5 Bold Predictions for the 2014 Royals vs. Giants World Series

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who admit they didn't see a Kansas City Royals vs. San Francisco Giants Fall Classic coming...and liars.

That's not to say that Kansas City and San Francisco don't belong on baseball's biggest stage. After slipping in with wild-card berths, both squads have streaked through October like bolts of lightening, with San Francisco going an impressive 8-2 and Kansas City an impeccable 8-0.

Still, this matchup qualifies as an unmitigated surprise, a fittingly odd end to a wild postseason.

Why should the craziness stop here? Surely the Royals and Giants—who have filled their respective runs with nail-gnawing finishes and whiplash-inducing twists—have a few more surprises in store.

We won't know what they are until the action starts Tuesday. While we wait, here are five bold predictions for the World Series no one saw coming.

Terrance Gore Will Get His First Big League Hit

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Terrance Gore started the season at Single-A and logged just one big league at-bat. So, naturally, he's on the Royals' World Series roster.

Gore got here on his legs, stealing 47 bases in 54 attempts in the minor leagues. His skipper, Ned Yost, calls him "a game-changer," per USA Today's Ted Berg. 

So far this postseason, Gore has used only his legs, appearing exclusively as a pinch runner. He's made an impact, swiping three bags, scoring a run and driving opposing pitchers to distraction. But he hasn't taken a swing.

That could change. The Royals are about to get their first taste of National League baseball, where pitchers hit and bench players see more action. It's easy to imagine a scenario, late in a game or in extra innings, where the Royals will need Gore to handle the lumber.

If that happens, it says right here he'll collect his first MLB knock—maybe a line drive, maybe a slow roller—and then, naturally, use those legs.

Tim Lincecum Will Pitch and Pitch Well

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Tim Lincecum has been on the Giants' active roster every step of the way this postseason, but he hasn't faced a single batter. Not in the marathon 18-inning contest in the National League Division Series. Not in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, when starter Ryan Vogelsong lasted just three innings.

Instead, San Francisco has relied on Yusmeiro Petit as its long man, and Petit has delivered, tossing nine scoreless innings.

Which raises the question: What do the Giants need with Lincecum?

Yes, he threw a no-hitter in June. And yes, of course, he was a vital part of San Francisco's 2010 and, to a lesser extent, 2012 championship runs. But the two-time Cy Young winner was simply dreadful in the second half, posting a 7.59 ERA and getting banished to the bullpen. Will manager Bruce Bochy really hand that guy the ball with everything on the line?

"You can’t ever have enough pitching and experience," Bochy told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think about Timmy all the time. Trust me. We know what he can do for us."

Lincecum tossed some big innings as a reliever in the 2012 playoffs. That year, though, his skipper trusted him enough to pitch him in every round and even give him a start. This year? Not so much.

Still, call us crazy, but it feels like there's a moment coming for Timmy and that, when it comes, he'll rise to meet it. These are the Giants, after all, the club that won the pennant on a walk-off home run by Travis Ishikawa, a journeyman first baseman converted to the outfield who contemplated retirement earlier this season. 

Compared to that, Lincecum turning back the clock sounds downright plausible. 

The Royals Will Hit an Inside-the-Park Home Run

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If the name Mule Haas doesn't ring any bells, don't feel bad. He was the last guy to hit an inside-the-park home run in a World Series game...way back in 1929.

So it's a rare feat, a lost art. This Royals club, though, looks primed to bring it back.

You know all about Kansas City's blazing speed. The Royals led all of baseball with 153 thefts in the regular season, and they've swiped 13 more in the postseason. These guys can fly.

Which brings us to AT&T Park, home of the Giants—and Triples Alley.

For those unfamiliar, that's the nickname given to an expanse of right-center field that extends 421 feet from home plate. Balls that carom there can roll for a long time.

Ask Ichiro Suzuki, who hit the first inside-the-park jack in All-Star Game history at AT&T in 2007. Here's how ESPN.com's Jayson Stark described it at the time:

"

This was the tale of a suddenly defenseless outfielder...watching a baseball that was determined to pinball around the funkiest right field in America until the man who hit it had orbited the bases.

"

Could it happen again? You bet. The Royals have an array of candidates, guys with bats capable of targeting Triples Alley and legs capable of touching 'em all. But we're going with Lorenzo Cain, the ALCS MVP, who hit one this September against the Detroit Tigers.

Mule Haas, move over.

Pablo Sandoval Will Have a Multi-Home Run Game

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There's something about October that wakes up the Kung Fu Panda.

It's not that Pablo Sandoval had a bad regular season; he hit .279 with 16 home runs. But since the playoffs began, he's been a different animal—patient, selective, clutch. 

One thing Sandoval hasn't done is launch a long ball...yet.

Recall the 2012 World Series, Game 1. Justin Verlander is on the hill for the Tigers. In his first at-bat, Sandoval smacks one. In his next at-bat, he smacks another. Then, with the incredulous Verlander in the dugout, he smacks one more for good measure.

With that, the Giants' rotund third baseman joined the three-dinger Fall Classic club, an exclusive group that counts among its members Albert Pujols, Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. 

We won't go so far as to say that Sandoval will do that again. But we'll go out on a limb (bamboo shoot?) and predict he'll add another multi-homer performance to his impressive postseason resume—and another chapter to the legend of the October Panda.

The Giants Will Play the Longest Game in Postseason History—Again

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At six hours and 23 minutes, Game 2 of the NLDS between the Giants and Washington Nationals was the longest game, time-wise, in MLB playoff history. It was a grueling, pulse-pounding affair, an 18-inning test of wills that San Francisco ultimately won, 2-1, on a home run by first baseman Brandon Belt.

It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime game. But it might not even be once-in-a-postseason.

All the hallmarks of that contest—strong starting pitching, shutdown bullpen work, slick defense—will be on display in the World Series.

The Giants and Royals have already played six extra-inning games between them, and of their 18 combined playoffs games, 12 have been decided by two runs or fewer. 

Expect more sweat, more teeth-gnashing and more marathons that can't be settled in a mere nine frames. Including—why not?—one that breaks the record San Francisco just set.

Really, with an October this exciting, who wants it to end?

All statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.