Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner delivered another dominant World Series display Sunday as San Francisco beat Kansas City 5-0 to move within one game of winning Major League Baseball's championship showcase.
The Giants took a commanding three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series, and can wrap up their third title in five years when the 110th World Series shifts to Kansas City on Tuesday for game six.
San Francisco snapped a 56-year title drought in 2010 and won again in 2012.
Game seven, if necessary, will be on Wednesday in Kansas City, with the Royals hoping they will still be alive to challenge for a second World Series crown. They are in the post-season for the first time since winning it all in 1985.
Bumgarner has been a key factor in putting the Giants on the cusp of another crown. The 25-year-old southpaw added to his already impressive post-season resume with a rare complete-game World Series shut-out.
He surrendered just four hits and struck out eight.
Bumgarner beat Royals ace James Shields for the second time in this series -- after sparking the Giants to victory in game one.
San Francisco lost the next two games to fall into a 2-1 hole, but rebounded two win two straight.
As in game four, the Giants parlayed a relentless barrage of singles into runs.
Eleven of their 12 hits on Sunday were singles, the only exception Juan Perez's two-run double that just missed clearing the centerfield wall to highlight a three-run outburst in the eighth inning that capped the scoring.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford also drove in a run in the eighth, one of three runs-batted-in for him on the night.
That took the pressure off of Bumgarner in the top of the ninth, and he closed out the contest by retiring three straight Royals batters.
Source: AFP