World Series run for Kansas City Royals ends just 90 feet short

Alex Gordon played a part in Kansas City’s two runs in the decisive Game 7 and was close to scoring a third but to no avail as the Giants won their third World Series crown in five years.

Kansas City’s Alex Gordon, left, hit a single and advanced to third in the ninth inning, but the tying run never came. David J Phillip / AP Photo

The roars from the field had died away. Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium had fallen silent for the first time all night. In the Royals’ clubhouse, Alex Gordon had finally peeled off his dirt-stained jersey.

He had just watched the San Francisco Giants celebrate their third World Series title in five years, capped by a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Wednesday night. But all he could think about was whether he could have scored the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.

“It was a good hold,” Gordon said, eventually. “Close, but just short.”

Summing up the Royals’ season along with their season finale.

The Giants had taken the lead in the fourth inning, and the game amounted to a battle of bullpens. San Francisco turned to its ace, Madison Bumgarner, and he kept breezing through the Kansas City line-up, right up until Gordon’s two-out single to left field.

The ball skipped past outfielder Gregor Blanco and reached the wall, and Gordon churned around third base and headed home.

But he could not get a good read on where the ball was because of the lighted scoreboard in left field, so he relied on third-base coach Mike Jirschele for guidance.

Jirschele said stop. Gordon put on the brakes.

He was left standing 90 feet from home when Sal Perez popped out to end the game.

“It’s tough to pick the ball up from the dugout with that board out there,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “There was some hope that it might happen, but it didn’t.”

Still, the Royals season will be remembered for much more than how close they came to forcing extra innings. It will be remembered for their 12-inning wild-card win over Oakland, and sweeps of the Angels and Orioles in their first play-off appearance since 1985.

“The character we had in this clubhouse is what I’ll remember the most,” pitcher James Shields said.

“We battled,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “I think you saw how much heart we have.”

It was on display one last time in the World Series. Kansas City returning to Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, needing a victory just to force a deciding Game 7. The Royals got it in a 10-0 rout behind Yordano Ventura.

Kansas City rallied once more in the finale, falling behind 2-0 in the second inning but getting even in the bottom of the inning when Gordon doubled home a run and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Once the Giants regained the lead, on Michael Morse’s scoring single in the fourth, the Royals finally could not find an answer, missing by the 90 feet from third base to home plate.

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