Veteran SABR Baseball Researcher & Writer Bill Gilbert Wraps Up His Thoughts on the 2014 World Series as something we may never see again on the big stage.
It’s bonus story moment at The Pecan Park Eagle as Bill Gilbert, our sage veteran SABR observer of baseball, checks in today also with his own per usual well considered thoughts on the World Series that just concluded in Kansas City last night. Thank you again, Bill Gilbert, for your insightful commentary. Appreciatively, The Pecan Park Eagle.
World Series Observations – 2014
By Bill Gilbert
We will probably never see another World Series pitching performance like we saw with Madison Bumgarner this year.
Even If the Royals win the World Series, Bumgarner of the Giants should be the MVP. (written after game 6).
Every great pitcher has an occasional bad game (ask Clayton Kershaw). I thought Bumgarner was due for one in Game 5. Didn’t happen.
Bumgarner started 6 of the Giants 17 post-season games and had quality starts (6 or more innings and 3 or fewer earned runs allowed) in all 6 of them. The rest of the staff started 11 games and had 2 quality starts.
I would have been more impressed if Bumgarner had been credited with a 5-inning save rather than a win in game 7.
The 2 wild card teams put on a memorable show. Under the previous format, with one wild card team from each league, the Giants would not have been in the playoffs. The Royals incredible post-season run put them back on the baseball map after a 28-year absence.
Three players participated in the World Series who didn’t make their major league debuts until September, 2014 (Hunter Strickland of the Giants and Terrance Gore and Brandon Finnegan of the Royals. Finnegan also participated in the College World Series in 2014.
Can anyone not enjoy watching Hunter Pence play?
Lorenzo Cain is an excellent all-around player. Who knew?
Joe Panik must have had some outstanding coaches while growing up. He does everything right, including the little things that win ball games.
Bruce Bochy has had much more success as a manager than he did as a backup catcher. (.239 batting average).
Is it a coincidence that both World Series teams have outstanding catchers and former catchers as managers?
The Royals should have known that Brandon Belt could beat the shift by bunting since he played for Augie Garrido at Texas.
The Royals should have used Billy Butler to pinch-hit for James Shields in the 5th inning of Game 5. That was the only real chance that the Royals had to score in that game and Butler is one of the few players that have hit well against Bumgarner.
By the way, whatever happened to Butler’s great nickname (Country Breakfast)?
Why do left handed pitchers like Bumgarner bat right handed, exposing their pitching arms to being hit by pitches?
Did anyone miss Tim McCarver?
Which looks worse, Pence’s short above-the-knee pants or Alex Gordon’s beard?
How far does Pence plan to take his Jayson Werth homeless look?
Having Armed Forces personnel sing “God Bless America” in the seventh inning stretch was a nice touch.
It’s unfortunate that the networks pay so much money for the right to broadcast the games that they can dictate the pace of the game by allowing a 2 ½ minute commercial break between innings (when most people, including me, hit the mute button). This results in about a 3 ½ minute gap between the last pitch of the prior inning and the first pitch of the next inning.
Bill Gilbert
10/30/14
The Pecan Park Eagle 
October 30, 2014 at 5:19 pm |
The official scorer took away the win that was at first given to Bumgarner for Game 7 = Affeldt now has been credited with the win & Bumgarner gets the 5-inning save.