USA TODAY Sports' Ted Berg breaks down the key players in the World Series between the Giants and Royals. <span class="credit"/>
<span class="video-transcript-icon"/>Video TranscriptAutomatically Generated Transcript (may not be 100% accurate)
00:03 Giants face massive bomb garner has been outstanding to date
00:06 this post season. Starting with a complete game shut out in
00:08 the wild card game and continuing with two fine performances in
00:12 the NLCS against the cardinals. Good enough to win in the
00:15 MVP award for that series. Tom Garner should be on the
00:18 mound for game one in Kansas City. 28 year old royals
00:21 outfielder Lorenzo Cain might be best known for his club. Plain
00:25 gold glove caliber defense in center field. McCain emerges an offensive
00:29 force for the royals this season and continue his success by
00:32 going eight for fifteen with a pair of doubles in the
00:35 ALCS against the Orioles. Watch out for royals outfielder Terrence score
00:39 a guy who made the team's postseason roster after only one
00:42 career Major League at bat. Gore's mostly used in pinch running
00:45 situations because he's one of the fastest guys in the game.
00:48 And manager Ned Yost says even when he doesn't steal a
00:52 base he helps the royals win by distracting the opposing team's
00:55 patience. Giants starter Tim Hudson is the active Major League career
01:00 leader in wins with 214. But though this is his seventh
01:04 post season team this will be the first time in his
01:07 sixteen year career that Hudson has reached the World Series. Open
01:11 giants and royals have had great performances from their bullpen this
01:14 post is too big part of wider here. But while royals
01:18 manager Ned Yost tends to stick to a formula for the
01:21 seventh eighth and ninth innings. Giants manager Bruce vote he is
01:24 a bit more fluid mixing and matching his relievers based on
01:27 matchups. Plus poaching has the use of east Merrill could keep
01:32 a secret weapon in the giants open and goes several innings
01:34 at a time.
The World Series has come to Kansas City, and the Royals find themselves the toast of the town.(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - They are America's team, those lovable Midwest underdogs who are paying the bar tab one night, dunking basketballs at an NBA exhibition game the next, and even buying playoff tickets for fans on Twitter.
The Kansas City Royals, these young crazy kids, have stolen the hearts of America, with most not even born the last time the Royals were in the World Series, with their parents younger than Hall of Famer George Brett.
The last team standing in the way of the Royals' first championship since 1985 are the San Francisco Giants.
This is the team that once again defied all of the odds in October, and after winning two World Series championships in the previous four years, a third title would cement their legacy as a genuine dynasty. They would become the first National League team in nearly 70 years to pull off the historic feat, dating back to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942-1946.
It's Destiny vs. Dynasty in the 110th World Series beginning Tuesday (8:07 p.m., Fox) at Kauffman Stadium.
Let the best storyline win.
"I feel like the other team is riding that spirit,'' Giants starter Jake Peavy says. "We're the step-children of that spirit, so to speak.
"We're not the favorite story, but we've been riding that spirit and riding a pretty good high ourselves.''
Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas says his team is once again embracing the underdog role, calling it baseball's version of David vs. Goliath.
The trouble with this logic is that the odds-makers, for the first time this postseason, have established the Royals as the slight favorites. Winning eight consecutive playoff games and having the home-field advantage has a way of tipping the Vegas moneyline.
"To hear people talking, we've got the whole country rooting for us,'' veteran reliever Scott Downs says. "It's crazy in town. You walk around, and all you see is so much Royals stuff. Everyone is coming up to you and congratulating you.
"The whole community is embracing what's going on.''
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has become an overnight cult hero. Two months ago, everyone was worrying whether he will ever live up to expectations as the third pick in the 2008 draft. These days, he's picking up $15,000 on a bar tab for Royals fans, hauling the American League championship trophy to the Miami Heat-Golden State Warriors exhibition game in Kansas City, and has made his hair stylist, DeJuan Bonds, the most popular barber in the Midwest.
