Pablo Sandoval dons costume panda head after getting record hit and winning World Series

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pablo Sandoval put the souvenir in his back pocket, the baseball used in the commission of his 26th postseason hit Wednesday night during Game 7 of the World Series. He put the costume panda head over his own head, a symbol of Sandoval going with the flow after the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 and won the World Series for the third time in five years. Sandoval's double to left in the eighth inning did not figure in the scoring, nor did it make a difference in Series MVP voting for Sandoval or Hunter Pence, who both hit prolifically but couldn't match the contribution of left-hander Madison Bumgarner. "If not for them, my teammates, we wouldn't be here," Sandoval said. "We've put in a lot of work together." Sandoval kept the baseball because it signifies a personal milestone, but it also might be his final hit in a Giants uniform. Sandoval has put in six-plus seasons with San Francisco, and he's hitting the free-agent market at any moment. The Boston Red Sox are said to be interested, but the Giants are, too. It's just a matter of general manager Brian Sabean finding the will and the money to compete with the other suitors. Giants'...