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The Cleveland Indians cruised through the American League playoffs with a sparkling 7-1 record and will now await their National League opponent in the 2016 World Series.

Whether the Chicago Cubs or Los Angeles Dodgers prevail in their clash, the eventual Fall Classic winner will break a lengthy drought. The Cubs famously have not won a title since 1908, while Indians fans have been waiting since 1948. Los Angeles hasn’t lifted the trophy since 1988.

The National League Championship Series is tied at two games apiece, and the potential for a memorable World Series between two title-hungry franchises looms. With that in mind, here is a look at the event’s schedule, as well as a breakdown of the potential pitching matchups.

Schedule information is courtesy of MLB.com.

World Series Schedule

Pitching Analysis

Cleveland Indians

The Indians clinched their spot in the World Series on Wednesday, which gives them the luxury of setting their pitching staff exactly as they like while the two National League teams battle in a six- or seven-game series.

Factoring in a combination of how Cleveland started its pitchers in the postseason and overall performance, here is a projected starting rotation for the World Series:

Corey Kluber is the clear-cut ace and the Indians’ best chance of matching someone like Clayton Kershaw or Jon Lester. He finished the year with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 227 strikeouts in 215 innings. He could also be used in a potential Game 7 out of the bullpen, much like Kershaw was in the decisive Game 5 of Los Angeles’ division series win against the Washington Nationals.

The Indians will likely use Trevor Bauer in Game 2 even though he threw just 21 pitches in his American League Championship Series start because of a pinkie laceration, per MLB.com’s Richard Justice. Blood was dripping onto his jersey, but he will have the chance to recover with the break in-between series. 

Manager Terry Francona trusted Bauer in Cleveland’s first postseason game this year, and that trust will still be there in the World Series.

The Indians will probably use Josh Tomlin in Game 3, especially since he has been more effective in the postseason than during the year. He has allowed just three earned runs with a 0.94 WHIP in 10.2 playoff innings after posting a 4.40 ERA this season.

Rookie Ryan Merritt proved his mettle in Game 5 of the ALCS with 4.1 shutout innings. He wasn’t intimidated by the Rogers Centre crowd in Toronto and supported the impressive numbers (1.64 ERA and 0.55 WHIP) he posted in 11 innings of work during the season.

Steve Gardner of USA Today noted injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar (on top of the setback to Bauer) have taxed the Indians bullpen. However, the group that has tallied a 1.67 ERA in 32.1 innings of playoff work will have the chance to recuperate during the break.

Andrew Miller won the ALCS MVP with 7.2 shutout innings, but Kluber pointed out there are a number of capable options behind the starting staff, per Gardner: “We have a lot of guys down there that can mix and match. We’ve got guys that have unbelievable stuff and we have a lot of faith in them to come in and finish games for us.”

The bullpen will need to continue doing so if the Indians are going to win the World Series.

Chicago Cubs

The assumption here is the NLCS goes a full seven games with the Cubs pitching Lester in Game 5 and the Dodgers answering with Kershaw in Game 6. Therefore, the NL representative will take the field for Tuesday’s Game 1 of the World Series with just one day of rest since the Game 7 showdown on Sunday.

That would mean veteran John Lackey would open up the Fall Classic for Chicago if manager Joe Maddon stuck with his postseason rotation. Here is a look at how things would set up:

From a statistical standpoint, the Cubs have the best remaining pitching staff in the playoffs. They finished first in all of baseball with a 3.15 ERA, have two legitimate Cy Young candidates in Lester and Kyle Hendricks, count last year’s National League Cy Young winner as a No. 3 starter (Jake Arrieta) and have a bullpen that features fireballers Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Aroldis Chapman.

Lackey may not stand out among that group, but the playoff-tested veteran has 25 postseason appearances and 22 postseason starts on his resume. In addition to his solid 3.26 ERA in those games, he won a title in 2002 with the Anaheim Angels and 2013 with the Boston Red Sox. He started Game 7 of the World Series in 2002 as a rookie and allowed just one earned run in five innings.

