It came as no surprise that the San Francisco Giants are in the World Series for the third time in the last five seasons, after winning it all in 2010 and 2012. But who would have ever thought the Kansas City Royals would be in the 2014 World Series?

However, as exciting as October baseball can be, this matchup between the Giants and Royals seems a little different than past World Series matchups.

One of the main reasons for this odd atmosphere is because neither the Royals or Giants won their division, making this the second all Wild-Card World Series showdown between two teams with fewer than 90 wins in the regular season.

The Giants have a lot of strengths as a team, yet they found themselves scrambling for a wildcard spot at the end of the regular season; but, in the end they managed to secure a spot.

“A lot of their starting pitchers and their bullpen know how to handle the pressure really well,” Joe Olson, a St. Edward’s University baseball catcher, said.

While some can argue that the Royals have earned their spot by winning eight post-season games in a row, how come they couldn’t win their division during the regular season?

“The Royals are hot and are playing as a team. They’re young and hungry, and they’ve got the whole city behind them,” Olson said. “Defensive-wise it’s been fun to watch the Royals, and I think they have an advantage over the Giants with the DH (designated hitter) factor.”

Another baseball player went on to give his prediction.

“I think the Royals are going to win the World Series because they have the underdog momentum going on and a good rotation,” pitcher Eric Hester said.

“The Royals are going to need to focus on defense and take it pitch by pitch to take (the Giants) down,” pitcher Luke Gibbons said.

Despite how they got to the World Series, both teams seem eager for a championship.

The Giants are hoping to win their third World Series title in five years, while the Royals are hoping to win a championship trophy for their city who hasn’t had a celebration parade in 29 years.

The Giants are a veteran team who have a lot of recent experience in the World Series, yet the Royals are a younger team with underdog momentum and the home field advantage.

Out of nine St. Edward’s baseball players, more than half predicted that the Royals would defeat the Giants in the World Series.

When comparing the numbers between managers, experience might make the difference, according to some.

“(Bruce) Bochy has obviously had more success and knows how to manage a game, but what (Ned) Yost is doing good is letting his guys play and do their thing,” Assistant Coach Dave Wood said. “I think the Series is going to be a grind with a couple extra innings and exciting finishes, but the Royals will win in six games.”

Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of the Giants, the Royals, or any other MLB team, this year’s World Series is expected to be an interesting one, as both teams are evenly matched.