Winning Game 7 On The Road Won’t Be Easy For San Francisco Giants

By Bill Zimmerman on October 29, 2014

The world was a much different place in 1979. Gas cost $0.86. The average American salary was $17,000. Jimmy Carter was president, and disco was king. The sports world had never heard of Cal Ripken Jr. or Michael Jordan. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were just prospects playing in college, and the Pittsburgh Pirates went on the road and beat the Baltimore Orioles in Game 7 of the World Series.

That is the last time a team went on the road to win a Game 7 in the World Series. Nine have tried it since, all have failed.

The St. Louis Cardinals couldn’t do it against the Kansas City Royals in 1985. The Atlanta Braves with John Smoltz on the mound couldn’t do it in 1991. Joe Torre’s New York Yankees couldn’t do it in 2001. The San Francisco Giants are going to try and break that streak Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium against the Royals. After a 10-0 shellacking in Game 6, one would think all the momentum would be in favor of the Royals, but if anyone can shake that off, it’s these Giants.

Bruce Bochy was loose in the postgame press conference, smiling and making the media laugh. The Giants have been against the wall on the road before, but never in the World Series. This is a Giants team that is crazy enough and loose enough that they just might pull it off.

It won’t be easy. The Royals are going to be fresh. The crowd is going to be raucous knowing they are one game away from a championship. Because of the blowout in Game 6, Ned Yost didn’t have to use Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis or Greg Holland. They will be fresh and ready to go. The Royals will have the home-field advantage, and this will be a tall order for San Francisco.

The Giants do have one particular X-factor that the Royals don’t have: Madison Bumgarner. Bumgarner will absolutely be ready to go in Game 7 out of the bullpen, and you can bet that Bochy won’t hesitate to use him. Bumgarner has been unhittable in the World Series throughout his career, and he should be able to give the Giants a good three innings if they need to call on him.

If the Giants are going to win this World Series, they are going to have to beat the heart of the Royals’ bullpen in one game. Although they hit Herrera and Davis a little in Game 5, they have not done it in a tie game or trailing in a close game. The World Series is due for a competitive, close game as there has only been one in this entire series; if that is the case, the Giants may have to push a run across against one of those three relievers, and that won’t be easy.

There is nothing better in sports than a Game 7. We knew one of these magic carpet rides was going to have to end, so it’s not surprising that they have extended this all the way out to the last possible game to see whose ride comes up short. There should be plenty of drama from Kansas City on Wednesday night, so buckle up — it should be a wild ride.

Bill Zimmerman is covering the World Series for www.RantSports.Com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.