With Lackey supporting the numbers of Lester (2.44 ERA and 1.02 WHIP), Hendricks (2.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP) and Arrieta (3.10 ERA and 1.08 WHIP), the Cubs won’t be overmatched when comparing their pitching to Cleveland’s if they reach the World Series.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Kershaw will pitch Saturday’s NLCS game, so he won’t be set to start the World Series for the Dodgers. However, he has proved throughout the postseason that he is willing to take the ball on short rest. He will start Game 2, which will set up Los Angeles’ rotation exactly how it was for the series against the Cubs:

The three-time Cy Young winner and 2014 National League MVP is the best remaining weapon in the postseason. Kershaw started Game 4 against Washington and came in for a pressure-packed save in the very next contest. He also prevailed against Hendricks in the NLCS with seven shutout innings in a 1-0 Dodgers win.

Don’t overlook Rich Hill, though, after he finished the season with a 2.12 ERA and 1.00 WHIP and threw six shutout innings against the Cubs. New York Times bestselling author Molly Knight said Chicago’s shutout losses in Games 2 and 3 of the NLCS were largely because of the southpaw combination:

Kenta Maeda (seven earned runs in seven postseason innings) and 20-year-old Julio Urias (four earned runs in 5.2 postseason innings) are still major question marks, but Los Angeles would win the World Series if it prevailed in just games started by Kershaw and Hill.

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The Cleveland Indians have already booked their World Series flights. Now it’s up to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs to round things out and get the 2016 Fall Classic underway.

The Chicago Cubs earned a 10-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday to bring the NLCS to a 2-2 tie. John Lackey gave up two runs over four innings of work, the Cubs bullpen kept things afloat and their offense finally felt unshackled in the critical Game 4.

Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell each went deep, combining to drive in five runs to awaken the slumbering juggernaut. Rizzo drove in three runs, going deep in the fifth and smacking a single with the bases loaded in the sixth. Russell hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, which gave Chicago a comfortable 4-0 lead.

The two teams will play Game 5 on Thursday before heading back to Chicago for Games 6 and (potentially) 7. 

Cleveland, meanwhile, took care of its final piece of business Wednesday night. Behind surprise starter Ryan Merritt and a sterling bullpen, the Indians finished off the Toronto Blue Jays with a 3-0 victory in the fifth game of the American League Championship Series.

Reliever Andrew Miller was named series MVP after adding 2.2 innings of work to his stellar postseason body. Miller has not given up a run in 11.2 innings and has gone over an inning pitched in each of his six appearances. Brought over by a midseason trade with the New York Yankees, Miller has emerged as the best setup man in baseball and an anchor next to closer Cody Allen.

Miller shared his thoughts about winning the award with Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com: 

I don’t deserve this recognition. I don’t think anybody does. I don’t think anybody should be singled out after this series.

It’s such a special team. It’s a special organization. The way they treat us from top to bottom, it’s paid off. It’s not because of one person or one thing. It’s neat to be recognized, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is we won a game today and we’re going to the World Series and it doesn’t get any better than that.

Miller came in to help finish the job started by Merritt, one of the unlikeliest LCS starters in recent memory. The 24-year-old entered Wednesday with one career MLB start and 11 innings under his belt. He had not thrown competitively since Sept. 30 and had been a spot reliever who occasionally got called up from the minors as an injury replacement.

In finishing off the Jays, he was nothing short of great. He retired the first nine batters he faced and gave up only two hits over 4.1 innings, striking out three. Manager Terry Francona may have even erred on the side of caution pulling him after 49 pitches; it looked as if he could have gone through the order another time.

“Going into today, I told myself to have fun, enjoy the moment, don’t try to do too much, be yourself, trust in your team, trust in yourself and just go out there and compete. There was a lot of emotion, lot of nerves. Tough to sleep at night,” Merritt said, per John Telich of Fox 8.

Merritt likely didn’t get much sleep last night, but he’ll be slumbering like a baby for the next few as the Indians prepare themselves for the World Series. It’s unlikely we’ll see much or any of Merritt going forward; Trevor Bauer should be recovered enough from his drone-related injury to make his scheduled start in the rotation.

All that’s left to determine is whether it’ll be the Cubs or Dodgers making the trip to Cleveland for Game 1. The longer the series goes, the better it is for the AL champs. Los Angeles will almost certainly use Clayton Kershaw again in Game 6, while Jon Lester will also be taking another turn in the rotation. Depending on the timing of those starts, the Cubs and Dodgers could be forced to wait until Game 2 before using their aces.