"When you walk in restaurant,'' Hosmer says, "and they give you a standing ovation, that tells you what it means around here.''
The Royals, who hadn't finished within six games of first place in a non-strike season since 1987, with only one winning season in a 20-year stretch from 1994 to 2013, have turned this community upside down. When they went to the Kansas City Chiefs' game the night before their wild-card victory over Oakland, the stadium erupted into "Let's Go Royals'' chants. Street are blocked off and turned into a mosh pit in the Power and Light District after Royals' playoff victories. Tickets for the World Series games at Kauffman Stadium are averaging $1,196 a pop.
The Royals are feeding off the town's craziness with their own outrageous behavior.
Where else would you find a Royals fan named Nicholas Knapple actually asking Royals rookie pitcher Brandon Finnegan on Twitter whether he had any leftover tickets for the ALCS?
And Finnegan actually delivering, giving him two tickets for their clinching game against the Baltimore Orioles.
"My family left town, so I actually had some extra tickets,'' Finnegan said. "He was the first one to ask me, so why not?
"The trouble is that everyone in town is now asking me the same thing. Hey, those things are expensive.''
Besides, the last time Finnegan checked, Kauffman Stadium's seating capacity isn't 2 million.
GALLERY: World Series champions of the last 30 years
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"It's crazy,'' Moustakas says. "We feels like we have this strong connection with the fans, and really, we want to win for them as much as we do for us.''
The Royals even tried to get away for a quiet team dinner Sunday night that was orchestrated by the wives and girlfriends, but by the time they walked through the back door, Royals reliever Wade Davis said, there were 100 folks standing and cheering.
Of course, there was an entire stadium in disbelief last Friday at the Sprint Center when several Royals took the court during a break in action between the Heat and Warriors, and Jarrod Dyson took the basketball and dunked.
Twice.
In his street shoes.
"Dwayne Wade came over, Stephen Curry came over,'' Dyson said. "They couldn't believe it.''
Really, the only negative aspect to this deep October run, the Royals say, is they didn't plan for it. When the Royals rented their apartments during the season, their lease expired at the end of September. They've been bouncing around from hotel to hotel ever since.
"I don't even know where I'll be tomorrow,'' Dyson says. "It's not fun not knowing where I'll be at. I'd love to know where I'll be.''
The Giants have learned their lesson on their apartment leases. They planned on being in the playoffs once the season started, and once they got in, they've become unstoppable. They've won 15 of their last 17 postseason games, and nine consecutive series under manager Bruce Bochy.
Now, they are on the verge of a dynasty, becoming the National League's version of the New York Yankees, who won four World Series titles in five years in 1996-2000.
"It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around it,'' Giants first baseman Brandon Belt says. "You're talking history. You're talking something that so people have ever experienced in their lives. It's kind of crazy, when you thing about it.''
Says starter Matt Cain: "I don't think you really realize what it means until down the road, and the memories set in, but this is something we'll never forget.''
The Giants' postseason success, right fielder Hunter Pence says, is almost ridiculous when you think about it. No National League has won more than two titles since 1983, and only the Yankees and Boston Red Sox have accomplished the feat in the American League.
"I don't know the definition of dynasty,'' Pence says. "It's just a word and description from people. But I do know we have already carved a niche in history.
"Really, so have the Royals.
"It's just a different journey.''
No matter what happens in the World Series , the Giants say the Royals have already changed their image, just as they did in 2010 when their championship reign began.
"It reminds me so much of what we went through,'' Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum says. "They waited a long time in San Francisco. They waited a really, really long time here, too. There's nothing like having fans come up and tell you how much fun they've had, how much you've meant to them.
"They'll have that forever.''
And, as the Royals may soon find out, winning has a way of assuring you'll never have to pay for another drink or meal again in Kansas City.
"When you win titles, you're pretty well taken care at your favorite spots,'' says Giants reliever Sergio Romo, who also was on their 2010 and 2012 championship teams. "I'm sure those guys are going through that now.
"I know it's crazy in this town right now.
"I can't wait to see it.
