Bumgarner struck out four and only allowed two hits in the final five innings of Game 7, as the Giants edged out the Royals 3-2.
The Giants’ Michael Morse and Brandon Crawford scored the three RBIs for the California squad.
But the true star of the decisive Game 7 was Bumgarner, who didn’t give the Royals a chance to impact the game. Bumgarner finished with just one run allowed in 21 innings, including wins in Games 1, 5 and 7. He also boasted a mind-boggling 0.43 ERA.
Bumgarner made history too: he now holds the record for the most innings pitched in a post-season, at 48 2/3.
As MLB.com notes, both starting pitchers were out of Game 7 before three and a half innings were complete. Giants pulled Tim Hudson in the second once the Royals notched two runs, and Royals righty Jeremy Guthrie was pulled in favour of righty Kelvin Herrera.
More records were made tonight: Pablo Sandoval’s 26 hits this postseason are the most by a hitter in a single postseason.
Despite the Giants’ dominance in the past few years, baseball columnists were shocked to see the Giants soar over the competition. They weren’t World Series favourites, even when the playoffs began. “The Giants surprise everyone all the time. But collectively is where they really obliterate expectations,” Jon Heyman writes on CBSSports.com.
Heyman goes on to point out: In an era when teams strike way more than ever, and don’t seem to mind doing it, the Giants scored 20 runs this month on outs. Their big rally in Game 7 was highlighted by consecutive sacrifice flies.
San Francisco Giants – 2014 Power Rankings by Week | FindTheBest