No matter, Cleveland will likely walk into the Series as an underdog. Either potential NL champion poses a formidable threat. The Dodgers have been throwing money at elite players for a handful of years now in hopes of throwing together a World Series contender. They’ve come up just short in their effort.

The Cubs have been throwing together a World Series contender for, oh, let’s just say more than a century now. Theo Epstein’s plan of building a young lineup and surrounding it with a strong veteran pitching staff resulted in one of the best regular seasons in recent memory. 

The Cubs remain the overall favorite and should take care of business now that they’ve wrested home-field advantage back from Los Angeles. But either way, I’m taking the NL winner. 

Prediction: Dodgers over Indians in 7 or Cubs over Indians in 6

Tickets available via ScoreBig.com.

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In the American League, the Cleveland Indians appear ready to rock their way to the World Series for the first time in nearly two decades. In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs seem prepared for a toss-up classic.

The Indians have raced out to a 2-0 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, winning a pair of low-scoring nail-biters. Toronto’s high-powered offense has put up just one run over the first 18 innings; Cleveland had to be more than thrilled to see Josh Tomlin go 5.2 innings while giving up only a single run in Game 2.

Tomlin was not originally the scheduled starter but had his day moved up when Trevor Bauer suffered a non-baseball injury. Bauer cut his pinkie finger while working on a custom-built drone at his house Thursday. 

“Obviously you feel bad,” Bauer said, per Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal:

I want to go out and be able to make my start and help the team any way that I can. I was really looking forward to pitching on Saturday. Just one of those things, freak accident you can’t really control. And try to maintain a positive attitude the whole time. Literally I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pitch at some point in the series. I got pretty lucky.

Bauer and the Indians say he should be fine to go in Game 3. The Blue Jays will hand the ball to Marcus Stroman, who gave up two runs in six innings of work in his Wild Card Game start against the Baltimore Orioles. He did not pitch in the ALDS.

The Jays pitching staff has done its job so far. Marco Estrada gave up just two runs over a complete-game loss in Game 1, while J.A. Happ only gave up a pair of runs over his five innings of work in Game 2. Having failed to produce a run in Game 2 despite racking up seven hits, the Toronto offense has to save the series.

Jays star Jose Bautista put some of the onus onto the umpires.

“All you gotta do is look at video and count how many times [Indians pitchers have] thrown pitches over the heart of the plate,” Bautista said, per Lewis. “It hasn’t been many. They’ve been able to do that because of the circumstances that I’m not trying to talk about because I can’t. That’s for you guys to do but you guys don’t really want to talk about that either.”

The Jays appear closer than ever to missing out on a World Series berth in the ALCS for the second straight year. Bautista‘s comments likely spell out an increasing frustration from the clubhouse more than an actual indictment of the umpires.

The NLCS is much harder to predict. Clayton Kershaw once again threw the Dodgers on his back in Game 2, going seven shutout innings to outduel Kyle Kendricks in a 1-0 win. Kershaw‘s heroics flips home-field advantage to Los Angeles, which will put Rich Hill on the bump for Game 3.

Acquired in a deadline deal with the Oakland Athletics, Hill’s time as a Dodger hasn‘t gone as expected. He was limited throughout the second half of the season due to recurring blisters on his pitching hand, and the Washington Nationals lit him up for four runs in 4.1 innings in his first NLDS start. He lasted all of 2.2 innings in his second before being pulled for a relief committee in Game 5.

The Cubs will use Jake Arrieta, who has become a near-automatic win over the last few years. Arrieta‘s 2016 was his worst full season as a Cub, and he posted a 3.69 ERA after the All-Star break. But he threw six solid innings in his lone NLDS start against the San Francisco Giants—though that turned out to be Chicago’s only loss of the series.

“We can’t win all of them,” Javy Baez said, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. “We know we’re the best. We’ve got the best team out there.”

The Cubs remain the favorites to not only win the NL but the whole thing. They’re the most complete team in baseball, equipped with a great pitching staff, an elite young lineup and arguably the best manager in the sport. If it weren’t for that nonexistent curse talk—curses do not exist, people—the idea of favoring any other team would be laughable.

