Bumgarner pitches Giants to 1-0 lead in Fall Classic

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Teams are still finding it quite tough to score postseason runs against Madison Bumgarner.

The San Francisco Giants’ left-hander tossed seven innings of one-run ball and the National League champions defeated the Kansas City Royals 7-1 in game one of the World Series at Kauffman Stadium.

Bumgarner moved to 3-0 in three starts in the World Series, which includes a win each during the Giants’ title runs in 2010 and 2012. Tuesday before a rabid crowd experiencing its first series game since a game seven clincher in 1985, Bumgarner retired 12 consecutive batters before Salvador Perez hit a solo home run with two outs in the seventh to get the Royals to within 7-1.

That long ball, Perez’s first in his postseason career, snapped Bumgarner’s scoreless inning streak in the World Series at 21 2/3 innings. It also put a half to a stretch where the 25-year old went 33 1/3 road playoff innings without allowing a run. Before Perez went deep, the southpaw hadn’t allowed a road run since surrendering a pair in Atlanta in game four of the 2010 Division Series.

San Francisco got all the runs it would need on one swing of the bat in the top of the first inning.

Hunter Pence had suffered through a miserable stretch in his career against James Shields, coming into his first inning at bat against the Kansas City starter hitless in 11 career plate appearances.

That all changed after Pence ran the count full, then crushed a two-run home run, his first since September 20, giving the visiting Giants a 3-0 lead.

That capped a rough opening frame for Shields. To open a 32-pitch frame, he allowed a single to lead off man Gregor Blanco and two batters later Buster Posey singled. Pablo Sandoval followed with an RBI-double that gave San Francisco a quick, 1-0 cushion.

Pence continued his newfound success against Shields with a double leading off the fourth. Pence moved to third on a wild pitch and Brandon Belt walked to put runners at first and third with no outs. Michael Morse, starting as the designated hitter in the American League park, ripped a run-scoring single for a 4-0 lead.

That chased Shields, who didn’t get an out in the fourth, and was charged with his fifth and final run when Danny Duffy later walked consecutive batters, including Blanco with the bases loaded to make it a 5-0 game.

Duffy issued his third and final walk to Blanco to start the seventh, then Panik tripled to make it 6-0. Sandoval, who homered three times in his last game one in the 2012 World Series against Detroit, singled to chase home Panik for a 7-0 lead.

It was the first loss of the postseason for Kansas City, which had set a Major League record by winning its first eight playoff games, including a sweep of Baltimore in the American League Championship Series.