Giants worried that Gordon’s hit and Blanco’s error would tie score in ninth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Not long after the last out of Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night, Gregor Blanco joked about the play before the last out. It might have stopped Blanco’s heart.

Alex Gordon hit a ball into the gap in left-center field for a single, which Blanco misplayed for an error, helping to place the potential tying run on third base with two outs. Left-hander Madison Bumgarner responded to retire Salvador Perez on a pop up, which stranded Gordon and gave the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 victory against the Kansas City Royals, along with their third World Series title since 2010.

But before the elation, there was terror. And gallows humor.

“I just wanted to make the end of the World Series interesting,” Blanco said with a smile.

And his misfortune did make it interesting for the Royals, at least momentarily.

Gordon later said that he had stumbled around second base, and added that third-base coach Mike Jirschele did the right thing by holding him at third — even though outfielder Juan Perez had bobbled and kicked the ball on the warning track, and infielder Brandon Crawford had to short-hop Perez’s throw in relatively deep left field before a potential relay throw. Gordon probably wouldn’t have made it home in time.

But as the play was unfolding, Blanco didn’t know that.

“It was a tough one, man — last out of the World Series,” Blanco said. “As soon as he hit that ball, I said to myself, ‘Just go for it.’ And then I said to myself, ‘Take half a step back and keep the guy on first base.’ But I was too late. And the ball gave me a real hard hop and I couldn’t handle it.”

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With Gordon pumping his legs around the bases, and Juan Perez pursuing the ball at the farthest reaches of the Kauffman Stadium outfield, Blanco thought his mistake might have started a chain reaction that ruined the game for the Giants.

“Especially after Juan bobbled it, I was, like, ‘Nooooo!’ ” Blanco said.

Meanwhile at home, catcher Buster Posey was preparing for a play at the plate. Of course, it would have to be a play at the plate.

“I was kind of going out there, like, ‘He might catch it — we’re going to win!’ to, ‘Oh, shoot, that’s to the wall. There could be a play here,’ ” Posey said. “But by the time Crawford threw it in, I figured they weren’t going to send him.”

Once the runner was stopped at third base, Blanco chilled out.