever we are). Anyway, it was nasty enough that the Royals' bullpen emptied, and Royals players got up off the bench, looking like they might fight (baseball players rarely actually fight, but it's something when they look like they might).

Anyway, save for Strickland, the 100-mph thrower who's now allowed five postseason home runs in 23 batters faced, and the rest of the Giants, a good time was had by almost all, who have been waiting since 1985 for something to cheer about in a World Series. The Royals played a beautiful game, too, with rookie starter Yordano Ventura giving them just enough, the Royals 'HDH' pen shutting the de door and another winning complement of hitting and fielding, similar to what was seen in their record eight-game winning streak to start their magical postseason.

The plucky Royals do know how to bounce back, and they did so even within the game. Giants leadoff hitter Gregor Blanco became the 19 ^th player in World Series history to lead off a game with a home run, and the first to do so on the road since Boston's Johnny Damon in 2004. At that point, the Giants looked like they might put on their usual Series show.

No matter, Ventura kept pumping 98 mph fastballs, and he lasted long enough for Royals manager Ned Yost to go straight to even harder thrower, Kelvin Herrera, who hit 100 mph with eight of nine pitches in his first inning of work, en route to the usual HDH trio of Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland, who started the evening by accepting the fuirst-ever Mariano Rivera award as the American League's top closer and ending it with his first World Series save.

Not long after Herrera bailed out Ventura with his triple-digit pellets, the Royals put together an inning that had them rockin at beautiful place known as The K. Before the sixth inning was over, the Giants had used five different pitchers (in that ninning alone) and the Royals had an inning with five hits and five runs. And #YOSTED was taking on a positive connotation, with Yost's moves actually working better than those of vaunted Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who is looking for his third title in five years.

A run-scoring single by Billy Butler put the Royals in front, but then came the dual killers - the two-run double by Perez and two-run homer by Infante that seemed to set Strickland off. Interestingly, after Strickland started yelling, the Royals seemed much more interested in mixing it up than the Giants, who very likely saw little need to take up Strickland's solo cause, whatever it was.

The Giants were a fun bunch in Game 1, when the likable Pence hit the key early homer, then hammed it up afterward, saying at one point that the noise at The K didn't bother him because it was 'really loud in my head.' We believe him, too.

Anyway, the good cheer was gone 24 hours later, as Strickland looked like a very angry man out there. Though, who knows why?

There was no evidence the Royals did anything beyond enjoying their quick success, which made a series of it as they head to San Francisco. While Bumgarner, who's allowed one run in three lifetime World Series starts, will pitch again, the Royals have to have faith they have a chance to get to the rest of the Giants rotation. And why not? They keep surprising us.

The Royals have now won nine of 10 in their wonderful run, as their formula still works, and their improbable dream is still alive. Just don't tell that other Hunter.

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