Tale of the Tape: Sizing up the World Series in numbers
The 2014 edition of the World Series is among the more improbable matchups in recent years.
It's the first time in championship history that two teams will meet in the final after failing to win 90 games in the regular season - excluding shortened years. Not even Las Vegas oddsmakers gave the Kansas City Royals (six percent) or San Francisco Giants (12 percent) a realistic chance.
But here they are, the Royals in search of their second title in franchise history and the Giants looking to secure their third championship in five years.
We took a look inside the numbers as we sized up both clubs ahead of Tuesday's Game 1.
Standings stats
| 2014 SPLITS | W-L | HOME W% | ROAD W% | RUN DIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 88-74 (WC) | .556 | .531 | +27 |
| Royals | 89-73 (WC) | .519 | .580 | +51 |
Did you know? Game 1 of the World Series marks the first championship game Kansas City will play in 10,586 days. San Francisco is playing its 10th in five years. (Courtesy: ESPN Stats & Info)
Regular season (major league rank in parenthesis)
| TEAM STATS | AVG | OPS | HR | SB | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | .255 (12th) | .699 (14th) | 132 (17th) | 53 (29th) | 3.50 (10th) |
| Royals | .263 (4th) | .690 (17th) | 95 (30th) | 153 (1st) | 3.51 (11th) |
Did you know? The Royals are the third team in baseball history to reach the World Series without a 20-homer, 75-RBI player. (Courtesy: MLB Public Relations)
Postseason
| TEAM STATS | AVG | OPS | HR | SB | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | .244 | .638 | 5 | 3 | 2.18 |
| Royals | .259 | .721 | 8 | 13 | 2.93 |
Did you know? Giants catcher Buster Posey is batting .414 with a 1.157 OPS since Aug. 21. (Courtesy: ESPN Stats & Info)
Advanced stats
| FANGRAPHS ADV. STATS | wRC+ | UZR | PITCHING WAR | TOP WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 101 | 2.9 | 8.7 | 5.7 (B. Posey) |
| Royals | 94 | 61.1 | 18.8 | 6.6 (A. Gordon) |
Did you know? Royals pitchers had the fourth-highest fastball velocity in the majors this season and highest percentage of fastballs at least 95 mph. The Giants ranked last and second last in those categories, respectively. (Courtesy: Grantland)
Team playoff history
Did you know? The Giants are 30-11 (.732) in the postseason since 2010. San Francisco has won 15 of its last 17 playoff games. (Courtesy: MLB Public Relations)