James Shields (33) will start Game 1 of the World Series for the Royals. (John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Manager Ned Yost remained evasive on who the Kansas City Royals starting pitcher would be for Tuesday’s opening game of the World Series against the San Francisco Giants.
Then Yost tipped his hand Friday before a Royals’ workout. “Shields threw a great game against them here, shut them out,” Yost said.
If anybody but “Big Game” James Shields starts the first game it would be shocking.
Shields was acquired in a Dec. 9, 2012, trade with Tampa Bay for moments like this. He has been the Royals’ Opening Day starter the past two years. He started the wild-card game against Oakland. He was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels and started the American League Championship Series opener against Baltimore.
Shields threw his only complete-game shutout this season against the Giants on Aug. 9. He limited San Francisco to three singles and a double, while striking out five and walking one. Of the 111 pitches he threw, 73 were strikes.
–Yost went to Dublin (Calif.) High and Chabot Junior College in Hayward, Calif., before the New York Mets drafted him in 1974.
“I grew up in the Bay Area. I grew up a Giants’ fan, so it’s going to be special,” Yost said. “I’ve got the utmost respect for [Giants manager] Bruce Bochy.
“The San Francisco Giants are a team a lot like us. They are a team that scraps ball games out. They’ve got great pitching. Their bullpen is dynamic. Their defense is very solid. It’s going to be a fun series.”
–The middle three games of the series will be played at AT&T Park under National League rules, which means the Royals will lose designated hitter Billy Butler with the pitchers hitting.
“The difference now is every series we’ve played up to the point has been an American League series,” Yost said. “Now this is going to be a four-game American League series and a three-game National League series. We’re looking at all of our options (for the roster).
“It’s a totally different game. You pinch hit a lot more. You need a little more versatility. You’ll have the ability to double switch, which will help. You’ve got to have pinch hitters lined up. If you pinch hit three times over the course of a game, that could happen easily. If you’re pinch hitting four times, you’re in extra innings.”
Yost managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2003-08, so he is familiar with the National league approach.
“It’s a fun style,” he said. “I’ve never really managed two styles in one series. It’s a different type. There are a lot more things that are involved. The double switch comes into play. Pinch hitting comes into play. When do you pinch hit this guy? When do you pinch hit that guy? There’s a lot more strategy-wise in a National League game.
“You can’t try to get (starters) deeper into the game because sometimes situations just don’t allow it, depending on the score. You may come into the fifth or sixth inning with runners on second and third. Even though your starter is throwing great, you’ve got to take the opportunity to score there.
“It’s a lot easier in the American League because you don’t have to worry about that. … In the National League, score dictates, innings dictate, base runners dictate. A lot more goes into it in a National League game.”
–The Royals had a brief workout lasting about an hour on Friday.
Afterward left-hander Danny Duffy threw a two-inning simulated game, and relievers Louis Coleman and Aaron Crow, who were not on previous playoff rosters, each threw one inning. The World Series rosters have yet to be set.
