Hunter Pence had three of the Giants 16 hits against the Royals. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)
SAN FRANCISCO — Right-hander Yusmeiro Petit stalled the Kansas City Royals with three shutout innings of relief and the San Francisco Giants rallied from behind with 10 straight runs during a five-inning stretch Saturday night en route to an 11-4 victory in Game 4 of the World Series.
The comeback from a 4-1 deficit allowed the Giants to tie the best-of-seven series at 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Sunday night in San Francisco. Royals right-hander James Shields will oppose Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner in a rematch of Game 1, won 7-1 by the Giants in Kansas City.
The Royals appeared well on their way to a third consecutive win and a decisive series lead when they knocked Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong from the game in a four-run third inning that gave the visitors a 4-1 lead.
But Petit, pitching for the first time in the series, faced only 10 batters in holding the Royals at bay in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, giving the Giants a chance to take charge of the game.
Petit, who was promoted to the Giants’ starting rotation in the second half of the regular season, has now pitched 12 consecutive scoreless innings of relief in the postseason during three appearances.
San Francisco got one run back in the bottom of the third, tied the score with two in the fifth and forged into the lead with a three-run sixth that featured a two-out, two-run hit by third baseman Pablo Sandoval.
Pinch-hitter Joaquin Arias got the tiebreaking uprising going with a single off the fourth Royals pitcher, lefty Brandon Finnegan.
A single by center fielder Gregor Blanco put two on, and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt by second baseman Joe Panik.
After catcher Buster Posey was intentionally walked, Finnegan got Giants right fielder Hunter Pence to ground to shortstop, with the Royals getting a forceout at the plate for the second out.
But Sandoval, batting right-handed against the lefty, then lined the first pitch he saw into center field, scoring Blanco and Posey with the go-ahead runs.
First baseman Brandon Belt followed with the Giants’ fourth hit of the inning, a single to center that scored Pence to increase the lead to 7-4.
The Giants broke the game open against Royals lefty Tim Collins in the seventh, scoring four times. Panik had a two-run double and Pence his third RBI of the night on a double to highlight the inning.
Petit, who allowed two hits in his three innings, got the win. Finnegan took the loss.
Neither starting pitcher — Royals left-hander Jason Vargas and Giants righty Ryan Vogelsong — factored in the decision.
Vogelsong hurt his own cause when he was a step late covering first base on a two-out ground ball by Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer in the third inning. That allowed left fielder Alex Gordon to score Kansas City’s first run of the night and tie the score at 1.
The Giants starter then walked third baseman Mike Moustakas to load the bases, and the Royals went on to score three more runs on a two-RBI single by second baseman Omar Infante and a run-scoring hit by catcher Salvador Perez.
Vogelsong was pulled at that point, having allowed four runs and seven hits in 2 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two.
Pence finished with three of the Giants’ 16 hits. Blanco, who scored three times, Panik and Sandoval added two hits apiece.
Hosmer and Perez had three hits each for the Royals, who totaled 12.
The Giants sandwiched the four-run Royals uprising with single runs of their own in the first and third innings.
The first run scored without the benefit of a hit when center fielder Gregor Blanco walked, took second on a wild pitch, stole third and dashed home on Pence’s fielder’s choice ground ball.
Pinch hitter Matt Duffy got the third inning rolling with a single. He scored on Posey’s two-out RBI single, but Vargas escaped further damage when he struck out Sandoval with two aboard.
The Giants sent Vargas to the showers and tied the score at 4-all in the fifth. Pence singled off reliever Jason Frazor for his second RBI of the game, scoring Panik. Left fielder Juan Perez provided the tying RBI with a sacrifice fly off Duffy, a ball on which Royals center fielder Jarrod Dyson made a diving catch.
Vargas pitched four-plus innings, allowing three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out three.
NOTES: Game 4 began among veiled — and mostly good-natured — accusations by the Royals that the Giants tampered with the basepaths in Game 3 on Friday. “I thought it was a little extra wet around first (base),” said Royals manager Ned Yost, who then joked, “Maybe the groundskeeper just was looking at all the Royals fans up in the corner (of the stadium) and just forgot (to turn off the water).” … While acknowledging he’d heard others say the basepaths were wet, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, “I didn’t say anything about the infield or do something. I’m being honest.” … Coincidentally, several hours of rain Saturday morning left the outfield wet for Game 4. The infield was covered with a tarp during the rain. … The Game 5 matchup of Royals RHP James Shields and Giants LHP Madison Bumgarner pits two of the top four pitchers this season in road wins. Shields, whose 10 road wins were one fewer than Bumgarner, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright, will be on the road Sunday. … Game 5 will be the 16th World Series game played in California, moving the state past Pennsylvania and into third place behind New York (191) and Missouri (71) among all-time Series hosts. … Before Saturday’s game, the Angels’ Mike Trout and the Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton were announced as winners of the Hank Aaron Award, given annually by Major League Baseball to the season’s best offensive performer in each league.
