2014 World Series Collector's Edition: San Francisco Giants Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

2014 World Series Collector's Edition: San Francisco Giants Blu-ray Movie Review

It's all about the games.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 3, 2014

For the San Francisco Giants, this World Series business was old hat. The club, packed with postseason veterans, was on its third trip to the Fall Classic in five years, and they'd walked away winners both times, taking home the title in both 2010 and 2012. So it made sense that they were right back in their old comfort zone again in 2014, still featuring a core of returning players like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence, while some new faces like second baseman Joe Panik chipped in with some critical play down the stretch and into the postseason -- including a highlight reel World Series play fit for the record books -- to solidify a winning core with its sights set on yet another victory lap around the city by the bay. For the Kansas City Royals, however, it was a different story. The club won the American League Wild Card play-in game against a slumping but dangerous Oakland Athletics team in its first playoff game in nearly two decades. The team lacked playoff experience, which baseball experts will usually proclaim a death sentence for a young club suddenly in the hunt. But the Royals would have none of that sort of talk, sweeping its way through every round en route to a fairy tale appearance in the World Series for the ultimate battle of experience versus inexperience for baseball glory. Would Bruce Bochy's squad of playoff-tested veterans take top honors, or would his team play runner-up to one of the most unexpected of series dream teams?

The hero.

2014 World Series is all about the games. There's no fluff, no extra content, no behind-the-scenes footage, no microphone-wearing players, no trips into the clubhouse, no stories about how the teams got there and why. This is every World Series game, all seven of them on severn separate discs, plus the final game of the National League Championship series on an eighth disc, with commercials cut and television broadcast audio (as well as San Francisco and Kansas City radio broadcasts and a Spanish language presentation) in one set. The set is all about reliving the games with convenience in mind. There is no fast-forwarding through commercials on the DVR and no fearing that someone may record over it. This is perfect for die-hard Giants fans who want the games in a handsome but streamlined presentation or for the Royals fan who wishes to relive the excitement of the team's unbelievable playoff run, no doubt with emphasis on the three games the club won rather than the four it lost. Or, it's for hardcore baseball fans looking for something to keep them occupied until pitchers and catchers report in February.

Below is a brief recap of each game on each disc.

Disc One -- World Series Game One, Giants at Royals, Tuesday, October 21, 2014:

Thanks to the American League's 5-3 victory over the National League at Minnesota's Target Field in 2014's All-Star game, the 2014 World Series kicked off in Kansas City with the boys and blue -- and the team's hungry fan base -- still in something of a frenzy after sweeping through the entire American League playoffs. The Royals would start "Big Game" James Shields, a key pitching acquisition for whom the team traded über-prospect Will Myers in December 2012. The Giants countered with the team's ace and seemingly unbeatable postseason hero, Madison Bumgarner. Unfortunately, the Royals were a team that had to know the euphoria would give way to reality at some point in the miracle 2014 postseason run. Indeed, the team was thoroughly throttled in game one. The Giants picked up three runs in the top of the first, keyed by a Hunter Pence home run. The Giants would never look back. Bumgarner pitched well, surrendering a single run on three hits through seven innings before giving way to the Giants' tough bullpen that would secure the win in two scoreless innings of relief. Final score: Giants 7, Royals 1.

Disc Two -- World Series Game Two, Giants at Royals, Wednesday, October 22, 2014:

Just as the Royals had to know that the momentum would be stopped at some point, the victorious Giants had to know that a team playing with an aura of destiny about it wouldn't be held down for long. The Royals pitched rookie Yordano Ventura, who accumulated 14 regular season wins, against the Giants' Jake Peavy, a well-traveled veteran with several postseason appearances to his name. Longevity, however, doesn't always mean productivity. Peavy gave the Giants five innings but surrendered four runs on six hits while walking two and fanning only one. The Giants bullpen proved a little shaky, too, surrendering three earned for the duration. Ventura only pitched 5.1 innings himself but avoided the big inning, scattering a pair of Giants runs in the first and fourth on eight hits. The Royals bullpen would hold down San Francisco the rest of the way en route to a game two victory that saw production come from the bottom of the Kansas City lineup in a big sixth inning on a two-run double by catcher Salvador Perez, followed by a two-run bomb off the bat of second baseman Omar Infante. Final score: Royals 7, Giants 2.