And it still is. Baseball’s postseason tends to be wonky, so sometimes the best overall team doesn’t win. But these Cubs have been the class of MLB since the outset, and one loss against the best pitcher in the game doesn’t make them any less of a favorite. 

World Series prediction: Cubs over Indians in 6 games

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The Chicago Cubs (86-47) and Washington Nationals (78-55) are near-locks to become the first two National League teams to clinch playoff berths as big division leaders. The Cubs and Nationals are also the two favorites on the odds to win the World Series at +300 (bet $100 to win $300) and +550, respectively, at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Chicago leads the NL Central by 15.5 games over last year’s division winner—the St. Louis Cardinals (70-62)—who are left to chase one of the wild-card berths instead. Meanwhile, Washington has a 9.5-game lead on the New York Mets (69-65), the defending NL champions who swept the Cubs in the NL Championship Series last year.

While the Cardinals (+2800) and Mets (+5000) are both long shots to win the World Series, the best race in the NL is in the West, where the Los Angeles Dodgers (+1000) and San Francisco Giants (+1400) are duking it out for the division title.

The Dodgers (74-59) are holding on to a slim two-game lead over the Giants (72-61), their bitter rivals who have won the World Series in the last three even-numbered years.

Los Angeles might be a good value bet now, as ace Clayton Kershaw (11-2, 1.79 ERA) is still hoping to return for the playoffs after sitting out since late June because of a back injury. The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP could be the key to the postseason because good pitching seems to be the only way to stop Chicago this year.

The American League also features a few top contenders on the 2016 World Series odds, led by the AL West-leading Texas Rangers (80-54) at +650. Because the AL beat the NL 4-2 in the MLB All-Star Game on July 12, the team winning the pennant from that league will have home-field advantage in the World Series.

The Kansas City Royals (69-64) used that edge to defeat the Mets in the World Series a year ago, and they are among the AL teams chasing a wild-card spot with a price of +3300 to repeat as champs.

The Royals are three games behind the Detroit Tigers (72-61) and trail the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians (76-56) by 7.5 in the race for the division title. The Indians are +900 to win the World Series, while the Tigers are +2200.

In the AL East, three teams are battling to win the division, as the Toronto Blue Jays (76-57) lead by two games over the Boston Red Sox (74-59) and four over the Baltimore Orioles (72-61). The Blue Jays fell to Kansas City in the 2015 ALCS, and they are +750 to win the World Series ahead of the Red Sox (+1000) and Orioles (+2500).

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The Texas Rangers had the best record in the American League prior to the MLB trade deadline on Monday, but they made some key moves to put themselves in prime position to be the American League favorite on the odds to win the World Series.

The Rangers picked up Carlos Beltran from the New York Yankees and Jonathan Lucroy from the Milwaukee Brewers before the deadline passed and moved to +650 (bet $100 to win $650) to win the World Series at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Texas has sat atop the AL West division standings for most of the season and will try to hold off the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians, among others, for the best record in the American League the rest of the way.

While the team’s hitting definitely got a boost with the additions of Beltran and Lucroy, the starting pitching remains a concern due to a shaky rotation that has seen members go on and off the disabled list this year. If Yu Darvish and Colby Lewis are healthy enough come playoff time, they could join Cole Hamels to form one of the AL’s best three-man rotations in the postseason.

The Rangers moved up slightly from +700 odds following their trades, while the San Francisco Giants have dropped from +550 to +650 to tie them as the second choice to win the World Series behind the Chicago Cubs at +350.

The Giants had the National League’s best record heading into the All-Star break but then dropped 11 of 15 games to fall behind the Cubs and the Washington Nationals. Chicago has the best mark in baseball overall and also leads MLB in run differential.

The Nationals and Indians are two other legitimate World Series contenders based on their future odds at +750 each. The Orioles have tough competition in the AL East and are listed at +1600 to win the World Series behind both the Toronto Blue Jays (+900) and Boston Red Sox (+1200), with the three teams in a dogfight for the division.