"And we'd sure love to quiet it.''
<span class="video-transcript-icon"/>Video TranscriptAutomatically Generated Transcript (may not be 100% accurate)
00:03 Giants face massive bomb garner has been outstanding to date
00:06 this post season. Starting with a complete game shut out in
00:08 the wild card game and continuing with two fine performances in
00:12 the NLCS against the cardinals. Good enough to win in the
00:15 MVP award for that series. Tom Garner should be on the
00:18 mound for game one in Kansas City. 28 year old royals
00:21 outfielder Lorenzo Cain might be best known for his club. Plain
00:25 gold glove caliber defense in center field. McCain emerges an offensive
00:29 force for the royals this season and continue his success by
00:32 going eight for fifteen with a pair of doubles in the
00:35 ALCS against the Orioles. Watch out for royals outfielder Terrence score
00:39 a guy who made the team's postseason roster after only one
00:42 career Major League at bat. Gore's mostly used in pinch running
00:45 situations because he's one of the fastest guys in the game.
00:48 And manager Ned Yost says even when he doesn't steal a
00:52 base he helps the royals win by distracting the opposing team's
00:55 patience. Giants starter Tim Hudson is the active Major League career
01:00 leader in wins with 214. But though this is his seventh
01:04 post season team this will be the first time in his
01:07 sixteen year career that Hudson has reached the World Series. Open
01:11 giants and royals have had great performances from their bullpen this
01:14 post is too big part of wider here. But while royals
01:18 manager Ned Yost tends to stick to a formula for the
01:21 seventh eighth and ninth innings. Giants manager Bruce vote he is
01:24 a bit more fluid mixing and matching his relievers based on
01:27 matchups. Plus poaching has the use of east Merrill could keep
01:32 a secret weapon in the giants open and goes several innings
01:34 at a time.
The World Series has come to Kansas City, and the Royals find themselves the toast of the town.(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - They are America's team, those lovable Midwest underdogs who are paying the bar tab one night, dunking basketballs at an NBA exhibition game the next, and even buying playoff tickets for fans on Twitter.
The Kansas City Royals, these young crazy kids, have stolen the hearts of America, with most not even born the last time the Royals were in the World Series, with their parents younger than Hall of Famer George Brett.
The last team standing in the way of the Royals' first championship since 1985 are the San Francisco Giants.
This is the team that once again defied all of the odds in October, and after winning two World Series championships in the previous four years, a third title would cement their legacy as a genuine dynasty. They would become the first National League team in nearly 70 years to pull off the historic feat, dating back to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1942-1946.
It's Destiny vs. Dynasty in the 110th World Series beginning Tuesday (8:07 p.m., Fox) at Kauffman Stadium.
Let the best storyline win.
"I feel like the other team is riding that spirit,'' Giants starter Jake Peavy says. "We're the step-children of that spirit, so to speak.
"We're not the favorite story, but we've been riding that spirit and riding a pretty good high ourselves.''
Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas says his team is once again embracing the underdog role, calling it baseball's version of David vs. Goliath.
The trouble with this logic is that the odds-makers, for the first time this postseason, have established the Royals as the slight favorites. Winning eight consecutive playoff games and having the home-field advantage has a way of tipping the Vegas moneyline.
"To hear people talking, we've got the whole country rooting for us,'' veteran reliever Scott Downs says. "It's crazy in town. You walk around, and all you see is so much Royals stuff. Everyone is coming up to you and congratulating you.
"The whole community is embracing what's going on.''
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has become an overnight cult hero. Two months ago, everyone was worrying whether he will ever live up to expectations as the third pick in the 2008 draft. These days, he's picking up $15,000 on a bar tab for Royals fans, hauling the American League championship trophy to the Miami Heat-Golden State Warriors exhibition game in Kansas City, and has made his hair stylist, DeJuan Bonds, the most popular barber in the Midwest.
"When you walk in restaurant,'' Hosmer says, "and they give you a standing ovation, that tells you what it means around here.''
