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Winning baseball starts on the mound, and that’s an understatement as far as the 2015 World Series goes with two stud pitchers lining up for Game 2 in Kauffman Stadium.

Both Edinson Volquez of the Kansas City Royals and Matt Harvey of the New York Mets pitched gems in Game 1 and canceled each other out with three runs apiece. That led to an incredible 14-inning affair as both bullpens battled adversity before the Royals took advantage of a Mets fielding error and loaded the bases for Eric Hosmer’s walk-off sacrifice fly.

Neither staff takes a step downward with pitching quality for Game 2. In fact, one could argue that the pitching will be even more dominant in Wednesday’s contest. 

Johnny Cueto, Kansas City Royals

It’s a battle of spectacular hair in Game 2 of the World Series.

While the mop of Jacob deGrom has generated a world of interest throughout this postseason (and long before it), he’s got some competition in the form of Johnny Cueto. And if you ask Cueto, he’s got the leg up in that category, as he told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN:

Well, that’s one advantage he might have over the Mets ace.

Otherwise, Wednesday spells a tough ask for Cueto, who looked shaky at best in his last postseason outing. He gave up eight runs against the Toronto Blue Jays and was yanked after just two innings.

He did do well to dispel his playoff struggles before that, pitching 14 combined innings in two victories over the Houston Astros in the ALDS. But Wednesday, he’ll be tasked with slowing down a desperate Mets lineup intent on jumping on him early.

Cueto should settle down in front of his home crowd eventually, but Royals fans haven’t seen the ace in Kansas City who emerged as one of baseball’s best pitchers with the Cincinnati Reds. He should pitch a strong game but not strong enough to outduel deGrom.

Prediction: 6 innings, 3 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

Jacob deGrom, New York Mets

Any Mets fans whose heart rates have spiked since their Game 1 defeat should rest easy heading into Game 2, knowing they have their best pitcher on the mound.

And that’s saying something, considering the rotation New York has dominated with throughout 2015. There’s little doubt, however, that deGrom is the bell cow of that rotation and best suited to pitch in what feels like a must-win game.

Should pitching on the road phase deGrom? He certainly doesn’t think so and in fact believes it’s to his advantage, per Neil Best of Newsday.

“I’ve actually enjoyed pitching on the road in the postseason,” deGrom said before Game 1. “You go out there, and you’re getting booed, and it’s fun to try to silence the crowd.”

It’s not just his talk that should have Mets fans confident—he has backed it up as well. All three of his starts have come on the road this postseason, and he’s been virtually unhittable while striking out opponents with ease, per ESPN Stats & Info:

When it comes down to it, pitching on the road hasn’t fazed deGrom in the least. It also hasn’t fazed him pitching in an elimination game, as he put together a gem in Game 5 of the NLDS and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This game isn’t a must-win, but it feels like it. Expect deGrom to pitch in that fashion, putting together seven innings of marvelous work.

Prediction: 7 innings, 1 run, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts

Game Prediction

The Mets bullpen entered the stretch run of Game 1 with a one-run lead and didn’t prove able to hold on to it. But you can’t expect closer Jeurys Familia to give up a late game-tying homer in a second straight game.

New York will give the Royals’ opportunistic lineup a breath of life in the eighth, allowing them to trim the deficit to just one run. But in the same position as he was Tuesday, Familia won’t let his club down.

Prediction: Mets 3, Royals 2

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This 2015 World Series is going to be fun.

The opening night of it provided an obvious showcase of that, as Tuesday night’s Game 1 went well into the morning in one of the longest games in World Series history. After five hours and nine minutes, over 14 innings, the Royals emerged on top to take the 1-0 series lead.

Heading into Wednesday’s Game 2, there’s little time for reflection on that instant classic with another one right around the corner. With that in mind, let’s dive right into odds and predictions for Game 2 as well as the updated prop bets.

Game 2 Odds

Game 2 odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Updated Prop Bets

Prop bets courtesy of OddsChecker.com.

Preview and Prediction

The opening game of the World Series unfolded just as we expected it—albeit with a handful more innings than initially thought.

