The Kansas City Royals just avoided elimination at home by completely obliterating Jake Peavy and the San Francisco Giants to force a climactic Game 7 at home to close out the 2014 World Series. Even as this home-field advantage had little to do with how Kansas City's all-stars performed in the mid-summer classic (Salvador Perez went 0 for 1, Greg Holland pitched a scoreless inning, and Alex Gordon didn't even enter the game), they will benefit from their fellow AL teammates who defeated the National League.
While many still argue if awarding the All-Star winner with home-field advantage for the World Series is fair, it will be a moot point when the championship is settled at Kauffman stadium. This matchup will mark the 37th occasion in which a Fall Classic goes the distance.
Games 7 used to be a common sight in the World Series, but they have grown scarcer during the past few decades. To wit, there were 7 between 1952 and 1962, and 5 in the 1970's, but we have only gotten 5 since 1991. Overall, home teams have gone a combined 19-17 in Games 7, but they have been undefeated since 1979, when the Pittsburgh Pirates shocked the Baltimore Orioles in Memorial Stadium.
The Giants will try to buck this trend, while the Royals are in prime position to make it 10 straight for the home team. Today we take a look at how the seventh game has played out ever since the 1979 upset, as we prepare to see history unfold when the teams take the field and close out the 2014 MLB season.
1982 ? St. Louis Cardinals over Milwaukee Brewers
The '82 Series played out exactly like the one in 2014, with the Brewers stealing home-field advantage with a Game 1 win, only to fall back at 1-2 and then win two straight to set up two chances to clinch in St. Louis. The problem was that the Cardinals kept their cool and won the last two games at home by a combined score of 19-4, even as the Brew Crew held a 3-1 lead during the sixth inning in the final game. This remains the only World Series appearance in Milwaukee's history.
1985 ? Kansas City Royals over St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were again set to play a game 7, only this time the AL had home-field advantage. In a series mostly remembered by an umpiring gaffe that gave the Royals new life in game 6, though it is also historic because Kansas came back from a 3-1 deficit that had started by losing their first two games at home. In Game 7, the Cardinals appeared to be still shocked by their failure to clinch, and the Royals easily won with a score of 11-0.
1986 ? New York Mets over Boston Red Sox
While this series is mostly famous for its Game 6 and Bill Buckner's error, it also featured a tense Game 7. After the game was rained out and pushed back a day, it seemed that Boston had been able to shake off the shock after storming out to a 3-0 lead that stood after 5 innings. However, the Mets tied the game in the sixth and added three more in the seventh, cruising to an 8-5 victory that prolonged the Curse of the Bambino for yet another year.
1987 ? Minnesota Twins over St. Louis Cardinals
Home-field advantage was the focal point of this series, as the home team won each of the 7 games. Even as the Twins were actually outscored during the regular season and were supposed to be a sub-.500 team, their strength in the Metrodome was enough to overcome their flaws. Their 56-25 record at home during the season was only a premonition of what would happen in the playoffs, where they went 6-0. In Game 7, the Cardinals had a 2-0 lead in the second, but they failed to score again as the Twins slowly accumulated runs to win 4-2 in the end.
1991 ? Minnesota Twins over Atlanta Braves
With a 51-30 record at home, the Twins were again a force in the Metrodome, and again it showed in a World Series where the home team won every game. The final matchup ranks as one of the most memorable games in history, as John Smoltz and Jack Morris battled for nine scoreless innings. Morris pitched the 10th, but Smoltz was pulled and the Twins promptly broke through to win the series in walk-off fashion.
1997 ? Florida Marlins over Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians have one of the most underrated curses in American sports, and in 1997 they suffered one of the most devastating losses in their history. Both teams alternated wins during the first 6 games of the series, and in Game 7 the Indians jumped to a 2-0 lead that seemed unsurmountable. However, the Marlins chipped a run in the seventh and forced extra innings after Indians closer Jose Mesa blew the save. The game went along until the 11th, when Edgar Renteria singled home the winning run with two outs.
2001 ? Arizona Diamondbacks over New York Yankees
In yet another series in which home teams won all 7 games, Game 7 represented the exclamation point of one of the most dramatic World Series of all time. The Yankees had won three straight 1-run games to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Arizona, where the Dbacks won Game 6 on a 15-2 laugher. However, Game 7 took on epic proportions as the Bombers took a 2-1 lead heading into the ninth with uber-closer Mariano Rivera. Arizona fought back and won on Luis Gonzalez's walk-off single with the bases loaded, and we would be lucky if Giants-Royals gives us a similar unforgettable finish.
2002 ? Anaheim Angels over San Francisco Giants
The last time the Giants faced a Game 7, it came in a similar fashion. They left San Francisco with a 3-2 series lead, though that time they had a huge opportunity to clinch in Game 6. With a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, it all seemed wrapped up for the Giants, but the Angels battled back with consecutive 3-run innings to set up Game 7. In the deciding game, the Giants had a short-lived 1-0 lead in the second but failed to score again as the Angels clinched with a 4-1 victory behind a brilliant John Lackey.
2011 ? St. Louis Cardinals over Texas Rangers
The 2011 World Series may not have featured many memorable moments as a whole, but Game 6 stands as one of the most riveting matchups in recent memory. The Rangers were twice a strike away from winning their first title, but David Freese's heroics and Lance Berkman's clutch hit were enough to force a Game 7. The Rangers seemed to be unfazed by the crushing loss, opening with a 2-0 lead in the first, but St. Louis tied quickly and Chris Carpenter didn't allow another run to seal a 6-2 victory. In a way, the Rangers haven't recovered since then.
-- by Sporting Charts
