Ned Yost knows that baseball games aren’t won in the sixth inning. And he vows that his team will never lose one at that late-but-not-too-late point of the game, either, not if there’s anything he can do about it. “My mind-set is that I’m not getting beat in the sixth inning with the bullpen I’ve got,” Yost said on Friday after his team let the Giants back into the game in the bottom of that frame but choked off the rally and held on to win, 3-2.

If the Kansas City Royals go on to win this World Series, we can look back at a moment in Game 3 on Friday night that might just tell the whole story. First, though, let’s push the pause button and rewind to 2011 to understand how far these Royals have come. That was around the time they proudly wore the label of “baseball’s best farm system.”

Ryan Vogelsong will be the Giants’ starter in Game 4, manager Bruce Bochy said Friday night after San Francisco fell behind the Royals in the World Series. There had been some speculation that Bochy might opt for Game 1 winner Madison Bumgarner on short rest, but the skipper voiced his confidence in Vogelsong.

Kansas City took charge of this World Series on Friday, but the Royals were exhibiting no exaggerated claims of confidence or undue displays of bravado after their 3-2 victory over the Giants in Game 3 at AT&T Park. The Royals, though, might be in better shape than they dare to think after taking the Series lead, two games to one.

Here is a look at a number of interesting facts and figures from Friday night’s Game 3, including just how important a Game 3 victory is when a Series is previously tied 1-1 and how Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie now finds himself in the same company as — Babe Ruth?

Two runs weren’t enough to beat the Royals in Game 3 of the World Series, but it wasn’t a matter of poor approaches or a lack of good at-bats that had the Giants’ offense falling short Friday night, as far as hitting coach Hensley Meulens was concerned.

His 147-pitch victory in a 2003 NCAA Regional was the signature start of Jeremy Guthrie’s postseason career, but perhaps no longer. The one the folks in California will chew on now is the five-inning performance in Game 3 that helped Kansas City to a 3-2 win and 2-1 World Series lead over San Francisco.

The Giants have seen this before, this being a stretch when enough runs couldn’t be bought, borrowed, leased or imported. But they have also survived these stretches to find themselves in the World Series for the third time in five years. So this is no time to abandon hope.

Jason Vargas’ first meaningful outing at AT&T Park coincides with a chance to give his Royals a commanding 3-1 lead in this Fall Classic. It’ll come against a Giants team he held to two runs on nine hits in five innings on Aug. 8, a lineup the 31-year-old left-hander called “really good.”

Trailing Game 3 of the World Series by one run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants desperately needed a baserunner. They almost got one on a Gregor Blanco bunt, but Statcast shows how a smooth play by Royals catcher Salvador Perez and a poor decision by Blanco helped Kansas City hold on for a 3-2 victory and 2-1 Series lead.

Here’s a breakdown of the pitching matchup for Game 4 of the World Series at AT&T Park between the Royals’ Jason Vargas and the Giants’ Ryan Vogelsong.

Major League Baseball honored the late Tony Gwynn prior to Game 3 of the World Series between the hometown Giants and Royals on Friday at AT&T Park.

Joe Panik arrived in the big leagues in late July and ended the revolving door at second base in San Francisco, and he said he couldn’t have had such a successful run if not for the confidence his manager and teammates have shown in him.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko were presented with the Roberto Clemente Award, sponsored by Chevrolet, on Friday before Game 3 of the World Series at AT&T Park.

Joe Maddon hopes Rays fans will understand his decision to exercise an opt-out clause to manage the Rays in 2015, essentially making him a free agent to field unknown offers.

By hiring Chili Davis, the Red Sox feel they’ve found a hitting coach with the type of enthusiasm and technique that players will feed off. “It goes back to the person Chili is,” manager John Farrell said.

Are you starting to understand why so many people thought this was such an intriguing World Series matchup? Yes, the Giants have Madison Bumgarner, and he’s an ace among aces at the moment. But there’s only one of him. And as the 2014 Fall Classic shifts to San Francisco, it’s become increasingly clear that successful mid-game strategizing is ultimately going to dictate the outcome.