Game 1 in Kansas City was indeed evenly matched, so much so that starting pitchers Matt Harvey and Edinson Volquez canceled each other out by conceding three runs each. The teams matched each other after that as well, largely thanks to Alex Gordon’s ninth-inning bomb that tied the game and sent it to extras.

Four more innings of even baseball followed as relief pitchers Bartolo Colon and Chris Young both pitched gems, until an error from the Mets allowed a bases-loaded situation with no outs that Colon couldn’t overcome.

With the Royals once again coming from behind, they tied an incredible statistic, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

It wouldn’t be surprising at all if the Royals were forced to cut into a deficit again Wednesday night in Game 2—not with who the Mets are rolling out onto the mound.

New York ace Jacob deGrom has turned into a folk hero, more so for his dominance on the mound than his wild mop of hair (although the latter is nonetheless exceptional). The 27-year-old is coming into his own in his first postseason, winning all three of his starts.

What’s more, deGrom tends to come through when pitching following a Mets loss, as Baseball Tonight noted:

For all of deGrom‘s great pitching throughout the postseason, he has proven susceptible during one stretch of games—the first inning. He has gotten into an early jam in each of his last two postseason starts, including allowing two runs to the Dodgers early in Game 5.

But it’s no secret why he’s able to settle in after that, as Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen told Scott Miller of Bleacher Report:

“Because he’s able to breathe,” Warthen says, in referring to deGrom‘s ability to slow the game down. “He’s able to focus. Even when you watch him get behind in the count, I’ve watched him umpteen different times where he’ll get 3-and-0 or 3-and-1 and he’ll be able to come back and get quality pitches from that count.

“At any given time, he can throw a 3-1 changeup or a 3-0 breaking ball and get back in the count. His command of the fastball and, more than anything, his ability to focus on that individual pitch [is key].”

You can bet that deGrom‘s early shakiness will be on the Royals’ scouting report. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to prevent him from getting into his groove after that.

Kansas City’s bats have proven opportunistic throughout this postseason and the last, but only when the opposing pitching gives them the opportunity. Harvey rarely conceded that in Game 1, and deGrom will be even less likely to do that.

In the other dugout, trade-deadline acquisition Johnny Cueto gets the ball—who was shaky in his last outing, allowing eight earned runs in just two innings (two innings!) last time out in Game 3 of the ALCS.

Pitching at home should allow for Cueto to settle down, and both pitchers should shut the door often. But the Mets undoubtedly have the edge in that department, and their desperation to avoid going into an 0-2 hole will have their bats making the plays to win a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Mets 3, Royals 2

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On a night when the start of the NBA season—and a Steph Curry heat check—threatened to take the spotlight, the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals stole the show in Game 1 of the World Series.

The Mets and Royals played late into Tuesday night—or, rather, early into Wednesday morning—and in the bottom of the 14th inning, Eric Hosmer delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to give the Royals a 5-4 win.

Hosmer redeemed himself after his Bill Buckner-esque error in the eighth inning led to the run that gave the Mets a 4-3 lead.

It was a tough loss for the Mets, who took their lead to the bottom of the ninth inning, with Jeurys Familia, who had been untouchable in the postseason, on the mound. However, Familia gave up a home run to Alex Gordon and, as ESPN Stats & Info points out, blew his first save since late July:

The stats department at ESPN also had some other interesting nuggets about Tuesday’s Game 1, including a mention of the one and only Babe Ruth:

Chris Young earned the win for the Royals after pitching three sterling innings and striking out four Mets. Young allowed only one baserunner, and it was on a walk. Meanwhile, the ageless Bartolo Colon took the loss for the Mets.

The two clubs have to get over the drama of the series opener right away, as they will come back Wednesday night for Game 2. You can watch Game 2 live from Kauffman Stadium on Fox, with the first pitch scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.

The Mets will send Jacob deGrom, arguably their best pitcher in the postseason, to the bump to take on Johnny Cueto of the Royals. DeGrom is 3-0 in the postseason with a 1.80 ERA, while Cueto is 1-1 in playoff starts with a robust 7.88 ERA—so the pitching matchup clearly favors the Mets.

