In dire need of a win to resist falling into a seemingly insurmountable gap, the New York Mets manufactured a 9-3 statement victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the World Series and now trail 2-1 with another pair of games at Citi Field.
The Mets offense that stymied the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series finally awoke, putting away the Royals with a four-run sixth inning that they rode to victory.
Now, both teams turn to the back end of their respective rotations as the series hits the midway mark, creating opportunity for another offensive showing. Here is a glimpse at the Game 4 matchup.
Game 4 Info
When: Saturday, Oct. 31
Where: Citi Field
Time: 8:07 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Probable Starters: Chris Young (KC) vs. Steven Matz (NYM)
Preview
While Game 3 featured two of the three highest-velocity starters in baseball, according to Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine, Game 4 dishes out the lowest of each team’s rotation totem pole.
Steven Matz has been in the shadow of the Mets’ power trio of hurlers—Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard—but he’s been lurking more than hiding. Matz is 0-1 this postseason but anchored the Mets to a clinching 8-3 win over the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS.
He’s barely four months removed from his MLB debut, but the Mets will rely on him to pull the series even. Matz is welcoming the tall task, per Chris Fickett of the Kansas City Star.
“This is where you want to be in baseball. This is the dream,” Matz said. “This is what you write up in your backyard when you’re playing Wiffle ball.”
Matz hails from Long Island and will reportedly commute from his childhood home for the biggest start of his career, per Adam Rubin of ESPN.com.
Young, who played for the Mets in 2011-2012, is making just his second start these playoffs and third appearance overall. He came out of the bullpen in Game 1 and threw 53 pitches, yet Royals manager Ned Yost remained firm that Young will start Game 4, per Fox Sports Kansas City:
Young had been a relegated reliever for roughly half of 2015, pitching in just 123.1 innings and eclipsing 100 pitches only three times. Part of his limited use stems from various injuries over the years, as he was limited to just 24 starts in his two seasons with the Mets. He has enjoyed a bit of redemption against his former teammates, per Jeff Deters of the Topeka Capital-Journal:
“I’m grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” Young said. “And certainly to see them and their success over the last few years since I last played here, it’s great. I’m happy for them. I just hope we find a way to beat them.”
Given the Mets and Royals have combined for 29 runs in three games—a surprise this late in October—the offensive trend should continue, as each team sends out the lower tier of its rotation.
Young allowed no hits or runs in his three innings of service in Game 1, but that was the marathon that went 14 innings. Both offenses will come out sharp, particularly the momentous Mets, who are coming off a convincing Game 3 win.
The Royals still have home-field advantage to lean on, and they’ll need it. They showed in Game 3 that they can indeed be vulnerable. This series is shaping up to be a lengthy one.
Prediction: Mets 6, Royals 4
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