Former George Washington University baseball coach John Castleberry is seeking his third World Series ring as the northeast region scouting supervisor for the San Francisco Giants. Standing in the way are the Kansas City Royals—and three George Washington University alumni.

Former GW baseball player and coach Mike Toomey, B.S. '74, former assistant coach J.J. Picollo, M.S. ’98, and former player Scott Sharp, B.A. ’95, work in the Kansas City front office, where they have helped construct one of the most unlikely American League pennant winners in recent memory. The Royals, who swept the Baltimore Orioles last week, are playing in their first World Series since 1985.

The Fall Classic, which began Tuesday night in Kansas City with a 7-1 Giants win, has the feel of a D.C. area reunion. In addition to the four men with ties to GW baseball, Giants team orthopedic surgeon Ken Akizuki, M.D. ’93, is a graduate of GW’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. And Kansas City General Manager Dayton Moore and Scouting Director Lonnie Goldberg attended nearby George Mason University.