The Kansas City Royals took their dream season to the limit, falling just short of their first World Series title since 1985. After qualifying for the postseason for the first time in 29 years, and taking an entire baseball-starved city on a magical ride to the World Series, the Royals ran into the Madison Bumgarner buzz-saw once again in Game 7. The San Francisco ace shut them down in five innings of relief, and the Giants held on for a 3-2 victory and their third championship in five years. The Royals were 90 feet away from forcing extra innings when Alex Gordon ripped a two-out single in the ninth, and center fielder Gregor Blanco misplayed the ball for an error that put Gordon on third base.