MLB 2014 World Series: San Francisco Giants Show Off Latino Talents Against Kansas City Royals
For the third time in the last five years, the San Francisco Giants are champions of the MLB baseball world, and in no small part, their Latino stars helped pave their way to glory.
The Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night in a thrilling seven-game series, winning Game 7 of the 2014 MLB World Series on the road, 3-2, to take the series four games to three.
The Giants became the first team since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates to win a Game 7 on the road in the World Series.
While series MVP Madison Bumgarner was the star of the series in pitching the Giants to three wins in all three games he pitched in, he was not the only star that helped San Francisco become a dynasty. This Giants team has multiple Latin American born players who contributed to this championship run.
Here, Latin Post.com looks back at the best Latino baseball players who helped the Giants win the World Series:
Pablo Sandoval
If it wasn't for Madison Bumgarner pitching arguably the greatest postseason ever, Pablo Sandoval would have easily won the Most Valuable Player Award for the second time in his career. Sandoval, born in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, Venezuela, had an incredible postseason with a new Major League Baseball record of 26 hits. In the final winner-takes-all Game 7, Sandoval was a perfect 3-3 at the plate, scoring two runs for the Giants and he caught the final out in the bottom of the ninth inning. Sandoval now has three World Series titles on his resumé, and with free agency looming on the horizon, the Giants locker room leader they affectionally nicknamed "Kung Fu Panda" could not have picked a better time to show just how good he is.
Yusmeiro Petit
The Giants have a good pitching staff, and Petit showed up in the postseason. Petit, 29, of Maracaibo, Venezuela, pitched 12.2 innings this postseason, allowing just two runs. His postseason earned runs against average was an outstanding 1.42 ERA. Petit had a rough regular season with just five wins and five losses, but he still had 133 strikeouts. Petit's postseason play was a big factor in the Giants winning the World Series. During the regular season, Petit retired 46 consecutive batters, an MLB record and an unbelievable accomplishment.
Santiago Casilla
Sergio Romo led the Giants in saves this season, but the San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic-born relief pitcher Santiago Casilla had a great year. Casilla had 19 saves during the regular season with a terrific 1.70 ERA. During this postseason, Casilla pitched in relief, not allowing a run in any game and just two hits with not a single home run allowed. Romo did not record a single save this entire postseason while Casilla stepped up with four saves.
Gregor Blanco
The Venezuelan outfielder out of Caracas, Gregor Blanco, had a pretty underrated season. During the regular season, Blanco had 102 hits, and manager Bruce Bochy made him the lead-off hitter. Blanco also led the Giants in stolen bases with 16. In Game 2 of the World Series, Blanco hit a home run and had a two-hit game in a Game 4 victory. Blanco had four hits and led the Giants in stolen bases this postseason as well.
The Kansas City Royals also had many notable Latin American born players contribute to their success such as Alcides Escobar, Salvador Perez, Omar Infante and Yordano Ventura.
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