But having been in the Fall Classic just last year, the Royals have the playoff chops to make deGrom work. He will have little room for error after his team fell into a one-game hole, and he’ll need to be on his game to send the series to Queens tied at a game apiece. 

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If Tuesday night’s debut of the 2015 World Series is any indication, we’re in for a championship bout between the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets that should go down to the wire entering Wednesday night’s Game 2.

Nine innings weren’t enough to decide Game 1, a 14-inning affair that went long into the Kansas City night—or, morning. What ended as one of the longest World Series games ever by any measurement resulted in a Royals victory, 5-4.

But if that game provided any takeaways, it’s that these Mets and Royals are as evenly matched as could be, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see this series go into November and a seventh game. Game 2 will be a sign of whether that could happen, so let’s take a look at what to expect.

Game 2 Info

When: Wednesday, October 28

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City

Time (ET): 8:07 p.m.

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Preview and Prediction

Baseball fans couldn’t have asked for any more from Game 1 of the World Series—well, save for a good night’s sleep.

Folks who had to be up early Wednesday morning certainly didn’t get that, as the opener lasted all of five hours and nine minutes. It didn’t end until after 1 a.m. ET, when the Royals loaded the bases with no outs and Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Alcides Escobar.

That wouldn’t have been possible without the supremely unlikely: a blown save from Mets closer Jeurys Familia. Having not blown a save since July 31, he allowed Alex Gordon to go yard in the bottom of the ninth; the solo shot tied the game at 4-4 and set up five extra innings of standout bullpen pitching.

The way the game ended, however, couldn’t be more fitting as Hosmer was able to make up for an error that allowed the Mets the lead. Manager Ned Yost echoed that sentiment to the team’s Twitter:

It’s hard to take anything away from the Royals, who once again proved they just put together strong at-bats when it’s needed the most and rarely have to do anything spectacular to get wins. But that doesn’t mean the Mets aren’t leaving Game 1 wishing they had seized the opportunity.

With a dominant closer on the mound and a one-run lead in the ninth, it’s pretty astounding that the Mets couldn’t pull through, as ESPN’s Mike Greenberg noted:

While players, beat writers and fans alike spend Wednesday morning catching up on sleep, there isn’t much time to catch any shut-eye with Game 2 right around the corner Wednesday evening.

And that’s especially true for the Royals, who will have to reset their minds and prepare for another outstanding Mets ace. This one is perhaps the best, as Jacob deGrom has dominated this postseason with a 3-0 record.

Mets captain David Wright—along with the rest of the fanbase—is confident their leading arm can take them to victory and even the series, per ESPN’s Adam Rubin: “He’s been excellent this postseason,” Wright said. “Even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he’s found ways to win. He’s a stopper for us, so we feel good every time he’s on the mound.”

Although Matt Harvey pitched well and let up just three runs in Game 1, the Royals can’t expect to even get that many off deGrom. He’s simply pitching too well at the moment, and there’s too much on the line for his team for him to do anything short of the spectacular.

Kansas City won’t ever give up, and that will keep this one close until the final out. But Familia will have a point to prove and won’t disappoint when deGrom gives him a lead into the ninth.

Prediction: Mets 3, Royals 2

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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.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Two pitchers riding diverging postseason paths will collide in Game 2 of 2015’s World Series on Wednesday night.

The New York Mets have emerged victorious in all three of Jacob deGrom‘s playoff starts, all away from Citi Field. He’ll look to once again disappoint a home crowd to bring the series to Flushing tied at 1-1.

Johnny Cueto figured to anchor the Kansas City Royals’ starting staff, but he’s now a potential liability on the grand stage. After following one of the best starts of his career with one of the worst, he’ll need to rebound at Kauffman Stadium to solidify the American League champions’ home-field advantage.

After a 14-inning start to the series, a mysterious pitching matchup highlights Game 2 of the Fall Classic. Here’s a full viewing guide for Wednesday’s showdown.

Game 2 Viewing Guide

When: Wednesday, October 28, at 8:07 p.m. ET (7:07 p.m. CT)

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Preview

If playoff baseball isn’t already volatile enough, Cueto‘s polarizing postseason makes Game 2 nearly impossible to peg.