The Royals, who hadn't finished within six games of first place in a non-strike season since 1987, with only one winning season in a 20-year stretch from 1994 to 2013, have turned this community upside down. When they went to the Kansas City Chiefs' game the night before their wild-card victory over Oakland, the stadium erupted into "Let's Go Royals'' chants. Street are blocked off and turned into a mosh pit in the Power and Light District after Royals' playoff victories. Tickets for the World Series games at Kauffman Stadium are averaging $1,196 a pop.
The Royals are feeding off the town's craziness with their own outrageous behavior.
Where else would you find a Royals fan named Nicholas Knapple actually asking Royals rookie pitcher Brandon Finnegan on Twitter whether he had any leftover tickets for the ALCS?
And Finnegan actually delivering, giving him two tickets for their clinching game against the Baltimore Orioles.
"My family left town, so I actually had some extra tickets,'' Finnegan said. "He was the first one to ask me, so why not?
"The trouble is that everyone in town is now asking me the same thing. Hey, those things are expensive.''
Besides, the last time Finnegan checked, Kauffman Stadium's seating capacity isn't 2 million.
GALLERY: World Series champions of the last 30 years
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Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext Slide
"It's crazy,'' Moustakas says. "We feels like we have this strong connection with the fans, and really, we want to win for them as much as we do for us.''
The Royals even tried to get away for a quiet team dinner Sunday night that was orchestrated by the wives and girlfriends, but by the time they walked through the back door, Royals reliever Wade Davis said, there were 100 folks standing and cheering.
Of course, there was an entire stadium in disbelief last Friday at the Sprint Center when several Royals took the court during a break in action between the Heat and Warriors, and Jarrod Dyson took the basketball and dunked.
Twice.
In his street shoes.
"Dwayne Wade came over, Stephen Curry came over,'' Dyson said. "They couldn't believe it.''
Really, the only negative aspect to this deep October run, the Royals say, is they didn't plan for it. When the Royals rented their apartments during the season, their lease expired at the end of September. They've been bouncing around from hotel to hotel ever since.
"I don't even know where I'll be tomorrow,'' Dyson says. "It's not fun not knowing where I'll be at. I'd love to know where I'll be.''
The Giants have learned their lesson on their apartment leases. They planned on being in the playoffs once the season started, and once they got in, they've become unstoppable. They've won 15 of their last 17 postseason games, and nine consecutive series under manager Bruce Bochy.
Now, they are on the verge of a dynasty, becoming the National League's version of the New York Yankees, who won four World Series titles in five years in 1996-2000.
"It's kind of hard to wrap your mind around it,'' Giants first baseman Brandon Belt says. "You're talking history. You're talking something that so people have ever experienced in their lives. It's kind of crazy, when you thing about it.''
Says starter Matt Cain: "I don't think you really realize what it means until down the road, and the memories set in, but this is something we'll never forget.''
The Giants' postseason success, right fielder Hunter Pence says, is almost ridiculous when you think about it. No National League has won more than two titles since 1983, and only the Yankees and Boston Red Sox have accomplished the feat in the American League.
"I don't know the definition of dynasty,'' Pence says. "It's just a word and description from people. But I do know we have already carved a niche in history.
"Really, so have the Royals.
"It's just a different journey.''
No matter what happens in the World Series , the Giants say the Royals have already changed their image, just as they did in 2010 when their championship reign began.
"It reminds me so much of what we went through,'' Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum says. "They waited a long time in San Francisco. They waited a really, really long time here, too. There's nothing like having fans come up and tell you how much fun they've had, how much you've meant to them.
"They'll have that forever.''
And, as the Royals may soon find out, winning has a way of assuring you'll never have to pay for another drink or meal again in Kansas City.
"When you win titles, you're pretty well taken care at your favorite spots,'' says Giants reliever Sergio Romo, who also was on their 2010 and 2012 championship teams. "I'm sure those guys are going through that now.
"I know it's crazy in this town right now.
"I can't wait to see it.
"And we'd sure love to quiet it.''
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