Disc Three -- World Series Game Three, Royals at Giants, Friday, October 24, 2014:

With the series tied at one game apiece and the action switching back to San Francisco, it was time for both teams to buckle down and gain a crucial 2-1 series advantage. The next three games, all of which would be played at AT&T Park, seemed to favor the Giants with the hometown crowd on their side and Madison Bumgarner eerily lurking for game five. The Giants would start longtime veteran Tim Hudson, a man making his first World Series start, against Kansas City's Jeremy Guthrie, a 35 year-old right-hander also making his World Series debut. Both pitchers accounted for all the opposition scoring. Guthirie allowed two runs on four hits through five-plus innings while Hudson surrendered three runs on four hits through 5.2. Final score: Royals 3, Giants 2.

Disc Four -- World Series Game Four, Royals at Giants, Saturday, October 25, 2014:

With the Royals holding a fragile 2-1 series lead, both teams started their fourth starters: Jason Vargas, another journeyman type pitcher for the Royals, and Ryan Vogelsong, whose career had seen a resurgence since a stint in Japan, for the Giants. Neither starter proved very effective. Vargas would pitch only four, giving up three earned on six hits while Volgesong didn't make it through three complete, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits. Fortunately for the Giants, the bullpen clamped down and surrendered no additional runs while only allowing five scattered hits and one walk. The Royals bullpen, however, imploded, including an uncharacteristic meltdown from rookie phenom Brandon Finnegan, who gave up five runs in one inning pitched and took the loss. Final score: Giants 11, Royals 4.

Disc Five -- World Series Game Five, Royals at Giants, Sunday, October 26, 2014:

This was to be the most critical game in the series. Tied at two and the last game for the Giants at home, the Royals would have to overcome the postseason heroics of San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner to have any hopes of returning to Missouri with a 3-2 series edge. The Royals rotation returned back to the top to staff ace James Shields, the club hoping he would improve on his game one performance and match Bumgarner pitch-for-pitch. While Shields pitched better, surrendering only two runs through six, Bumgarner was dominant, pitching a complete game, four hit, eight strikeout, no walk shutout to give the Giants a critical 3-2 series lead going back to Kanas City. Brandon Crawford and Juan Perez accounted for all five Giants RBIs. Final score: Giants 5, Royals 0.

Disc Six -- World Series Game Six, Giants at Royals, Tuesday, October 28, 2014:

It was do-or-die time for the Royals, returning home after 1-2 World Series road trip, now down to playing elimination games while the Giants had some wiggle room with a game seven still guaranteed with a loss. The Royals came out hitting hard against Giants starter Jake Peavy, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the second, knocking Peavy out of the game after only 1.1 innings pitched. Royals starter Yordano Ventura, on the other hand, pitched seven complete, allowing no runs but playing with fire by walking five along the way. The Royals bullpen finished the game with two scoreless, propelling the home team to a game seven winner-take-all showdown. Final score: Royals 10, Giants 0.

Disc Seven -- World Series Game Seven, Giants at Royals, Wednesday, October 29, 2014:

It was the first World Series game seven since 2011 and only the fourth since the calendar turned to the 2000s. They say there's nothing like it in sports, and this one would be no exception. It was all hands on deck, as they say, with both managers pulling their respective starters -- Tim Hudson for the Giants and Jeremy Guthrie for the Royals -- at the first sign of trouble. Hudson didn't make it out of the second -- the Royals scored twice in the inning -- while Guthrie only pitched into the fourth, despite himself surrendering two runs in the top of the second. The respective bullpens dominated, but the game turned in the Giants favor on three keys: a great defensive play by rookie second baseman Joe Panik in the bottom of the third, a dominant five-inning save for World Series sensation Madison Bumgarner, and a key fourth inning RBI off the bat of Michael Morse. Final score: Giants 3, Royals 2.