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The Kansas City Royals celebrated their first championship since 1985 with a downtown victory parade Tuesday afternoon. Fans turned out in droves to attend the festivities after watching the Royals dispatch the New York Mets in five games to win the 2015 World Series.

AJ Cassavell of MLB.com passed along comments from Alex Gordon, who’s been with the organization since it drafted him with the second overall pick in 2005, about what he expected given the long drought and the fans’ extended wait for a championship.

“Oh, that is going to be so sweet,” Gordon said. “I know what Kansas City has been through. Most of these guys weren’t even born when we won it last. At least I was.”

The 31-year-old outfielder hit the nail on the head.

The most enthusiastic member of the group, Jonny Gomes, carried an American flag and noted how the Royals didn’t feature the award winners from other teams. But the fans went wild as he ran down how they beat all of those standout players as a team, per FOX Sports Kansas City:

Although things got underway a little behind the scheduled noon start, Mike Tufano of the Salute Podcast joked the Royals’ track record suggested a comeback was on the horizon:    

KCTV provided a shot of the large and growing crowd as the parade kicked off:

Damon Amendolara of CBS Sports Radio relayed another shot of the crowd:

Shain Bergan of KCTV pointed out some fans simply parked anywhere they could before walking the rest of the way to the parade:

The fans in attendance spanned a wide range of generations, including those who were enjoying the celebration rather than a day in school, as highlighted by MLB.com’s Cut4:

There was also at least one non-human supporter in the crowd, per MLB GIFs:

Outfielder Jarrod Dyson, one of the heroes from the 12th inning of Game 5, thanked the fans who lined up several deep on both sides of the street, which the Royals showcased:

Alas, his ride had nothing on the one for Mike “Moose” Moustakas, according to Fox Sports MLB:

While that’s pretty cool, Jenee Osterheldt of the Kansas City Star showed the reaction manager Ned Yost received along with the championship trophy:

The parade was followed by a celebration at Union Station.

Royals legend George Brett made it clear what he thought of the team, per 610 Sports Radio KC:

Baseball Tonight noted Yost had high praise for the fans:

World Series MVP Salvador Perez, who was entertaining while leading the chants, had a simple message, as noted by KMBC:

If starting pitcher Edinson Volquez is right, the Royals will be doing it again one year from now, according to Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star:

And, if there’s ever a movie made about this group of Royals, the team showed one fan who already has a potential name in mind:

Kansas City reached the World Series last year only to fall one game short. Being able to complete the journey again before going on to finish the job this time is the ultimate redemption for a roster that’s certainly greater than the sum of its parts.

In an era when teams are increasingly willing to accept strikeouts in search of power at the plate, the Royals play an old-school game. They fight through every at-bat, putting the ball in play and forcing opponents to beat them rather than beating themselves, which was especially effective in the playoffs.

Some may call it a fluke. The Royals are too busy celebrating to argue.

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In a World Series featuring two teams starving for a championship after almost 30 years of famine apiece, the Kansas City Royals would ultimately outlast the New York Mets in five games to earn the title that’s alluded them both for so long. 

When the Royals return to Kansas City, they’ll be greeted by a fanbase that was so ferocious in its passion for the team that Major League Baseball was forced to cancel 65 million All-Star Game votes this year, per Yahoo’s Jeff Passan.

That level of fan participation is symbolic of the top-to-bottom contributions the Royals received en route to their championship. Kansas City’s stalwart catcher, Salvador Perez, played up to his lofty potential and was rewarded with the distinction of World Series MVP. But the likes of Christian Colon, who hadn’t recorded a postseason at-bat until the one in which he drove in the game-winning run, were equally instrumental in the Royals’ title run. 

This enthralling, albeit relatively short, World Series must sustain us until pitchers and catchers report in February. So let’s start with some of the biggest moments, highlights and storylines from the five games it took Kansas City and New York to determine a champion. 

Moments

Edinson Volquez Pitches Following Father’s Death

The biggest off-the-field controversy of the 2015 World Series was set into motion before the first pitch of Game 1.

Edinson Volquez, the Royals’ starting pitcher for the series opener, suffered a tremendous personal loss in the hours leading up to the game. His father, Daniel, died at the age of 63. But no one seemed to knew if Volquez was aware of that fact during his start. 

ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported that Volquez learned of his father’s death on his way to Kauffman Stadium before Game 1. The New York Times‘ David Waldstein offered a contradicting report. 

According to the Royals, Roandy Volquez, the pitcher’s wife, told General Manager Dayton Moore what had happened and asked him not to tell her husband until after he had finished pitching the biggest game of his career, his first World Series start. The team then asked the broadcasters on Fox not to announce the news, because Volquez routinely goes into the clubhouse between innings, and the broadcasts of the game are usually on.

Whether or not he pitched with a heavy heart in Game 1, Volquez turned in six innings and allowed three runs before turning it over to the bullpen for the remainder of what would be a 14-frame affair. 

Volquez returned to the mound to start Game 5, where he wrote his father’s initials in the dirt before tossing six innings and allowing just one run in the series-clinching Royals victory.  

Salvador Perez Wins MVP

When the stat first hits your ears, it’s a little shocking. Salvador Perez is the first catcher to earn World Series MVP honors since 1992, when the Toronto Blue Jays‘ Pat Borders won.

You reach back into the not-so-distant pass and remember the San Francisco Giants‘ three recent championships, all of which featured Buster Posey behind the plate. The New York Yankees have won five titles since 1992, but Jorge Posada was the MVP of none. Yadier Molina caught both of the St. Louis Cardinals‘ two World Series crowns, but other players were deemed more valuable. 

All of that is to help frame how unlikely it is that Perez, a 25-year-old catcher on a team that saw heroic performances from up and down the roster, earned the MVP award in unanimous fashion. 

But Perez certainly earned his hardware. He hit .364 against the Mets, including the single in the 12th inning of Game 5 that would put pinch runner Jarrod Dyson on base before being driven in by Christian Colon’s game-winning hit. 

Perez is a fan favorite, as evidenced by the record-breaking number of All-Star Game votes he received. But he’s perhaps even more beloved in his own clubhouse. That was no more evident than when Royals manager Ned Yost told the Kansas City Star‘s Rustin Dodd that, even though Dyson scored the winning run, he regretted removing Perez from the game. 

“I think if I had one regret during the whole playoffs,” Yost said, “(It) was I had to pinch run for Sal there in that inning. But it opened up the door for us to score five. I really wish that Sal could have been out there to jump in (Wade Davis’s) arms when we got that final out.”

The Royals aren’t done contending. Their core is young, with Perez serving as the nucleus for that group. Their bullpen is loaded, and their off-beat, put-the-ball-in-play tactics seem to work. 

This is the first World Series MVP award for a catcher since 1992, but Perez could potentially prevent another drought that long.  

Highlights

Alex Gordon sends Game 1 to extra innings with a home run to straight-away center field. 

Daniel Murphy commits an error that serves to jump start the Royals’ rally in Game 4. 

Eric Hosmer scores the game-tying run in Game 5 on a possibly reckless but certainly effective dash from third to home. 

Colon singles in his first postseason at-bat to drive in the run that would put Kansas City up for good. 

Storylines

Royals Find Daniel Murphy and Jeurys Familia Off-Switches

Before a pitch was even thrown in the World Series, Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy had already put together one of the greatest postseasons in history. New York’s closer, Jeurys Familia, brought a 0.00 ERA through 9.2 innings of work into the series. 

Both Mets came careening down to Earth against the Royals. 

Murphy hit seven home runs in New York’s playoff run before facing the Royals, including a stretch of six consecutive games with a homer. He was being mentioned in the same breath as Babe Ruth in terms of postseason heroics, and it was justified. But he didn’t go yard once against Kansas City and would finish 3-for-20 at the plate in the series. 

Familia was unequivocally dominant in his late-inning role for the Mets in the the National League Division Series and National League Championship Series. He earned a perfect ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in eight appearances prior to the World Series. During that stretch, he recorded five saves, converting every save opportunity presented to him. 

Against Kansas City, Familia crumbled. He blew all three of his save opportunities in the series. 

Kansas City Comebacks

For a series that saw the Royals limit the Mets to just one win, New York had several games seemingly in hand before several late-inning circus acts from Kansas City. 

