With a Game 7 triumph over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night, the San Francisco Giants secured their third World Series victory in the last five years (can you believe it?) The success of the Giants epitomizes Bud Selig’s MLB: they’ve twice won the division on their way to the title, but this year made it to the dance via the second Wild Card spot. Last year, San Fran stayed home from the postseason, scoring only 76 regular season wins. Boom to bust, then back again. They make it look easy.
With the victory, the Giants also became the second team this century to grab three World Series crowns. The Red Sox are the other:
And while San Francisco has stuck to a relatively similar model of success under Bruce Bochy over the manager’s eight seasons: lights-out pitching and clutch hitting from a quirky assortment of home-grown talents and bargain vets – every Red Sox winner has been different.
The 2004 team was muscular. Veterans on big contracts. The Schilling deal. We can credit Theo Epstein with a few bargains (cough, David Ortiz, cough) and shrewd moves, but those Red Sox were built as a super-team to combat the Yankees.
And while Boston again trailed only New York in spending in 2007, that team showcased several home grown talents who had been Minor Leaguers three years prior. Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury all stepped up as major contributors amidst veteran holdovers and rivalry-fueled acquisitions like Josh Beckett, J.D. Drew, Julio Lugo and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
The 2013 team was a chemistry experiment; like the Giants, anchored by a great pitching staff and veterans who were able to summon timely hits all season long. But make no mistake, the Red Sox were fourth in payroll last year. The Giants, despite their plucky reputation, aren’t exactly cheap either: their 2014 payroll ranked seventh in the Majors.
Given their volatility, the Giants probably won’t be the favorites heading into next season. The Cardinals are the model of consistency in the NL, the Dodgers out-spend everybody, and young teams like the Nationals and Pirates intrigue those looking to the Cinderella story. The pattern suggests the Giants won’t make it to the dance next year. But if the Red Sox open their wallets and make it back to the World Series in 2015, they just may meet a San Francisco team looking to eclipse them for the most World Series titles this century.