KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Waiting on "Bum" was the general theme of Game 7 of the World Series.
When would Madison Bumgarner come on in relief, and what could the Kansas City Royals do finally to solve the riddle of the talented, young left-hander who had already dominated them in two Series starts?
It was one of several delicious Game 7 storylines Wednesday night. The answer came in the fifth inning, when Bumgarner entered with the San Francisco Giants up one run despite another short outing from their starter.
In another dominant performance, Bumgarner threw five shutout innings to lead the Giants to a 3-2 victory and their third title in five years. His save after two victories earned him the Series MVP award.
This game was what Game 7s are supposed to be, full of energy and drama and one man's heroics. When Alex Gordon reached third with two outs in the ninth on a single and two-base error, the sellout crowd had one last chance to dream.
"I didn't see it, but I was starting to get a little nervous," Bumgarner said. "He can run a little bit and this is a big outfield. ... It was a little nerve-wracking."
Bumgarner said he knew the Royals were aggressive, so his plan was to throw fastballs "a little bit higher than high." Salvador Perez took the bait and hit a foul popup that landed in the glove of third baseman Pablo Sandoval, putting the raucous Royals' crowd on mute.
"To end up losing the ballgame by 90 feet is tough," Royals Manager Ned Yost said.
In winning two games along with a five-inning save in the Series, Bumgarner posted a jaw-dropping 0.43 ERA, lowest of any pitcher with 15 or more Series innings since Sandy Koufax's 0.38 for the 1965 Dodgers.
So is this a Giants' dynasty? Can a second-place team with 88 regular-season victories dare to make the claim?
"Even if there [was] not a [Series title] this year, how could you not describe it as one?" Giants starter Tim Hudson said. "Getting to the World Series three out of the last five years is truly amazing."
Giants General Manager Brian Sabean said the question of whether the Giants are a dynasty is "not for me to answer."
Does he even care?
"I care for our fans," he said. "I care for the organization. That'd be a nice thing to be said. But you do these jobs, you put teams together, and you don't think 'I'm putting a dynasty together,' or 'Boy, I'm a failure' if I haven't been a general manager for a dynasty. Somebody else figures that out."
Whether they are or not, this Giants team certainly knows how to persevere after blowing a 10-game division lead in the regular season and limping into the postseason as the second wild-card team in the National League. They won the World Series on the back of Bumgarner, after starters Jake Peavy and Hudson were lifted early in their starts in Games 6 and 7.
Bochy resisted starting Bumgarner three times in the Series, as many pitchers have done in the past, including both Bob Gibson and Mickey Lolich in 1968. The 1960s are long gone, but many still believe it's a manager's responsibility to use his best starter on short rest since it's the final game of the season.
Still, Bumgarner threw 68 pitches three days after his Game 5 shutout, as Bochy gave him the ball and never looked back.
"Truly incredible what he did throughout the postseason," Bochy said. "I told him I can't believe what he accomplished through all of this. He's such a humble guy and we rolled him pretty good."
Bumgarner said all through the postseason that his arm felt fine and he was ready to take the ball at any time. On Wednesday he stepped up again.
"I can't lie to you anymore," Bumgarner said. "I'm a little bit tired."
The Giants may or may not be a dynasty, but who cares at this point?
They're champs again, and that's all that really matters.
Sports on 10/31/2014