Key World Series Questions That Must Be Answered Before Champion Is Crowned

The 2014 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants has been fun to watch for MLB fans across the world.

There have been dominant relief outings, stellar offensive performances and fantastic defensive efforts from each dugout. And to this point, the Giants have been better at the small things, such as hitting with two strikes and with runners in scoring position.

So as the World Series moves back to Kauffman Stadium with the Giants one victory away from winning it all, what storylines still remain?

Here are four key questions that still must be answered in advance of Game 6 on Tuesday evening.   

Will Ned Yost's Unorthodox Style Cost the Royals?

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Never known as a master tactician, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost does things a bit differently. Some would say that he is unorthodox, implying that there’s a method to his madness. Others might call him whimsical, saying he's prone to making moves that “feel” right at the time.

However you wish to term it—and it largely depends on how you view Yost in general—there seems to be a lack of preparedness that goes back to his days with the Milwaukee Brewers.

This postseason is no different.

Take, for example, the American League Wild Card Game. With left-handed hitting Brandon Moss coming up, Yost elected to bring in right-hander Yordano Ventura to replace James Shields with two on and no outs in the top of the sixth inning.

Well, Ventura, who had only made one relief appearance all season, promptly put a 2-0 fastball over the plate that Moss hit the tar out of for a three-run home run, giving the Oakland A’s the lead. It would take a dramatic comeback off Jon Lester and the A’s bullpen to advance to the American League Division Series.

In Game 3 of the World Series, he let pitchers Jeremy Guthrie and Kelvin Herrera hit when their spot in the order came up, only to remove them a couple of batters into their next inning of work.

Runs are valuable, and letting a pitcher swing a bat when the situation calls for a pinch hitter is a dangerous way to go about one’s business. Worse yet, he didn’t have a reliever warming up when he let Guthrie hit in the sixth inning.

And in Game 5, he left Herrera in to start the eighth inning instead of going to Wade Davis. The result? Herrera gave up back-to-back singles to Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence, sparking a three-run inning.

So while Yost did a fine job in the American League Championship Series against Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles, one has to wonder: Will he make a decision that his roster can’t overcome in Game 6?

Can Jake Peavy Find His Groove?

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Prior to getting dealt to the San Francisco Giants on July 26, Jake Peavy was 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA, 4.80 FIP and a 1.427 WHIP in 20 starts for the Boston Red Sox. After the move, he went 6-4 in 12 starts with a sparkling 2.17 ERA, 3.03 FIP and put up a 1.042 WHIP.

It seemed as though everything was in place for Peavy to serve as an efficient complement to Madison Bumgarner in the Giants rotation.

Well, so far this postseason, he’s failed to make it out of the sixth inning, and while he has a respectable 3.68 ERA in three starts, he is not in command. His worst outing came in the World Series when he logged five innings of four-run ball, pitched to a 1.600 WHIP and took the loss in Game 2.

He has simply not been the dominant pitcher he was down the stretch.

Part of the reason is that his release point varied in Game 2, as Kevin Ruprecht from Beyond the Box Score correctly noted. In an interesting read, Ruprecht ultimately concludes that Peavy's less-than-overwhelming stuff becomes even more hittable if his release point isn't consistent, and in Game 2, it was all over the place.

With the World Series hanging in the balance, can Peavy maintain his release point and give the Giants seven innings of excellence? If he can, a title is there for the taking. If not, it could set the stage for a Game 7.

Will the Layoff Impact Billy Butler's Swing?

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Billy Butler got off to a rather slow start this postseason. Sure, he went 2-for-4 in the Wild Card Game and drove in two runs, but he went hitless in 12 plate appearances during the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels.

Beginning in the American League Championship Series, however, Butler began to turn things around.

Since Game 1 of the ALCS vs. the Baltimore Orioles, he is 7-for-21 with two doubles and five RBI. And even when he isn’t reaching base, he is making an impact, hitting two sacrifice flies in the ALCS.

And in Game 2 of the World Series, Butler tied the contest and hit the go-ahead single, sparking a dormant offense to victory. Flat out, Butler was on a roll.

Then the Royals went to AT&T Park for three games.

One has to wonder: Will the fact that Butler only logged one plate appearance in San Francisco impact his offensive presence?

In a must-win game, the Royals can’t afford to have any letdowns. This is a bit of stating the obvious, of course, but if Butler isn't ready to go, the Royals are already playing from behind.

Does Hunter Pence Have Enough to Overtake Madison Bumgarner for MVP?

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Going into Game 5, right fielder Hunter Pence had a 2014 World Series slash line of .467/.556/.800 with two doubles, five RBI and three walks. He’d also scored four times, collected 12 bases and slugged a home run.

He didn’t let up in Game 5, either, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. And let’s not overlook the stellar defense Pence played in right or the double-play ball he beat out in the first inning of Game 4 that ended up scoring Gregor Blanco. 

As Joe Panik noted, Pence is "fun to watch," per Ron Kroichick from the San Francisco Chronicle. He's also having a performance worthy of being named World Series MVP.

There is only one problem: Madison Bumgarner has been a beast in each of his two starts.

In Game 1, he tossed seven innings of one-run ball and struck out five. In Game 5, he threw a complete-game shutout. It was the first of its kind for the Giants since Jack Sanford accomplished the feat during the 1962 World Series against the New York Yankees, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

And with Tim Hudson, Jake Peavy and Ryan Vogelsong pitching to mixed results in their outings, there is no mistaking that Bumgarner set a vicious tone in his two starts.

To be sure, it will take the Royals forcing a Game 7 and a Giants victory for Pence to have any chance. But if he comes through, there will be a strong case to make that he deserves the recognition.

Unless otherwise noted, all traditional, team and historical statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference. Transaction, injury and game information are courtesy of MLB.com.

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