Kansas City acquired him in July to fill James Shields’ spot in the playoff rotation, and he’s done just that. Then again, Shields was awful last October, registering a 6.12 postseason ERA. Cueto didn’t waste any time nailing down the part, accruing a 4.76 ERA through 13 regular-season starts for the Royals.

That all seemingly vanished during Game 5 of the American League Division Series. The 29-year-old righty atoned for his struggles with eight masterful innings, limiting the Houston Astros to two runs and two baserunners while netting eight strikeouts. About time the starter with a career 3.30 ERA corrected course.

Or maybe not. He fared far worse against the thunderous Toronto Blue Jays, allowing eight runs over two disastrous innings. After tightening his command against the Astros, he issued four walks during his shortest start of the year.

Per MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, Cueto wishes everyone would stop bringing up that time he gave up eight runs in a playoff game:

Sorry Cueto, but sports fans flock to the negative and recent results. Also, it’s hard to forget a historically bad game. ESPN Stats & Info placed the outing in infamy:

Based on his career success, the Toronto start was a fluke. Looking at his recent hard times, however, his dominance over Houston stands out as an outlier. If the good Cueto doesn’t return, Kansas City is in trouble.

This Mets lineup boasts a dangerous mix of patience and aggression. After the All-Star break, right around when the Mets’ meager offense turned into a stacked lineup, they recorded an 8.7 walk percentage and .443 slugging percentage. They’ll work a count, but Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy aren’t looking for free handouts to first base.

Cueto‘s fickleness puts more pressure on Kansas City to decimate deGrom early. The ace has toiled out of the gate in his last two starts, allowing a two-run first inning in Game 5 of the National League Division Series and a Kyle Schwarber homer to kick off his National League Championship Series start.

He settled down both times, leaving with two runs apiece despite sporting spotty command. While deGrom hasn’t always looked spectacular, he limited the opposition to four runs over three starts. He has also stacked up the strikeouts, as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:

Don’t bank on another double-digit strikeout performance, as no team is tougher to punch out than Kansas City.

Also a possible concern, deGrom has now pitched a career-high 211 innings, with all 20 postseason frames logged in high-stress situations on the road. For all the talk of monitoring Matt Harvey’s usage, deGrom is also a former Tommy John surgery recipient far surpassing his previous career high of 178.2 innings pitched in a season.

With two high-quality arms on the hill, Game 2 could easily devolve into a pitchers’ duel. Yet onlookers shouldn’t be surprised if either ace succumbs to a high-quality offense, as the Mets will exploit Cueto‘s poor control, while the aggressive Royals will put the ball in play. 

Cueto is currently too erratic to trust, and playing in Kauffman Stadium gives the Mets potent hitters from No. 1 to No. 9. They’ll break through while deGrom limits the damage enough to win his fourth playoff start.

Prediction: Mets 6, Royals 4

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The 2015 World Series has finally arrived, and the only certain aspect of an evenly matched series is that oddsmakers and bettors alike have a lot on their plates.

The Kansas City Royals haven’t won the world title in 30 years, and it’s been 29 for the New York Mets, but both clubs are playing lights-out baseball that suggests destiny is on their side. Reliable players in both dugouts seem intent on putting their teams on their backs en route to championship glory.

Simply put, a series that can go either way leaves plenty of enticing lines for bettors to choose from. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the odds for Game 1 and the best prop bets for the series, all of which are courtesy of Odds Shark.

Game 1 Odds

Prop Bets

The MVP prop bet is always the toughest of them all, but it never fails to produce intriguing odds and huge payouts.

It’s no surprise that Mets slugger Daniel Murphy leads the list by far after tearing through the postseason en route to a major league record six straight postseason games with a home run, but much more value can be found elsewhere. While Yoenis Cespedes may be shied away from due to an injury that has him “not playing with a full tank,” per Adam Rubin of ESPN.com, other sluggers have the chance to rewrite history. 

For instance, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer has been unconscious with runners in scoring position, and his extra determination could have him taking home MVP honors, as Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reported:

From Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson to Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar, there’s no shortage of strong bats who could knock their way into the MVP conversation. 

