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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Alex Gordon took a big rip at a batting-practice fastball, fouled it off badly into the cage, and ducked when the carom nearly hit him in the head. Gordon let out a huge laugh, and so did a bunch of his Kansas City Royals teammates watching Mondays workout. I cant believe that just happened, dude, pitcher James Shields razzed. Itll be more frustrating than funny if those are the same awkward swings the Royals and San Francisco Giants take once the World Series begins. Going into Game 1 on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium, both teams will deal with a familiar issue this deep in the post-season: Does an extended layoff translate into rest or rust? Buster Posey and the Giants zipped through the playoffs, and now will try for their third title in five years. Lorenzo Cain and the Royals zoomed along, reaching the Series for the first time since 1985. And then, they all got some time off. Almost an eternity, by October standards. The Royals went 8-0 in the AL playoffs, giving them five idle days before Shields starts the opener. San Francisco went 8-2 on the NL side and had four days to relax before Madison Bumgarner pitches. Its definitely different because we have played so many games over the last 7 1/2, eight months. But you just understand its one of those things, Posey said. As recent history has shown, hitters can be very vulnerable when they get out of rhythm. It affects a bit with your timing, especially when trying to adjust to pitchers, Kansas City second baseman Omar Infante said. Its hard to recover that groove you have. The slightly favoured Giants and Royals held practices, studied video and checked out scouting reports. But as several teams that stumbled in the World Series after long breaks discovered, nothing can duplicate playing a real game. Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Detroit got nearly a week off in 2012, then the Tigers hit a combined .159 and totalled six runs in getting swept by the Giants. Troy Tulowitzki and the Colorado Rockies rushed into the 2007 World Series, waited a week and got outscored 29-10 in Bostons sweep. A year earlier, Magglio Ordonez and the Tigers looked so powerful in the playoffs, but fell apart a week later and hit only .199 in a five-game loss to St. Louis. Infante played on both of those Detroit teams that got wiped out. He actually excelled in 2012, hitting .333. Its a short series, you need some luck. We lost four in a row and they were coming from playing seven. In this series, I think both teams are even, he said. Royals reserve Raul Ibanez, whos enjoyed post-season success in the past, said determination and will carry players in the fall. Yet the timing and confidence that lifts them for so long can be lost in a hurry. All of a sudden, a ball that mightve been a solid double becomes a soft fly. A line drive up the middle turns into a foul ball straight back. A big hit winds up a great catch. Just like that, a magical touch is missing, and cant be recaptured until its too late. Royals catcher Salvador Perez hooted at himself after a popup and an easy grounder in BP on Monday, and changed bats for his next round. He homered on his final swing. When youve been playing for seven or eight months, its nice to have an off day every now and then. But when you do have those workout days where you just go in and hit BP and take grounders and stuff, you try to keep it as much like game day as possible, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt said. Royals designated hitter Billy Butler said he didnt see the five-day break being a detriment. Hey, theyve had four days off. Thats the way you look at it. They played one day later than we have — theyve had a layoff, too, he said. I dont know if itll play any factor. It definitely wont be the reason if we go out there and dont win tomorrow, Butler said. Shields and Bumgarner seemed unconcerned. This will be Shields first start since Oct. 10 in the AL Championship Series opener against Baltimore. I think this late in the year almost too much throwing is too much, he said. So Ive just kind of rested my body up for tomorrow. Bumgarner has already thrown 249 innings this year, including four post-season outings. He was the NLCS MVP, and started last Thursday when the Giants closed out St. Louis. Honestly, I feel the best Ive felt all year for the last probably two months, the lefty said. TSN World Series Game Notes ROYALS & GIANTS: HEAD-TO-HEAD Giants vs Royals Head-to-Head This Season Giants Royals Wins 0 3 Runs 6 16 BA .235 .280 XBH 3 9 * The Royals