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Billy Butler

Nightengale: Butler ignites Royals offense in Game 2

Bob Nightengale
USA TODAY Sports
Billy Butler drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Billy Butler doesn't know if he'll be back in Kansas City next year, let alone next week, but he did everything in his power Wednesday night to assure this Royals' team will never be forgotten.

The Royals won their first World Series victory in nearly three decades, 7-2 in Game 2, over the San Francisco Giants, and letting everyone know they plan on sticking around awhile in this Series.

The sellout crowd of 40,446 at Kauffman Stadium, standing throughout most of the game and screaming until their lungs burned, loved every minute of it.

This is the Royals' team they fell in love with during the season.

This is the team that captured their imagination, winning with speed, timely defense, and, oh yeah, that spectacular bullpen.

And Butler reminded them of another icon in time, becoming the first Royals' player to provide the tying and go-ahead hit in the same postseason game since George Brett in the 1985 American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was that kind of night for the big fella.

It was also that kind of night for the Royals, who have tied the Series at 1-game apiece, sending it back to San Francisco for the next three games beginning Friday night at AT&T Park.

"I felt definitely like it was a must-win for us,'' Butler said. "We showed them that we have fight in us.''

Butler, who'll be a free agent if the Royals don't pick up his $12 million option, ignited the Royals' offense in the first inning with his run-scoring single off Jake Peavy. And he was the one who drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with his single off Jean Machi on a 2-and-0 fastball.

"Any time Billy gets up in those situations,'' Royals manager Ned Yost says, "I feel great. I feel like he's going to get the job done, and again, he did it. He came up big for us twice tonight.

"I felt really strongly that whoever scored that third run was probably going to win the game.

"That was a monster hit for us.''

Butler must have felt that way, even taking a curtain call with his go-ahead single during the pitching change, with the crowd chanting his name, and his teammates prodding him.

"They were egging me on,'' Butler says. "They told me to go out there and do it.

"It was one of those things where your teammates tell you to do it, you're going to get out there. And the fans received me well.

"We knew that with our bullpen coming in, and what type of bullpen we have, we know where our record is after that.''

Butler was all over the place on this night, even playing peacemaker during Giants rookie pitcher Hunter Strickland's meltdown. No biggie, he says. Nothing like a benches-clearing incident, and a few hot tempers, to liven things up the World Series.

The drama got started in the sixth inning, with the Giants emptying their bullpen with four relievers facing six batters. By the time the smoke cleared, the Royals blew the game open with five runs, including Omar Infante's first homer in 145 career postseason at-bats. It was the second-longest drought in major-league history.

It also inflamed some old-fashioned hostilities, with Strickland screaming at Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who was waiting for Infante at the plate. Perez yelled right back at him.

"After Omar hit the bomb, and I get close to home plate,'' Perez said, "he started to look at me. So I asked him like, 'Hey, why you look at me?'

"He was telling me, 'Get out of here.' Whatever. You don't have to treat me like that.

"Look at Omar. Omar hit a bomb. I didn't hit a bomb. I hit a double.''

The benches emptied, and peace was restored, with Butler coming out onto the field to make sure there was no further commotion.

"We don't want to fight on the field,'' Perez said. "I'm not that kind of person, that kind of player. I just like to play the game hard, enjoy the game, and trying to get a "W'' for my team.''

Who knows what the repercussions will be, but it could be the last time we see Strickland in a key situation the rest of this Series. The kid has faced 23 batters this postseason, and five of them homered.

He actually has given up more homers in this postseason than he did all year in the major leagues and minors.

"I think it was just frustration on his part,'' Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "I mean, it's intense out there. He's an intense kid, and it probably got away from him a little bit.

"He's going to have to keep his poise. He shows his emotions, but it's an area he probably has to work on because you're going to give up a home run occasionally.

"There are things we'll talk to him about.''

No matter, the hot tempers weren't going to spoil the Royals' first World Series victory since 1985, and all of Butler's glory.

Butler, who has been with the Royals' organization for 10 years, would love the chance to even bat again. He has been the DH the first two games, and with the series shifting to San Francisco, he may be sitting until Game 6 when a DH is employed again in Kansas City.

If there is no Game 6, and this was his final game at Kauffman Stadium, Butler made sure it was memorable.

"There's been a lot more tough times than there's been good,'' Butler said. "There were times when we're losing 90 games and it always feels like we're developing players. But you just continue to grind and do your job.

"This is a great experience. To see us come and to see this process go from the beginning, to where we are now, it's incredible. …

"Imagine being your first playoff berth and being in the World Series, and winning eight in a row to start the playoffs. It shows you what type of group we have in there, and what time of group the organization up top assembled.'

"I don't think that has anything to do with the contract situation, but just being here and being able to experience it with these guys that I've played my whole career with, it's an incredible honor.''

Butler made sure the experience will last even longer, and even if he's relegated only to being a pinch-hitter in the three games in San Francisco, he could be utilized in critical situations.

"He is such a force in our lineup,'' Yost says, "and has been for years. He's a guy that is tremendously intelligent when it comes to hitting. He knows the opposing pitchers as well as anybody.''

Certainly, the Royals proved they aren't going away either, showcasing their stellar bullpen for the Giants to witness for themselves.

"This is a great club,'' Bochy said. "We know it's going to be a tough series. With their pitching, and our pitching, and the way both teams play, we were going to have a fight every game.''

The Giants were able to drive rookie starter Yordano Ventura out of the game after just 5 1/3 innings_with Ventura recording only one swing-and-miss strike on the 63 fastballs he threw.

Yet, once the Royals turned to their bullpen, the Giants were done, getting just one hit in the final 3 2/3 innings with six strikeouts.

The Giants were threatening with runners on first and second with one out in the sixth when Royals manager Ned Yost turned to Kelvin Herrera. He got the Giant's attention in a hurry. His first pitch was clocked at 101 mph. He threw nine pitches. Eight were clocked at 100 or 101 mph.

You guessed it, the Giants went down, with Brandon Belt flying out and Michael Morse's grounding out.

It was the last time the Giants made any noise the rest of the night, with Wade Davis pitching the eighth inning and Greg Holland closing out the ninth.

Herrera's shut-down outing also seemed to spark the Royals' offense. Peavy, pitching like this were 2007 again when he won the Cy Young award with the San Diego Padres, retired 10 consecutive batters.

Certainly, he resembled the guy who went 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA in 12 starts for the Giants after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Boston Red Sox.

Yet, the Royals finally got to Peavy in the sixth. Lorenzo Cain led off with a bloop single. Eric Hosmer drew a walk. It ended Peavy's night, and for the eighth consecutive postseason start, he failed to last through the sixth inning.

The fireworks were just getting started.

Butler drove in the go-ahead run off Machi for a 3-2 Royals' lead. After Javier Lopez retired Alex Gordon on a fly ball, Strickland came into the game to face Perez. He greeted him with a two-run double. Infante followed with a two-run homer.

And the party was just starting, with Butler making sure the lights would stay on all night.

"I think things will work out,'' Butler says of his contract. "I'm focused on the World Series at this time. This team is counting on me as well to do my job, and that's being in the middle of the lineup and being an impact bat.

"Things like that will work out after the World Series.

"This is all I've ever known.

"I'm proud to be here, and I'm proud to be a Royal.

"I always have been.''

And, on a night like this, the feelings have never been stronger.

Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale

GALLERY: WORLD SERIES -- GIANTS vs. ROYALS

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