The Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets in a 14-inning World Series Game 1 thriller Tuesday, but neither team will have much of an opportunity to reflect on what happened, as they’ll be right back at it in Wednesday’s Game 2.
KC certainly has momentum on its side thanks to Alex Gordon’s game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and Eric Hosmer’s walk-off sacrifice fly in the 14th. The Mets have proven to be a resilient team in these playoffs, though, and they’ll have their ace on the mound in the form of Jacob deGrom.
The pressure is squarely on New York to get the job done in Game 2 since there’s a huge difference between a 2-0 deficit and a 1-1 tie, but Kansas City isn’t likely to rest on its laurels, as it would love to head to the Big Apple with a commanding lead in tow.
Here is all the vital information you need to know before watching Wednesday’s pivotal Game 2 of the World Series, including a recap of what both teams are saying entering the clash.
Where: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
When: Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 8:07 p.m. ET
Watch: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Game 2 Odds Breakdown
What the Mets Are Saying
With the Mets leading 4-3 in the ninth inning and closer Jeurys Familia on the mound, a Game 1 victory for New York seemed like a foregone conclusion. Familia blew his first save since July 30, however, and the Royals went on to win in dramatic fashion.
Much has been made of Kansas City’s dominant bullpen featuring Wade Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Ryan Madson, but Familia has been just as good as any of them over the past few months. Because of that, few expected the 26-year-old fireballer to give up the lead.
Mets manager Terry Collins was among those who were taken by surprise when Gordon went yard, according to Marc Carig of Newsday.
“We were all shocked by it,” Collins said. “We liked where we were at.”
Familia was likely taken aback in his own right considering how good he has been, but he displayed a closer’s mentality after the loss and looked ahead to Game 2, per Tim Rohan of the New York Times.
“Tomorrow is a new day,” Familia said. “You try not to think about it.”
Considering how close the Mets were to seizing a 1-0 lead on the road, though, it certainly won’t be easy to get over what happened in Game 1.
Much of the burden will fall on third baseman and captain David Wright when it comes to getting the team refocused and ready to play in Game 2, but even he fully realizes the magnitude of the opportunity that slipped away, according to Carig.
“We were one hit away, one play away from winning that game,” Wright said.
While the Mets would undoubtedly rather be in Kansas City’s position, they can hang their hats on the fact that they outplayed the Royals for a large portion of Game 1.
In addition to that, they look to have a significant advantage on the hill in Game 2 with deGrom going up against the unpredictable Johnny Cueto. Provided deGrom maintains his current form, New York has a great chance to even things up Wednesday night.
What the Royals Are Saying
Perhaps no team in Major League Baseball is more difficult to put away than the Royals due to their relentlessness at the plate, and that much was clear Tuesday, as they refused to go down regardless of how dire the circumstances looked.
Although they jumped on New York early by virtue of shortstop Alcides Escobar’s inside-the-park home run in the first inning, they spent much of the rest of the game playing catch-up.
Third baseman Mike Moustakas was among those who came through with a huge, clutch hit, as he tied things up with an RBI single in the sixth before even more chaos and unpredictability ensued.
Moose was part of last year’s team that fell to the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, and he is using that defeat as fuel in the 2015 World Series, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The only team people remember are the champions. That’s what made it so tough last year. When you’re 90 feet of tying that game and lose, it’s a tough one to swallow. It’s going to stick with you for a long time, no matter what.
Now that we’re back to the World Series, the only way to get rid of that feeling is to go out and finish the deal.
We’ve got no choice.
Kansas City certainly has the attitude needed to succeed in the World Series, but it will need more than that to overcome the electric pitching of deGrom in Game 2.
The Royals came out on top in Game 1 despite being at a perceived starting pitching disadvantage with Edinson Volquez against Matt Harvey. However, the gap may be even wider in Game 2 due to Cueto‘s volatility.
He has a 7.88 ERA in the playoffs as opposed to deGrom‘s 1.80 ERA, but he is also a player who won 20 games last season and has stuff capable of taking over games.
Because of Cueto‘s ceiling, Royals manager Ned Yost feels comfortable sending him out there for Wednesday’s Game 2, per STATS LLC, via ESPN.com.
“I feel like he’s pitched great games here. He really draws on the energy of our fans. And again, I felt like you try to put everybody in a position where they can be successful,” Yost said. “He more than anybody else really draws that energy from our fans. We just felt it was the best move.”
The Royals have far more margin for error than the Mets do Wednesday, but they would still be wise to approach the game with a must-win mindset due to the implications involved with taking a 2-0 series lead.
It is understandable why the Royals are underdogs considering deGrom‘s recent dominance, but KC has been defying odds for the past two seasons, and it would not be at all surprising to see it do so again in Game 2.
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