Disc Eight -- National League Championship Series Game Five, Cardinals at Giants, Saturday, October 16, 2014:

With the Giants up 3-1 against the defending World Series champions and ace Madison Bumgarner on the mound at home, a trip to the Fall Classic seemed almost inevitable. The Cardinals, however, countered with staff ace, and one of the best in the game, Adam Wainwright. The Cardinals hurler give his team a solid seven innings, allowing only two earned and four hits and a pair of walks. Bumgarner, meanwhile, appeared almost human, for once, surrendering three earned on five hits and two bases on balls. With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth and two aboard, one time ex-Giant Travis Ishikawa, again reunited with his club and playing out-of-position in left field, stepped to the plate and homered off Michael Wacha to give the Giants the pennant and secure a trip to the team's third World Series in five years. Final score: Giants 6, Cardinals 3.

2014 World Series Collector's Edition: San Francisco Giants Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

2014 World Series arrives on Blu-ray with a 720p high definition transfer, very much like that found on the campaign documentary. It's a satisfying image in context, a solid reproduction of the original Fox broadcast presentations from back in October 2014. While it's imperfect -- particularly with evidence of ringing, occasionally jittery visuals, light aliasing, and noisy and flickering ultra-slow-motion shots -- it still works well and should please viewers who just want to watch the games in HD. Details are basically satisfying. Close-ups reveal fine stitches in caps, uniform mesh, team patch textures, letters and numbers, scuffs and pine tar on helmets, wooden bat textures, and even grass and dirt details. Distance shots don't look great. Far back crowds aren't well defined, but basic big scoreboards, digital signage around the stadiums, and product advertisements appear clear and legible. Colors are nicely vibrant and accurate, whether green grasses, bright Royals blue, or aggressive Giants orange. Compression issues are never excessively problematic. In essence, it looks pretty much like the original broadcast, perhaps a bit tighter but chances are one wouldn't know the difference between this and a DVR recording, at least not at-a-glance and depending on original signal quality.

2014 World Series Collector's Edition: San Francisco Giants Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2014 World Series features a quartet of audio options, all of which are presented under the DTS-HD MA 2.0 banner. Fans can enjoy the primary Fox television broadcast, the Royals and Giants radio broadcasts, and a Spanish language broadcast. The track is fairly basic in nature. Play-by-play and color commentary is clearly defined with a center stage focus. Ambient crowd noise sometimes competes with it off to the sides. Never will the listener feel so immersed as to believe they're sitting in section 125 down the third base line at AT&T Park, but the general din at least replicates the experience well enough. Background stadium and batter walk-up music, public address announcements, and other in-game big effects play with sufficient presence and fidelity. In-game sounds, like the crack of the bat and the pop of leather following a fastball, are presented with about the same level of distinction as one would hear on a traditional TV broadcast. Like the video, this nicely replicates the average TV experience, so fans shouldn't expect to feel like they're actually in AT&T Park or Kauffman Stadium.

2014 World Series Collector's Edition: San Francisco Giants Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

2014 World Series contains no traditional on disc supplements. Each disc includes only audio selections and half-inning "chapter selections" allowing the user to skip to, say, the top of the third or the bottom of the eighth. There is a good bit of bonus coverage following game seven. There is a color booklet inside the case. Each World Series game, and the final game of the NLDS, earns two pages of box scores, trivia, and statistics, including everything form game time temperature to the number of first strike pitches. The final pages are advertisements for other San Francisco Giants home video releases.

2014 World Series Collector's Edition: San Francisco Giants Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

2014 World Series is really aimed, primarily, at Giants fans. While the other documentary release is a little more appealing to a broader spectrum of baseball fans (except, perhaps, those in Pittsburgh, Washington, St. Louis, and especially Kansas City), the full eight-game spread contained herein is probably something only Giants fans will want to relive, though certainly there's something to be said for Royals fans picking this one up, too, particularly for the three games the team won in the best-of-seven series. But for Giants fans, this release is a no-brainer. Picture and sound are adequate, even at 720p and 2.0, presenting a nice replication of the TV broadcasts, sans commercials. No extras are included, but then again that's what the companion documentary is for. It's too bad they couldn't be bundled together at a slight discount. Nevertheless, this release comes highly recommended to Giants fans and to die-hard baseball fans. For most everyone else the cheaper documentary should suffice.