If recent history is any indication, taking the over here seems like a sure bet.

But when given context, it’s pretty hard to see Murphy continuing his torrid home run pace throughout the World Series. Yes, he’s hit homers in six straight games, but nobody is more wary of that than the Royals, who will be doing everything they can to keep the ball away from him.

Plus, there’s that whole magazine curse he has to deal with, as noted by Rubin:

When it comes down to it, Kansas City is likely to intentionally walk Murphy when possible rather than let him have shots at hitting the ball out of the park. If that’s the case, hitting more than one home run in the series seems like a stretch—even for him. 

If there’s one bet you don’t want to take in this article, it’s predicting a four-game sweep.

Sure, the Mets swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS, but that series wasn’t competitive for a reason—the Cubs aren’t ready. However, the Royals are.

Both squads have some serious cheese on the mound that will make opposing lineups struggle, and that should lead to both teams notching at least a couple of wins throughout the series. Don’t bet on anything other than a six- or seven-game battle, which has the lowest odds for a reason.

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The anticipation is finally over, and the 2015 World Series will see the first pitch of Game 1 get thrown out Tuesday evening at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

That’s where the Kansas City Royals will welcome the New York Mets for the beginning of what promises to be a back-and-forth series. The average baseball fan can only hope to see another series like last year’s championship battle, which saw the Royals take the San Francisco Giants to seven games.

While the Royals couldn’t end their long championship drought then, now they have the opportunity to bring a 30-year window without a title to a close. Meanwhile, the Mets have their own drought of 29 years to rid themselves of.

Here’s a look at everything to know.

Game 1 Info

When: Tuesday, October 27

Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City

Time (ET): 8:07 p.m.

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Preview

One team’s lineup has been finding ways over and over to get past great pitching and put runs on the board. The other team’s pitching staff is preventing opponents from having any breath of life on offense.

This World Series should be fun.

The Royals have once again defied the odds and advanced out of the American League, using their small-ball approach and timely hitting to their advantage. That style allowed them to avoid elimination in Game 4 of the ALDS despite a four-run deficit, before pushing them past the mighty Toronto Blue Jays in six games.

Timely hitting by Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and others has paved the way for the Royals, but they’ll be hard-pressed to continue it Tuesday and beyond.

That’s because the Mets’ arms are dealing at a ridiculous rate. Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard are a three-headed monster of a rotation that has slain everything in its path.

As compared to the Royals pitchers, Jayson Stark of ESPN captured a stunning statistic:

In (the Mets’) nine starts in the first two rounds of this postseason, they got more swings and misses, 140, than balls put in play, 136. Seriously.

Want an idea of how crazy that is? The Royals’ starters have induced almost double the number of balls in play, 153, versus swings and misses, 84. And none of the other six teams that have played more than one game in this postseason are even close to the Mets’ ratio.

Of course, the Mets haven’t been propelled by pitching alone. There’s also a stout lineup and this guy named Daniel Murphy. 

Murphy has emerged from the shadows this postseason into one of the biggest folk heroes in New York sports history—and that’s elite company. He broke a major league record in Game 4 of the Mets’ sweep over the Chicago Cubs by hitting a home run for a sixth straight postseason game.

However, one daunting sports curse could be against him in the World Series, as Adam Rubin of ESPN noted:

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Murphy go the whole series without a home run, if only because the Royals have been planning for him for days. If they’re smart in that regard, they’ll avoid pitching to him altogether.

Tasked with that responsibility in Game 1 is Edinson Volquez, who hasn’t had the prettiest of postseasons prior to Tuesday. He dropped his only decision against Houston and allowed five runs in a loss in Toronto.

But Volquez‘s only home start in these playoffs was a great one, going six innings on two hits. The Royals will hope for more of the same Tuesday night, as he faces off against the Mets’ Harvey.

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The Kansas City Royals host the New York Mets in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series on Tuesday. 

