First inning. Claps and cheers sporadically echo through Kauffman Stadium.

Second inning. Nori Aoki walks up to the plate, preparing his swing for the start of this inning, one that was thought to never end. Forty-five minutes pass and the third inning begins, and quickly ends. Fourth and fifth innings come and go quicker than a fastball.

Game Six of the World Series featured literal giants when it comes to baseball, the San Francisco Giants, who were pitted against the underdogs, the Kansas City Royals.

This game was not one to miss. The Royals swept the Giants 10-0 in a three and a half hour game. By the bottom of the second inning, chatter among the crowd consisted of:

“This game is going to take forever at this pace.”

“Hopefully the Royals can get on base this inning.”

“I can’t believe we’re here, at the World Series, watching our home team, from Kauffman Stadium!”

Disbelief was carried from person to person and soon infected the whole stadium by the time the Royals scored, run after run, with no outs. The roar from the crowd could be heard from San Francisco by the end of the second inning.

Almost halfway through the game, the crowd had died down, only slightly. Neither team had scored this inning, or the last. People were standing and cheering, but not as extravagantly. That is, until Mike Moustakas hit a homerun. The crowd intensified and the players were just as enthusiastic with each run, score, and play because this game, Game Six, decided their fate.

Game Seven was the next night, again at Kauffman Stadium. With an early lead, the Giants’ defense kept the Royals from scoring until late in the game.

Down to the wire, bottom of the ninth inning, tied 3-2, Alex Gordon was on third base, with another player on first. Salvador Perez was up to bat, one of the best power hitters on the team. With two outs, all we needed was a single to get Gordon to run home, tying the game, letting it go to extra innings.

In a fairytale ending, the Royals would have won. Reminding the last time they won, in 1985. What some people don’t see, is how far they came as a team: they led the league this year, were named champions of the league and made it to the World Series, being the only team to win eight consecutive playoff games. No the outcome of the game was not desired, but it was a night to remember.