In Game 1, the Royals trailed 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Alex Gordon sent the game to extra innings with a home run blast to dead center field. Five innings later, in the 14th, an Eric Hosmer sacrifice fly with the bases loaded scored the winning run. 

In Game 4, with the Mets threatening to tie the series at a two games apiece, Kansas City faced a 3-2 eight-inning deficit. Then Murphy’s lackluster showing at the plate leaked into his performance at second base. He whiffed on a ground ball to put Hosmer on base, and Perez and Mike Moustakas would complete the comeback with a pair of RBI singles to give the Royals their ultimate 5-3 advantage. 

And in Game 5, New York held a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning. After successfully lobbying to remain in the game, Matt Harvey gave up the first of Kansas City’s two game-tying runs. And the second came courtesy of some enormously aggressive base running by Hosmer, who scored from third after an errant throw on a ground ball that never left the infield. 

Based on the optics of the Royals’ 4-1 margin of victory in the series, their title was never in doubt. But throughout the five-game epic, it very much was. 

Sports Illustrated‘s Tom Verducci called Kansas City “the greatest October comeback team ever.” And it’s nearly impossible to counter that assertion.

“It’s a team that just looks for a little crack,” Yost said, per Verducci. “If we find a little crack, they’re going to make something happen. It’s amazing how they do that. And they do that in a number of ways. But the most important thing is they put the ball in play.” 

Putting the ball in play was Kansas City’s controversial mantra all year. But now, with Yost‘s tactics vindicated, the only controversy that remains is the country’s decimated champagne reserves following the Royals’ celebration.

*All stats courtesy of MLB.com

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Honoring the late Yogi Berra’s legacy, the Kansas City Royals constantly proved it ain’t over till it’s over. The New York Mets led all five games of 2015’s MLB World Series, but Kansas City kept earning the last laugh, securing its first championship in 30 years.

It finished just how it had begun. Trailing in the ninth inning, Kansas City clawed back and sent both Game 1 and Game 5 into extra innings. Once free baseball arrived, their prolific bullpen silenced New York’s bats long enough for their pesky offense to eventually strike.

Anyone who says procrastination doesn’t pay didn’t watch Ned Yost’s crew constantly crash the party fashionably late. It wasn’t just the Mets getting their hearts broken, as the Houston Astros held a four-run lead over Kansas City during a winner-take-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series.

ESPN Stats & Info detailed the Royals’ late-game heroics, which ultimately decided the Fall Classic:

Defensive miscues plagued the Mets throughout the series, but a rare Royals defensive mishap nearly cost them Game 1. Eric Hosmer showcased shades of Bill Buckner when a Wilmer Flores grounder rolled past his glove on a tiebreaking run during the eighth frame.

Luckily for him, Alex Gordon erased the mistake with a ninth-inning homer off closer Jeurys Familia, who had not surrendered a run in 9.2 prior postseason innings. The first baseman exhaled after avoiding a place in infamy, per Fox Sports Kansas City’s Joel Goldberg:

By the series’ hectic standards, the ensuing two games proved anticlimactic. The National League champions couldn’t touch Johnny Cueto, who relinquished eight runs in his previous outing. The midseason acquisition who struggled throughout the summer suddenly regenerated into an ace, yielding two hits and one run through a complete-game victory.

Rany Jazayerli, a Grantland writer dating way back to last week, marveled over Cueto‘s redemption:

Meanwhile, Jacob deGrom couldn’t get anybody to miss. The same ace who recorded 27 strikeouts through three NL playoff starts recorded two punchouts and zero whiffs on his fastball.

“We win because we ride our starting pitching,” Mets manager Terry Collins said after Game 2, per Newsday‘s Marc Carig. “When they struggle, we’re going to struggle, and that’s what’s happened.”

These words proved increasingly prescient as the series progressed. He trusted Noah Syndergaard to escape a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning of Game 3, and Thor complied. In Citi Field’s first-ever World Series game, Collins lived by his young ace and survived. In the other games, his long leash spurred their demise.

Cruising early, rookie Steven Matz suddenly looked gassed during Game 4’s fifth inning, but he stayed in the sixth to cough up a second run. Rather than using Familia—who curiously pitched the previous night with a six-run lead—Collins turned to Tyler Clippard. The slumping setup man walked two batters, and Familia could not extinguish the burning building. 

