The American League and National League Championship Series have presented diametrically opposed series. Whereas the Cinderella Kansas City Royals have looked like Goliaths in romping to eight consecutive postseason victories, the San Francisco Giants have a chance to become the league's preeminent franchise with their third championship in five seasons.
Thus, the World Series figures to present some interesting contrasts. The Giants may hold the ostensible edge in terms of experience and established talent, but Kansas City's irrepressible speed and lockdown bullpen have provided a perfect formula to eke out a string of close wins.
The World Series may still be a few days away, but with both LCS matchups finished, the schedule is now set. Check out full TV times and information below, as well as predictions for how baseball's final series will play out.
Series Prediction
If the San Francisco Giants become a modern-day dynasty, they will likely do so based on the strength of their lineup. Besides NLCS hero Travis Ishikawa, the middle of San Francisco's lineup has also delivered. Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Hunter Pence have all had double-digit hit totals in the postseason, with second baseman Joe Panik the only other player to reach that total.
Behind an experienced position-player core and a veteran pitching staff, the Giants hold a massive edge in experience. In fact, on the strength of their past three postseason appearances, San Francisco is approaching the stratosphere of two of the greatest dynasties in MLB history:
Nevertheless, the Royals have already defied all odds in reaching the World Series, and the Giants' mostly contact-heavy rotation is a poor matchup for Kansas City's high-on-base lineup. Thus, Kansas City is not simply an overachieving Cinderella, but a hot team capable of exploiting the few weaknesses the Giants possess.
Skeptics might pinpoint a similar Cinderella story in the 2007 Colorado Rockies, who won seven consecutive postseason games before being swept in a lopsided World Series against the veteran Boston Red Sox. The circumstances will be similar regardless of the NL champion, but there are several characteristics which suggest the Royals could avoid the Rockies' fate.
For one, Kansas City's red-hot top of the lineup ensures that the Royals' small-ball mentality possesses less volatility. Whereas the power-reliant Orioles fizzled without the long ball, Kansas City's leadoff trio of Alcides Escobar, Nori Aoki and Lorenzo Cain provides reliable speed and on-base ability.
Cain in particular carried the Royals offense against Baltimore, setting the table for the likes of Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler and Alex Gordon:
Moreover, Kansas City has exhibited timely hitting from the middle of its order. While the latter half of the Royals lineup has struggled for much of the postseason, their hits have come in the ideal situations, perhaps the main factor in the Royals' late-game success this October:
While Kansas City's starting staff is at a disadvantage against San Francisco, the Royals bullpen essentially ensures that the AL champs will hold control of the late innings. Ned Yost has come under criticism for his inflexible ways, but his willingness to stretch his back-end trio of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland for multiple innings has afforded the Royals even more security from the middle innings on.
On paper, Kansas City's reliance on pulling out late-inning victories looks like an untenable strategy bound to result in heartbreak. However, when accounting for the Royals' home-field advantage and personnel, such a strategy may simply embody Kansas City's charmed season.
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