For the Royals, this is a rare chance to get it right in the Fall Classic after losing in seven games to the San Francisco Giants last season. For a long-suffering franchise that is just one year removed from a 28-year postseason drought—which began right after the Royals won their lone World Series title in 1985—Kansas City is cherishing the opportunity while trying to seize all the glory it missed out on last year. 

The Mets are looking to end a championship drought that dates back to 1986. They last won the pennant in 2000 and have long been the misfit outfit in New York, playing in the shadow of baseball’s greatest franchise, the Yankees. Strong pitching and an otherworldly display at the plate from Daniel Murphy propelled them past the ultra-rich Los Angeles Dodgers and the tortured Chicago Cubs this postseason. 

Both squads have a right to claim underdog status in the grand scheme of things. Kansas City is looking to win one for the smaller markets, while the Amazin’ Mets are looking to make sure that nickname is no longer said in jest (at least, you know, temporarily).

Here is the schedule and streaming info for Game 1.

2015 World Series Game 1 Viewing Info

When: Tuesday, October 27 at 8:07 p.m. ET

Where: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

TV: Fox

Live Stream: FoxSportsGo

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Pre-Series Comments

Naturally, the Royals have found plenty of motivation this year from coming within one game of a championship in 2014. Dismissed by some before the season as lacking power and a true staff ace, the Royals went on to win an American League-best 95 games.

They’ve again captured the pennant, but it’s not likely they find much satisfaction in that feat. Last year’s pennant symbolizes what could have been.

“You’re proud of the American League pennant ring,” said hitting coach Dale Sveum, via the Kansas City Star‘s Vahe Gregorian, “but I have a hard time wearing it because it just reminds me that we lost.”

Pain aversion indeed might be part of what’s fueling the team. 

“I mean, the world’s watching,” said pitcher Luke Hochevar, via Gregorian. “This is the big stage that everybody dreams of. … I don’t think you ever get over that. I don’t think you do.”

While the Royals come into this game with a wealth of experience from last year, the Mets might still be getting used to the idea of playing on baseball’s biggest stage.

“For all of us, we’re kind of sitting around the locker room all talking to each other, and I don’t think anything has really set in for us yet,” Matt Harvey said Monday, according to Newsday‘s Marc Craig. “Which in our minds I think is a positive.”

“If you would have told me I’d be here in April,” lefty starter Steven Matz said, via Craig, “I would have probably laughed at you.”

Public enemy No. 1 for Kansas City in this series is Murphy, who is having a playoffs for the ages. He has an absurd .421/.436/1.026 slash line, with seven home runs and 11 RBI in nine games. He’s drawing comparisons to Yankees’ playoff hero Paul O’Neill. 

“Mostly it’s the fire with which he plays that reminded me of O’Neill more than anything else,” said baseball scout Bryan Lambe, according to the New York Post‘s Ken Davidoff. The Mets will hope Murphy can be the difference-maker in a series that is likely to feature plenty of fanned hitters.

Power pitching will be a key reason to tune into this World Series. The Royals have the trio of Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Yordano Ventura, while the Mets can trot out Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Harvey.

Game 1 will see Volquez square off against Harvey, but pitching velocity will definitely be a factor through Game 3, per USA Today‘s Joe Lemire and Jorge L. Ortiz: 

Three of the four starters who most regularly threw 95-plus gas will take the hill in the Fall Classic. In Game 3, each league’s most consistently hard throwers will oppose each other: Syndergaard and Ventura. Syndergaard hit 95 on 59.7% of pitches — the sport’s only hurler to throw a majority at that speed — and Ventura’s rate was 45.7%, which barely edges out the Mets’ Harvey at 45%.

The Mets will be looking to blow down a balanced lineup featuring the likes of crafty center fielder Lorenzo Cain and sluggers Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas. Cain believes his team can keep doing what it’s done better than most this season—clobber the fastball, per Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star:

I feel like we hit hard throwers well. It’s not that it’s easier to hit. We just hit fastballs well. But what we did during the season, it doesn’t matter. Right now, it’s go out there and hit these guys. They’re a very solid staff. We understand that. We know what we’re getting ourselves into. We know what they feature. Once we get between the lines, it’s about applying what you’ve seen.