swept the season series against the Giants 3-0 in 2014. Above and beyond runs scored and allowed, a few stats that stood out from their 3-game series: ? The Royals hit .444 with runners in scoring position in their 3 games against the Giants - 12 hits in 27 at-bats, including 14 RBI. The Giants, in contrast, hit more than 150 points lower, with 0 HR. ? The Giants starting rotation struck out just 8 batters in 73 batters faced, good for 11%; for context, the lowest rotation strikeout rate overall this season was the Rockies at 16%. ? The Royals bullpen did what its been doing in the postseason - shutting batters down. The KC bullpen logged 6 and a third innings, allowing 0 runs while inducing 9 strikeouts to 1 walk. * The Royals (8-0) and Giants (8-2) are a combined 16-2 this postseason. FROM ELIAS: Thats the best combined record in the Wild Card Era entering the World Series and 4th-best in the Divisional Era (both teams swept best-of-5 League Championship Series in 1969, 1970 and 1975). Best Combined Postseason Win Pct Entering World Series in Wild Card Era AL Team NL Team 2014 .889 Royals Giants 2007 .824 Red Sox Rockies 1995 .824 Indians Braves >> Source: Elias Sports Bureau * The Royals (89-73 in regular season) or the Giants (88-74) will join a small group of teams with fewer than 90 wins in the regular season to capture the World Series since BOTH the American and National Leagues first played a 162-game schedule in 1962 (the AL did so in 1961, the NL in 1962). Fewest Regular-Season Wins by World Series Winner Since Both Leagues Went to 162-Game Schedule W-L 2006 Cardinals 83-78 1987 Twins 85-77 2000 Yankees 87-74 >> Excludes strike-shortened 1981 & 1995 seasons Fewest Combined Regular-Season Wins by WS Opponents 122 1981 << Dodgers (63) def. Yankees (59) 159 1918 << Red Sox (75) def. Cubs (84) 176 1973 Athletics (94) def. Mets (82) 177 2014 Royals (89) vs. Giants (88) >> Shortened season * Five Wild Card teams have won the World Series and 3 of those Fall Classics went the full 7 games. Wild Card Teams to Win World Series Opponent Result 2011 Cardinals Rangers 4-3 2004 Red Sox Cardinals 4-0 2003 Marlins Yankees 4-2 2002 << Angels Giants 4-3 1997 Marlins Indians 4-3 >> Both teams were Wild Cards * This is the 1st World Series between winners of the Wild Card Game and the 2nd World Series between 2 Wild Card teams (in 2002, the Angels defeated the Giants in 7 games). Wild Card Teams to Reach World Series Result Opponent 2014 Giants ? Royals 2014 Royals ? Giants 2011 Cardinals Won Rangers 2007 Rockies Lost Red Sox 2006 Tigers Lost Cardinals 2005 Astros Lost White Sox 2004 Red Sox Won Cardinals 2003 Marlins Won Yankees 2002 Angels Won Giants 2002 Giants Lost Angels 2000 Mets Lost Yankees 1997 Marlins Won Indians GIANTS NOTES * The Giants have won 2 of the past 4 World Series titles. Only 4 different franchises in baseball history have won 3 World Series in 5 seasons, including the Athletics, who did it in 2 different cities. 3 World Series Titles in 5 Seasons - MLB History Occurrences Last Span New York Yankees 8 1996-2000 Boston Red Sox 2 1915-18 Oakland Athletics 1 1972-74 St. Louis Cardinals 1 1942-46 Philadelphia Athletics 1 1910-13 >> Giants: 2 World Series titles from 2010-13 * Bruce Bochy is looking to become the 10th manager in major-league history to win 3 World Series titles. The 9 managers who have won 3 are all in the Hall of Fame. * Bochy is one of 12 men to manage 20 seasons, compile a winning record, and win multiple World Series. Ten of the other 11 are in the Hall of Fame. FROM ELIAS: Most Consecutive Postseason Rounds Won - Managers All-Time Seasons Joe Torre 11 1998-2001 Bruce Bochy 9 << 2010-14 Sparky Anderson 6 1975-84 Joe McCarthy 6 1932-41 >> Active Streak FROM ELIAS: Most Consecutive Playoff Series Wins - MLB History 1998-01 Yankees 11 2010-14 Giants 8 << 1927-41 Yankees 8 1943-53 Yankees 7 >> Active streak Most World Series Appearances WS Titles Yankees 40 27 Giants 20 7 Cardinals 19 11 Dodgers 18 6 Athletics 14 9 * Madison Bumgarner has gone at least 7 innings allowing 3 runs or fewer in 5 straight postseason starts. Most Consecutive Starts with at least 7 IP & 3 R or Fewer Giants Postseason History 1921-23 Art Nehf 6 2012-14 Madison Bumgarner 5 1905-11 Christy Mathewson 5 1912-13 Christy Mathewson 4 * Buster Posey trails only Barry Bonds on the Giants all-time postseason RBI list. Pablo Sandoval is tied for 5th. Most Postseason RBI - Giants Franchise History Barry Bonds 21 Buster Posey 19 Rich Aurilia 18 Irish Meusel 17 Pablo Sandoval 16 Benito Santiago 16 * Sandoval has reached base in 23 straight postseason games, the longest streak in team history. Most Consecutive Games Reaching Base - Giants Postseason History Seasons Pablo Sandoval 23 << 2012-14 Barry Bonds 21 2002-03 Buster Posey 16 2010-12 >> Active streak ROYALS NOTES * The Royals have won 8 straight games to start this postseason, the most in major-league history. Most Consecutive Wins to Start a Postseason - MLB History Won WS? 2014 Royals 8 << ? 