Stanford product Jeremy Guthrie took a two-hitter into the sixth inning and left game three of his first World Series with a lead Friday night.
He earned the victory as the Kansas City Royals beat the host San Francisco Giants, 3-2, Friday night at AT&T Park.
“This opportunity is a tremendous blessing,” Guthrie said. “You see a number of guys play a long time and don’t get a chance to do this. So I am very grateful.”
Tim Hudson, who took the loss, is also pitching in his first World Series.
Guthrie acknowledged that he took a moment before the game to soak in the atmosphere.
“I got behind the mound and looked around at the sea of orange that was throughout AT&T Stadium,” he said. “I took a moment to try and soak it in, knowing you might never get another chance. A lot of people say they dreamed of playing in the World Series. I don’t think I had that dream. But now, to live it, it feels right, like a moment I’ll never forget.”
Guthrie allowed two runs on four hits in five-plus innings. He did not walk a batter nor did he strike out anyone.
“Guthrie threw the ball very well,” Giants catcher Buster Posey said. “They have great arms top to bottom.”
He retired 10 consecutive batters before Brandon Crawford singled leading off the bottom of the sixth inning.
“He mixed speeds well and kept guys off balance,” San Francisco infielder Joe Panik said. “He was able to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes in hitter’s counts.”
Guthrie became the first pitcher since Greg Maddox in 1996 to pitch five innings of a World Series game with no walks and no strikeouts.
“I tried to strike guys out,” Guthrie said. “I thought I made a couple of good pitches with two strikes. A few of them were reached for and they did a good job to get their bat on it.”
Guthrie recorded a 26-6 record in two years at Stanford, leading the Cardinal to a pair of College World Series appearances.
For Guthrie’s full post-game interview visit mlb.com
Women’s soccer
Stanford grad Christen Press scored a goal and the U.S. women’s national team downed Mexico, 3-0, in the semifinal of the CONCACAF championship Friday in Chester, PA to clinch a spot in next year’s World Cup.
The Americans meet Costa Rica for the CONCACAF championship on Sunday.