This Postseason Giants Royals ERA 1.78 1.80

Saracens lock forward Alistair Hargreaves has retired from rugby with immediate effect following a concussion injury. Hargreaves made 79 appearances for Saracens over four years, leading the club to the Premiership title in 2015. Win the Rugby Trip of a Lifetime Enter a free prize draw when you buy tickets for Argentina v Australia at Twickenham The 30-year-old said: Its been a very tough decision to make. Ive suffered a number of concussions in the last two seasons and after seeking medical advice Ive come to the conclusion that the risk is outweighing the reward. I have a young family, I have to make decisions that are right by them and although this was a hard decision for me personally its one that I feel is the right one to make. Hargreaves (No 5) in the thick of the action for Saracens against Ulster I leave as a Saracens man to the core. My time in South Africa was fantastic, it was great to play for the Sharks and be capped by the Springboks but this time at Saracens has been my highlight. Ive grown as a rugby player but more importantly, Ive grown as a human being.Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall added: The welfare of our players is of paramount importance - we are fully supportive of Alistairs decision. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. He has played a key role in our recent success with his character, hard-work and leadership coming to the fore over the last four seasons. We wish Alistair, his wife Carmen and their young son the very best for the future.Earlier this year, Saracens appointed centre Brad Barritt as captain he led the side to the Premiership and European Champions Cup titles while Hargreaves was sidelined through injury.Together with former team-mate Chris Wyles, Hargreaves has launched a brewery and the pair are considering opening pubs and creating more beers. You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Kruis: Itoje Englands answer Saracens sign Fenby as cover Fixtures and results Rugby Union on Sky Chandler Catanzaro Jersey . Top-seeded Djokovic, who is making only his second appearance this year after reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, was a 6-3, 6-3 winner over 54th-ranked Istomin of Uzbekistan. "It wasnt as easy as the scoreline indicates," said Djokovic, who has won in Dubai on four occasions. Chandler Catanzaro Buccaneers Jersey . The 42-ranked Czech saved seven break points while converting his one chance, and defeated the No. 3 seed in 1 hour 46 minutes. Rosol, who lost in the final in Stuttgart against Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday, awaits the winner between Philipp Kohlschreiber or 2011 champion Gilles Simon. http://www.shopbuccaneersauthentic.com/Y...n-Elite-Jersey/. Neither player was available Saturday for the Knicks 107-98 loss in Atlanta. "Were going in a different direction and weve got to figure out another spot or two for our ballclub," coach Mike Woodson said before the game. Vita Vea Jersey . In this weeks Leaf Report podcast, James Mirtle and Jonas Siegel debate whether Toronto can continue their shootout dominance and discuss what Dave Nonis game plan should be heading into the trade deadline. M.J. Stewart Buccaneers Jersey . -- Each time the Utah Jazz threatened Memphis lead, the Grizzlies responded with defensive stops.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 >> Giannts: 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.dddddddddddd 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. 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