2007 Rockies 7 No 1976 Reds 7 Yes 1970 Orioles 6 Yes >> Active Streak * The Royals havent lost a playoff game since Game 4 of the 1985 World Series. So theres a 29-year gap, but they now have the third-longest win streak in baseball postseason history, trailing only the Yankees team that won titles in 1998 and 1999, and the Yankees club featuring Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig that swept three World Series between 1927 and 1932. * The Royals are just the 5th team to sweep the ALCS since moving to the best-of-7 format in 1985, and the first since the 2012 Detroit Tigers. Kansas City will look to break the trend though, and become the first team in this span to win the World Series after sweeping the ALCS. * The Royals are the 3rd Wild Card team to sweep their LCS en route to the World Series. The 2 previous teams to do so lost in the World Series. Wild Card Teams to Sweep League Championship Series LCS Opponent WS Result 2014 Royals Orioles ? 2007 Rockies Diamondbacks Lost, 4-0 (BOS) 2006 Tigers Athletics Lost, 4-1 (STL) * Ned Yost has won all 8 of his postseason games as a manager, the longest streak to begin a managerial career in postseason history. Most Consecutive Postseason Wins To Begin Managerial Career Team 2014 Ned Yost 8 Royals 2007 Clint Hurdle 7 Rockies 2009 Joe Girardi 5 Yankees >> Source: Elias Sports Bureau * His 8 wins in this postseason are already tied for the most postseason wins by a manager in franchise history. Most Postseason Wins by Royals Manager W-L Ned Yost 8-0 Dick Howser 8-12 Jim Frey 5-4 Whitey Herzog 5-9 * According to the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, before the start of the regular season, Kansas City was 15-to-1 to win the pennant, tied with the Indians for 8th in the AL, and 30-to-1 to win the Pro Baseball Championship. * The Royals have as many playoff wins in this postseason as the Chiefs do in their entire franchise history. * Lorenzo Cain won ALCS MVP, hitting .533 with 2 extra-base hits in the series. The Royals offense has seen a big improvement since Ned Yost moved Cain to the 3-hole and Alcides Escobar to the leadoff spot on September 13th. Royals Offense This Season - Before/After Lineup Change Before After BA .260 .278 OBP .310 .343 Slug pct .374 .393 Runs PG 4.0 4.7 >> Escobar 1st and Cain 3rd since Sept. 13 * They also kept up their small-ball success, scoring both runs on a fielders choice and an error. They are trying to become the 6th team in history to finish last in baseball in HR and win the World Series, and the 1st American League team since the 1924 Senators. Finished Last in MLB in HR - Won World Series 2012 Giants 1982 Cardinals 1965 Dodgers 1924 Senators 1906 White Sox >> Royals were last in HR this season * The Royals snapped the 7th-longest streak without a World Series appearance, and extended the 6th-longest for the Orioles in the process. Most Seasons Without a World Series Appearance - Active Streaks Last App Cubs 69 1945 Nationals/Expos 46 Never Mariners 38 Never Pirates 35 1979 Brewers 32 1982 Orioles 31 1983 Royals 28 << 1985 >> Snapped this season ** Below is a visual representation - it shows where outfielders make catches on at least half of the balls hit with a 3-4 second hang time (most fly balls). The blue zones show the ground the Royals outfield covers. The orange zones show the ground covered by average MLB player at that position. OVERALL POSTSEASON NOTES POSTSEASON BY THE NUMBERS: 56% - Thats the percentage of games that have been decided by 1 run this postseason... Thats easily the highest percentage in the Wild Card Era 11 - Thats how many games this postseason have been decided in a teams final at-bat... That includes walk-off wins, extra-inning games, and games when the road team won it in the last inning... Thats already tied for the most such games in a single postseason 8 - There have been 8 home runs hit by 5 different rookies in this postseason... Both of those are 2nd-most in a single postseason... Kolten Wong had 3 of them. ----------------------------- ALL ABOUT THE BULLPENS * The Royals arent the only team getting excellent pitching from the bullpen. Battle of the Bullpens - This Postseason Giants Royals ERA 1.78 1.80 WHIP 0.88 1.00 Opp BA .164 .179 K/BB 2.7 2.8 Lowest Opponents Batting Average by Bullpen Single