The Kansas City Royals and New York Mets will square off for the first time in the World Series starting Tuesday in what should be an evenly matched contest.
The Mets went from one end of the spectrum to the other, battling the Los Angeles Dodgers for the full five games in the National League Division Series before sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
The Royals were tested in both of their matchups, coming from behind to win the American League Division Series over the Houston Astros in five games and holding on to an early lead to knock off the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, 4-2.
Below is a schedule with dates and television times for the Fall Classic along with a breakdown of some interesting in-game matchups between the teams:
Royals Bullpen vs. Mets Starters
It’s a chicken-or-the-egg issue when it comes to both teams’ pitching. What is more important: a rotation that can help you take an early lead or a lethal bullpen that can turn games into six-inning affairs?
We are about to find out.
The Royals had won 111 games in a row when leading after the seventh inning, dating back to 2014, before blowing back-to-back saves in August, per CBS Sports‘ Mike Axisa. They lost closer Greg Holland to a season-ending elbow injury in September, but setup man Wade Davis stepped into the role admirably. The former starter saved 17 games and sported a 0.94 ERA during the regular season in addition to pitching 6.2 scoreless innings in the postseason.
Kansas City’s top relievers during the playoffs—Davis, Kelvin Herrera and Luke Hochevar—have yielded just one run in 21 innings.
The starters—Yordano Ventura, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Chris Young—on the other hand, have posted a combined 5.56 ERA. That’s where the Mets have the advantage.
Despite their average age of 25 years old, Mets starters Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard are pitching like savvy veterans with a combined ERA of 2.62. They also don’t lack any confidence. On Thursday, Syndergaard claimed the Mets would win the World Series before he even knew which team they would play, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
“I’m 100 percent confident,” Syndergaard said.
When asked again if he was sure the Mets would win, he didn’t back down, per Kernan.
“One hundred percent,” he said.
It remains to be seen whether Syndergaard is a prophet or gave the Royals some bulletin-board material. Either way, there is a 100 percent chance this is going to be a good series.
Who Will Blink First?
Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy and Kansas City’s defense have both been spectacular in the postseason, but will they keep it up in the World Series? Murphy has homered in six straight playoff games, a Major League Baseball record, and the Royals have committed one error in 375 chances through 11 postseason games.
Murphy is doing more than hitting the ball over the fence. In nine games, he’s batting .421 with seven home runs and 11 RBI. If he keeps up this pace, he’ll shatter the record of eight home runs in a postseason, per Baseball-Reference.com, and the hearts of Royals fans everywhere.
The Royals are hitting a postseason-leading .271 and also have the most RBI (58) and second-most home runs (15) behind the Chicago Cubs. When you couple that with a .997 fielding percentage, it almost seems unfair to have to play them.
The law of averages would have you think both Murphy and the Royals defense will drop off during the World Series. That drop in production, or lack thereof, will play a role in determining which team will be hoisting the championship trophy this year.
Although Murphy is just one player, he has set the tone for the Mets offense, and after hitting home runs off 2015 Cy Young candidates Clayton Kershaw, Jake Arrieta and Zack Greinke, Murphy’s play has rubbed off on his teammates.
A great defensive play can pump up the crowd and get the offense going in the next inning. Keep an eye on both throughout the series and see who blinks first.
Sensational Skippers
Royals manager Ned Yost, who was fired by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 with just 12 games remaining in a season in which the team made the playoffs, hasn’t always been loved in Kansas City. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s David O’Brien remembers well:
On the other side, Mets upper management had to dispel a rumor July 3, per ESPN.com’s Adam Ruben, suggesting manager Terry Collins was going to be fired as New York, once 10 games over .500, fell to 40-40.
Both managers got the last laugh, however, guiding their teams to the sport’s pinnacle.
Yost is the first Kansas City manager to reach the Fall Classic twice, and he’s done it in back-to-back seasons, all while becoming the franchise’s most successful manager in terms of regular-season wins.
Collins is third on the Mets’ all-time wins list. Despite the fact that New York has had eight managers since 1986, Collins has done what only one of them, Bobby Valentine, was able to do by reaching the World Series.
It’s hard to say who has the edge here. Yost has increased the Royals’ wins total in all six of his seasons with the team. Collins managed the Mets to 11 more regular-season victories this year than they had in 2014 while working with a talented but young pitching staff.
It feels like this series will be a chess match, and the team that wins will be the one with the manager who makes that final expert move to seal the victory.
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