KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It took two innings for the Giants to tie a Game 7 record as they sought their third World Series title in five years on Wednesday night, and the Royals two innings to boost the deciding contest into the record books by itself.
Sacrifice flies by Mike Morse and Brandon Crawford gave San Francisco a quick 2-0 lead against Jeremy Guthrie, who had gotten through the first inning for Kansas City on just 10 pitches.
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The two sac flies tied the 1972 Reds for the most by a team in a sudden-death World Series game. Hal McRae, later a star and then a manager for the Royals, hit the first of those sacrifice flies, driving in Tony Perez in the fifth inning for the Reds against the A's Catfish Hunter. In the eighth inning, Perez drove home Pete Rose with a fly to right against Rollie Fingers.
The A's won Game 7 in 1972 for the first of their three consecutive titles.
Guthrie started the second inning by hitting Pablo Sandoval with a pitch, then gave up his first hit of the night, a single by Hunter Pence. Another single, by Brandon Belt, loaded the bases with nobody out.
Morse's sacrifice fly went deep to right field to bring home Sandoval, and Crawford drove in Pence with a fly to center. The Royals got Brandon Finnegan up in their bullpen, but Guthrie struck out Juan Perez to end the rally.
The Royals answered in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff single by Billy Butler, who raced around to score on a double to right-center by Alex Gordon. Tim Hudson, at 39 the oldest Game 7 starter in World Series history, then hit Salvador Perez in the leg with a pitch. After a lengthy consultation with trainers, the Royals' catcher remained in the game. Hudson's sudden struggles got the Giants' bullpen stirring, with Jeremy Affeldt and Tim Lincecum springing to action.
Mike Moustakas hit a non-sac fly to get Gordon to third base, then Omar Infante hit a sacrifice fly of his own to tie the game, and put 2014 alone in history as the Game 7 with the most combined sacrifice flies.
Alcides Escobar kept the Royals' rally going with a single, and ended Hudson's night, as Bruce Bochy called to the bullpen for Affeldt. The left-hander got Nori Aoki to hit a chopper right to second base, where Crawford fielded it standing on the base for a forceout.
Hudson became the fifth Game 7 starter ever to fail to last two innings, joining Hank Borowy (1945 Cubs, 0 IP), Curly Ogden (1924 Senators, 1/3 IP), Vic Aldridge (1925 Pirates, 1/3 IP), Bob Turley (1960 Yankees, 1 IP), and Spec Shea (1947 Yankees 1 1/3 IP). Three of those five teams won, with only the 1945 Cubs and 1960 Yankees falling.