Postseason Since 1970 (Min. 30 IP) 2003 Red Sox .142 1990 Reds .152 2014 Giants<< .164 1988 Athletics .170 1997 Orioles .173 2014 Royals<< .179 >>Combined for 1.79 ERA in 70 1/3 IP Relief Pitcher Comparison 2014 Postseason Giants Royals IP 35 1/3 35 ERA 1.78 1.80 Opp BA .164 .179 K-BB 30-11 36-13 * The Royals rode their excellent late-inning relievers all the way to the World Series. Their three relief studs have been almost untouchable in the postseason. Royals Top Relievers This Postseason Batters Line Hard-Hit Faced Drives Balls Kelvin Herrera 33 3 1 Wade Davis 34 3 3 Greg Holland 33 2 1 >> Combined: 100 batters faced, 8 line drives, 5 hard-hit balls ** If youre wondering how the Giants might fair against high velocities from the Kansas City bullpen, its worth noting just how well a few Giants hit pitches of 95+ from right-handed pitchers this season (as Holland, Davis and Herrera all are). Notable Giants Batters BA vs Pitches 95+ MPH Vs RHP - MLB Ranks This Season 6. Hunter Pence .373 10. Buster Posey .344 29. Pablo Sandoval .322 >>MLB average: .243 BA >>>Ranks out of 150 qualified batters Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Authentic . The Wild, playing their first game since leading scorer Mikko Koivu broke his ankle Saturday at Washington, have won three straight for the first time since Nov. 1-5. Koivu underwent surgery on Monday and is expected to miss at least four weeks. Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys China . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. http://www.cheapmapleleafsjerseys.com/ .com) - A pair of Eastern Conference rivals will meet on Saturday as D. Cheap Toronto Maple Leafs Jerseys . Dont miss a single shot, live on TSN beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Winners of their last eight games, the Heat return to Toronto for the second time in the month of November. After beginning the season 4-3, allowing 100.9 points on 47 per cent shooting, Miamis resurgent defence has vaulted them back to the top of a weak Eastern Conference. Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys . -- After a year spent travelling the world, Brooks Koepka suddenly is in a position to play a lot more golf at home.After the Sebastian Giovinco press conference ended, I sat at the top table with Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney. Yet this was no ordinary chat. It was men playing with toys. Out came the Subbuteo players, two teams on a fantasy field and away we went talking about tactics, formations and much more. Vanney, of course, was given the red team. Kristian Jack: Greg, you mentioned in the press conference you see Giovinco more centrally as a playmaker linking the central midfield with the forward. Is there a thought that you could play him more out wide in a front three? Greg Vanney: He could, yes, if we find a scenario where there isnt enough space. KJ: Thats my concern and why I brought it up. If someone plays a double pivot and they squeeze the space for him, you need him operating in space, surely? So maybe he could play further wide in a front three, like Alexis Sanchez, for example, at Arsenal? GV: Absolutely we could do that; take him out where there is more space on the field. It is very hard to man mark a player when he comes to the outside of the field so as we recognize a teams approach, if they look to man mark him then or crowd a space then, he comes out from the middle and the assignments become very unclear for the opposition, he could drift out and we could slide other pieces in. The objective is to get him the ball as much as possible when he is facing forward and going at the backline. I think he is as special an attacking midfielder as there has ever been in this league. He has a great combination of being able to set other people up but also create his own chance and thats invaluable in this league. We were looking for a number ten and I think he is a great hybrid of a number ten and a nine and a half where he can actually finish; he isnt just a setup guy. I am really excited in how these pieces are all coming together and also excited about the ones we are pursuing that we will add to our roster. Greg Vanney/Les Jones KJ: Lets get into some of the pieces you have now. I want to talk about Michael Bradleys role. We all know what happened last year under Jürgen. Sometimes too much of this. (At this stage I pick up Bradley from a central position, move him forward and turn his back to the attacking goal. Vanney nods his head). In a midfield three, do you always see him as a six, or an eight as well? GV: Six or an eight. I dont see him as a ten. KJ: So even before Giovinco