Reflecting Back on the Lasting Moments of Game 7 and Meeting a Royals Fan During the World Series

I'm not going to lie.  I fell into a huge depression after Game 6 of the World Series.  I knew the statistic going in: In the past 20 years, home teams went 12-2 in Game 6 and 7.   I reflected back to 12 years ago in Anaheim and those rally monkeys.  We had our Game 7 starter in Tim Hudson who didn't have a quality start this whole postseason.  And we had the Kansas City Royals, with their Cinderella story, blowing us out in game 6: 10-0.

After Game 6, I decided to go to sleep early, forget about reality, and wake up with a more positive attitude.  I started listing out the silver linings about the previous night.  "Hey, it's better to be blown out in Game 6 than in Game 7." " Maybe Bumgarner will be able to pitch 2 innings, 3 innings in relief?"  None of those were reassuring.

But then I remember that this was not the Giants' teams of the past.  They weren't the 1989 Giants who got swept in 4 games. This team wasn't the Giants from 1997-2001, who continuously made the postseason but always fell short of advancing to the second round.  And these weren't the Giants of 2002 who had an incompetent manager when it came down to pitching and lineup decisions.

Earlier in the series after the Royals took a 2-1 series lead, I was eating lunch at the Westfield mall in downtown San Francisco.  I sat next to a Royals fan at the food court.  The Royal fan complimented the Giants for the way they played, informed me that the Giants were his second favorite team, and emphasized sympathy for Buster Posey for his current hitting slump.  At times, it's eye opening to see other team's fans' view of other baseball organizations.

Watching Game 7 felt like a roller coaster ride.  The first two to three innings were nerve-wrecking, as Hudson lasted less than two innings and Affeldt got out of a few jams.  But Bumgarner came into the game, and changed the whole complexion of this series and this season.   All of a sudden, my stress level decreased significantly.  Inning after inning went by, as each Royal batter became instant outs.  Bumgarner was on his way to saving this postseason.

But as we all know, winning game 7 on the road is never easy.  In the 9th, with 2 outs and Alex Gordon on third, Salvador Perez came up to the plate.  At the time, I was at a noisy bar yet I can still hear my heart beating through my chest.  Pacing back and forth, I thought of the next few game- changing scenarios.  There could be a wild pitch or single to tie the game.  Or worse yet, Perez can hit a home run to send us home packing.

Moments later, Bumgarner threw two quick strikes to the injured Royals catcher.  Right then and there, I knew we were going to win the World Series.  This hitter has no chance.  One last high fastball later, you know the result.  Perez pops up to Sandoval in foul territory.  Posey gives his signature 'Buster Hugs' to the series MVP. And the Giants win their third title in five years.

The whole night I saw a lone Dodger fan sitting in front of me, yelling "Royals, Royals!" during the 8th and 9th inning.  As I left the bar after the final out, this fan came up to me and quietly said 'Great Season'.

For a second I envisioned my encounter with the fan from Kansas City and I knew at that very moment, something special just happened.