October Giants

UPDATE, 10:10 P.M.: Kansas City, Mo. – The immovable force was a 25-year-old mountain of a pitcher with iron nerves and an uncanny ability to quiet a hostile crowd in the biggest of games.

The unstoppable object was a spunky team that found a way to win every game it had played this October after it reached the postseason for the first time in 29 years.

When Game 1 of the 2014 World Series was over, and the scoreboard said 7-1 Giants, it also could have read, “Nerves of Iron 1, Spunk 0.”

Tuesday night’s game at Kauffman Stadium was no contest because Madison Bumgarner did what he always does on the road in the postseason. He became a left-handed stop sign for seven innings, holding the Royals to a seventh-inning Salvador Perez home run that, remarkably, produced the first World Series run that Bumgarner has allowed in three starts.

It also ended his record postseason road scoreless streak at 32 2/3 innings.

But it happened when the Giants had a 7-0 lead after they took it to James Shields for three first-inning runs, two on Hunter Pence’s first homer in more than a month.

“We wanted to get the momentum on our side as soon as possible with Madison on the mound and let him settle into his groove,” first baseman Brandon Belt said. “Fortunately we were able to do it early.”

And, by taking an early lead in the Series, the Giants have recent history squarely on their side. The Game 1 winner has captured 10 of the past 11 World Series.