arrives, Michael could play as often as a number eight (man centrally on the table ahead of the deepest midfielder) than a six? GV: Yes, we need to make sure who plays this role (pointing to the six), whether it is a guy we currently have, that they are complimentary pieces. The way our system will work is that it will free up either one of these guys at the right opportunity to go forward and when that happens, there needs to be discipline from the other one to stay. There has to be balance, we dont want to limit Michael from recognizing the opportunity to go forward and be a key factor but we also know that he can also really help us to create plays from that deeper position. But then what I think is his special quality is when he says I see a gap and I am going to drive for the gap and get involved in the attack and he needs the freedom to do that and we will cover him in behind. KJ: So what you are saying is if there is a collective balance and the team is playing well, he can be both a six and an eight? GV: Yes, thats part of the complimentary pieces of that midfield. Part of what I think happened last season is that we had such a short amount of time when I joined them and we tended to stay with what we had and in a shape where he was protecting us a little more and I think now as we evolve as a team and have more time in our system, I think he will, and we have talked through this, now have the confidence to go forward and well know who is responsible for covering that space instead of him feeling like he had to do that all the time to protect the defence. KJ: To the other DP. Jozy Altidore. How important is it, regardless of the system, to have strikers who can combine and play off others and am I right in saying that needed to be addressed this offseason with this team? GV: Yes, absolutely. They need to be complimentary pieces. Jozy is a big strong guy who can do a lot of different things; he can hold up the ball, get in behind, he can combine and I think he has been the most successful when the ball has been on the deck and he can combine with people, so having somebody who can understand that type of game and play off him is important. I think last year our two best forwards didnt combine well and it is no secret that they didnt love playing together so now finding guys that are complimentary to each other in the attacking third is critical to breaking down defences. KJ: In most of the games you took charge of last season, you played with two up front, mainly because of the cards you were dealt but Houston home, New York away, for examples, you asked a wide left midfielder to come in centrally to compensate. How vital is that in a 4-4-2? GV: There has to be some collaboration on the field in terms of who is getting into the gaps but you have to have players who are capable playing between the oppositions back line and midfield line where the pockets open up. A lot of times, when you have a player like Jozy, who can threaten the space in behind, defending groups will drop off to prevent you from getting in behind their backline, which is your objective because it is the clearest path to goal, so teams tend to drop off quickly but dont expose the space behind so then you have to play between the lines. So we needed guys who are comfortable in that, where they could receive the ball and face forward and then put the oppositions defence in crisis and make them make decisioons.dddddddddddd For us that works, at times, with a wide guy coming off who can receive on a half turn, face forward and combine off the strikers and that was something we looked at last year. The other option is with strikers and with two you can stack them where one can press high and one can play underneath and in the gap created by the high striker. The concept is you want to get into spaces between lines, facing forward and put the backline into some sort of decision-making crisis where somebody has to step out of line to close the ball, which then creates gaps for you to get into. Near the end of the year, we went to three in the middle, at times, to create an imbalance. KJ: With the 4-3-3, it often drops into a 4-1-4-1 without the ball, I know you like that system so talk to me about solving issues around that system. How do you stop your deepest midfielder being isolated where runs from deep positions can overload him centrally and from wide areas? GV: The shape of the midfield, in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-2-3-1, is situational and whats important is that players understand what shape you are in in any given situation. If you are against a transition and really pressing high, if you are