Playing catcher day in and day out, Perez has drawn plenty of attention for his lasting presence behind the plate.

“He takes such a beating,” said Cain, per Dave Skretta of the Associated Press (h/t the Register-Guard). “Man, I know I couldn’t do it.” 

Per Skretta, Game 1 will see Perez behind the plate for the 312th time in the past two years. It’s a remarkable feat of endurance, and the Royals pitching staff surely welcomes the consistency. If Perez can get his tired legs to crank out a few more home runs—he already has four this postseason—even better.

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Playoff baseball often comes down to pitching, which means both teams in the World Series will hope for a big performance from their starters in Game 1.

The Kansas City Royals waited until the last minute to announce Tuesday’s starter, but it will be veteran Edinson Volquez. He will battle Matt Harvey of the New York Mets in the important first game of the best-of-seven series. There are a lot of factors at play, but the performances of these two men could make a huge difference in the first contest of the series.

With that in mind, here is a look at what to expect from each pitcher in Game 1.

Edinson Volquez, Royals

While he did have one shutdown performance against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, Volquez has not been great in his postseason career. In five starts, he has a 1-4 record with a 6.56 ERA, including 17 walks in 23.1 innings.

He explained to reporters that the key is to stay mentally composed, via Thomas Harding of MLB.com:

It’s another game. I don’t have to do anything different than what I’ve been doing. I’ve got to stay focused in what I’m doing, especially this game, because this is a World Series game. You don’t have too many chances to make a lot of mistakes in those games. So I’ve got to stay under control and pitch my game.

One thing he does have going for him is the extended layoff the Mets have had since last playing. Thanks to their four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs, they will go six days between games. This is a major gap for players who haven’t gone this long without seeing live pitching since March.

Volquez does have obvious talent, and while New York should be able to get some runs on the board, it won’t have the consistent hitting it has shown throughout the playoffs to this point. As long as the walks don’t get out of control, the Royals starter should at least be able to keep his team in the game.

With a dominant bullpen behind him, just going five or six innings should be more than enough for the 32-year-old starter.

Prediction: 5 innings, 3 runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts

Matt Harvey, Mets

Most of the discussion surrounding Harvey this season has been what has happened off the field. Agent Scott Boras wanted to shut him down due to an innings limit. He missed a postseason workout while stuck in traffic.

There weren’t many complaints about his actual pitching, however. Harvey finished the year ranked sixth in the National League with a 2.71 ERA and seventh with a 1.02 WHIP. Although he was sometimes overshadowed by teammate Jacob deGrom, the 26-year-old pitcher has outstanding stuff and can shut down any lineup.

With a fastball that can reach the upper 90s and breaking balls he can locate for strikes, Harvey was able to keep the Cubs lineup in check for 7.2 innings, allowing just two runs in his most recent start.

The problem is the Royals have a much more experienced lineup than the Cubs with a better approach at the plate. As Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports notes, they know how to handle hard pitching:

Kansas City might not have one terrifying hitter in the middle of the order, but it has a deep lineup full of hitters who can all get the ball in play. Even if Harvey is at his best, this is a batting order that could scratch a few runs across with multiple singles in a row and eventually get to the talented pitcher.

Look for him to have a great start to the day before giving up a few runs at the end of his outing.

Prediction: 6.2 innings, 3 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts

Game Prediction

Harvey has the clear edge in this matchup when it comes to pure ability. However, there are multiple other factors at play, most notably the Royals bullpen and the offense’s knack for scoring late.

Mets manager Terry Collins knows the opposing bullpen combination of Kelvin Herrera, Ryan Madson and Wade Davis could be tough to beat late in games:

The problem is even if this plan works out, a close lead also isn’t safe. This is more of an issue with the Mets lacking faith in setup men Tyler Clippard and Addison Reed. If Harvey can’t go seven or eight innings, the bridge to closer Jeurys Familia will feature plenty of drama.

New York has the hitters to get an early lead, but the Royals will eventually get to Harvey and tie up the game. In a battle of bullpens, the edge will go to Kansas City, and the home team will pull out a Game 1 win.

Prediction: Royals 4, Mets 3

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis. 

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