The Kansas City Royals are one win away.
It was a classic Royals rally in the eighth inning. Thanks to hits from Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez and an error by Daniel Murphy, the Royals scored three times in the top of the eighth and took a 3-1 series lead with a 5-3 win over the New York Mets Saturday night in Game 4 of the World Series.
Despite rookie left fielder Michael Conforto becoming the third-youngest player ever with a multi-home run game in the World Series, the Mets only recorded four more hits off Kansas City’s pitching. Chris Young pitched four innings, and his only two hits were the home runs by Conforto.
But it was Wade Davis who got the six-inning save to put Kansas City in a position to clinch its first championship in 30 years on Sunday in Citi Field. Here’s all the info you need to know for Game 5 of the World Series.
Game 5 Info
When: Sunday, Nov. 1
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Citi Field
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez (KC) vs. Matt Harvey (NYM)
Preview
This could be the last baseball game of the year. It’s going to be on at the same time as the Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos over on NBC.
There’s a slight chance that the city of Kansas City will not be watching the football game at any point Sunday night. The Royals are going for their first World Series title since 1985 and have the chance to end it in New York.
Edinson Volquez is projected to get the ball for the Royals, and this series has been nothing short of emotional for the 32-year-old pitcher. Volquez was the Game 1 starter for Kansas City and pitched six innings and allowed three runs before being awarded a no-decision.
Right after he was pulled from the game, Volquez returned home to the Dominican Republic to be with his family. His father, Daniel, died before Game 1 due to heart failure.
All signs point to Volquez being in New York, according to Royals manager Ned Yost, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick:
He’s worked so hard to get to this point. And it was like Chris Young when his dad passed away. Chris just knew how proud his dad was of him and that his dad would want him to carry on. His dad would want him to be on that mound and helping his team win. And I imagine that Eddie’s dad would want the same thing for Eddie.
There are moments when motivation can be the driving force behind a stellar, memorable performance. When the news broke about Volquez’s father dying, there were conflicting reports as to whether or not the pitcher knew his father had died before the game. We’re going to find out early how focused Volquez is on the mound.
For the Mets, they’re going to turn to Matt Harvey once again. He also pitched six innings and allowed three runs in Game 1. The one thing the Royals do better than anyone else in baseball is adjust to opposing pitchers. The Royals got to Harvey in the sixth inning, but he knows that Kansas City can make more adjustments and he needs to prepare for that, per Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News:
I think they’re a good team at making adjustments and throughout the game it seems from at-bat to at-bat they’re able to adjust and make different changes. It seems like early in their count they’re taking a chance to kind of go big fly, and then later as the game goes on they adjust. So as the starting pitcher you’ve got to be able to adjust with them and pick up on that.
The Mets are going to need the game of Harvey’s life in order to bring this series back to Kansas City for Game 6. There hasn’t been a pitchers’ duel at any point through the first four games, but we could be on course for one Sunday night. Harvey will pitch well, but Volquez will get it done. Going against an emotionally charged player is something that should be taken into account.
As great as it would be for the Royals to go back to Kansas City and clinch the World Series in Kauffman Stadium, the Royals would probably prefer the season ends in Citi Field. Kansas City gets its championship, and the party begins.
Prediction: Kansas City 3, New York 2
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