ahead of the ball, its really difficult to press so you want to make sure you keep your shape behind the attack so if the ball turns over, players can then step from a position where they are protecting the goal but are also able to keep the ball in a smaller area where numbers can start to get around them. When we get into the attacking area, the shape alters when in possession, so we can swing the ball side-to-side to open up gaps, but also if the ball transitions, then you can step up and try and lock it in but if it transitions and you have too many numbers high, then you cant close the gap. At this stage Vanney talks at length to the table, moving three players in a triangle around often in the central zone about who should cover and recognize in certain areas. We discuss at length the role of full backs in transition and whether to track underlapping runs and what to do if up against a front man or strike partnership. As he moves the players around, you can hear the passion in his voice about defending transitions and why its vital for Toronto FC going forward. Its no secret last season it wasnt too much of a problem because they couldnt spend enough time dictating play in the final third. KJ: When you played last season and you got really deep defensively as a unit, when a team presses you, do you need a wing player high to stretch? GV: Yes, yes. Important. When we were looking to play out the back and set up our plays going forward, we are constantly looking to create situations where we have a number advantage. Ideally, we want to create 2vs1 in various points of the field. We have certain cues, as a team depending if they are pressing as two, or one, where is the next line of pressure coming from? Is it coming from a winger, central player, so then we can shift and use those gaps. We have our baseline for how we play out but really its also dictated on how the opposition is pressing us and that shifts us into our cues so then this guy should be able to shift into space. The opposition will always want to keep plus one at the back so if they do that, then we should always be plus one in our half so we just need to be able to shift the ball accordingly depending on where the pressure is coming from. KJ: I want to ask you about the clubs identity. People talk about Barcelona and how all the teams play a style. Marcelo Bielsa brought the 3-1-3-3 to Chiles domestic league by playing it with the national team. Do you look long-term and want to be the guy who starts something here that has all the teams, at different levels at Toronto FC, playing the same way and, if so, is it a hybrid of 4-3-3? GV: First of all, yes we want a system that goes from our top team to our young players. It gives an opportunity to our young players to come through and make a difference in the first team because its such a jump to go from the academy to a pro team and move into an improvisational system where there isnt any clarity is a big jump for a player. But if you come in and you say to them this is your role, here are the five things you have to do, then its an easier process and then they learn as they adapt and get their feet wet. That, to me, makes the most sense. In terms of how we want to play could vary but our principles of play will remain the same. We want to be in possession, dictate the game in possession, move the opposition into their half of the field. If we win the ball in moments, while the opposition is in crisis, then we want to attack quickly, get them while they are out of shape and get to goal. My opinion is counter-attacking is an opportunity, not something we want to be doing every single time. We want to be able to play both in possession and then recognize moments to hit opposition on the counter. Out of possession, by pushing teams into their own half, we want to be aggressive in getting the ball back quickly. If you have numbers in the opposing half, it makes sense to take those numbers and put pressure on the ball. Again, if you cant, in the moments the opposition has secured the ball and have time on it, we cant then press in those moments, we need to regain our shape, reorganize and have a collective understanding of where we want the opposition to play, and think where do we want to force them to try to recover the ball again? and start the process again. Starting processes is nothing new in Toronto FC land. Yet as we pack up our toys, Greg Vanney is still smiling. Im ready to prepare this team and I hope this offseason will never be this long again, he says. There is no question Vanney has put many of those spare hours into thinking just how his team will look in 2015. ' ' '