“We never put our heads down,” catcher Salvador Perez told Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star after pelting the go-ahead RBI single off Familia. “Never. We like to compete. We like to play hard. And we’ll see what happens at the end of the game. That’s what we do every game.”

Game 5 seemed different. Matt Harvey, whose postseason availability started in doubt due to a potential innings limit, hurled eight scoreless inning in front of a raucous Queens crowd. The 26-year-old had finally cracked Kansas City’s code, collecting nine strikeouts to seemingly send the series back to Missouri.

Collins, a day after pulling Matz too late, was ready to call it a night for the Dark Knight and let Familia finalize the ninth. Harvey had other plans, coaxing his manager to finish what he started. Collins acquiesced to his pitcher’s plea of “no way,” but there was also no way the Royals would go down without a fight.

A Lorenzo Cain walk and Hosmer double quickly forced Collins to pull the plug. Familia generated three groundouts, but Hosmer aggressively bolted home on the second fielded by Lucas Duda. Trying to catch his fellow first baseman, Duda sailed the throw over Travis d’Arnaud‘s glove, erasing a 2-0 lead and all hope in Flushing.

Even if it wasn’t the right move, it worked. (This is also the working title of Yost’s biography.) Even Hosmer admitted to CNN’s Rachel Nichols that he thought he messed up: 

Kansas City crushed New York for a five-run 12th, commenced by an RBI single from Christian Colon in his first postseason at-bat. Because it’s the Royals.

“I lived it,” Colon said, per McCullough. “You know what I’m saying? I went to bed almost every night, thinking about this moment. And being ready for my team and for my family and everybody.”

On the losing side, Collins won’t dream of similarly pleasant thoughts at night. Per SportsCenter‘s Twitter feed, the 66-year-old skipper took responsibility for the team’s third late meltdown: 

The beast of the game leaves little time to reflect on a successful season. Each squad must make pivotal free-agent decisions this offseason. For the Royals, Cueto and Zobrist—who hit four doubles during the World Series—served their role as midseason mercenaries. Big paydays now loom for each, and Kansas City isn’t likely to sign those checks. Gordon, drafted by the team a decade ago, can opt to enter free agency. 

“I want to be back, trust me. This is my home,” Gordon declared after winning it all, per KCTV5.com’s Chris Oberholtz. “I love Kansas City. I love the fans. I love everything about Kansas City. I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. So, I hope it works out.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Murphy went from homering in six straight games to amassing as many defensive miscues as hits. Courtesy of MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the second baseman sounds like someone aware of his six-year tenure in New York coming to a conclusion:

I’ve enjoyed my time here. I really have enjoyed my time here. This organization’s been great to me. I love the guys. I can’t sing their praises enough. I thought the fans were awesome this Series. I thought they brought energy. And I most certainly have enjoyed it. I’ve been in this organization since 2006. It makes me feel old to say it. That’s a long time. But I truly, truly enjoyed my time in this organization. I feel blessed to have been a Met this long.

Still, there will be plenty of time to play armchair general manager and plan for 2016 and beyond. While squandering late leads stings now, the Mets defied all expectations by winning the National League East instead of the Washington Nationals. After halting a nine-year playoff drought, they’ll return next year with Harvey, deGrom, Syndergaard, Matz, d’Arnaud and Michael Conforto, painting a bright future.

A year after climbing as high as possible without reaping the rewards, the Royals erased the sour taste of a Game 7 World Series defeat. Every time they looked done, tracing all the way back to losing James Shields last winter, they bounced back.

Now they’re world champions.

“Never give up,” Cain said, per McCullough. “Never give up. Came through again. We’re the comeback kids, if you want to call us.” 

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The city of Kansas City and the Royals organization has had 30 years to plan a World Series parade. You can bet the party will be epic on Tuesday, when the World Series winners return home for their championship parade. 

The city announced that the parade will commence at noon CT, with the victory rally at 2 p.m., and will be covered on local television via Fox 4 and Fox Sports Kansas City. The city will also offer free shuttles and bus service to the downtown area.

 KMBC.com will also carry a live stream of the proceedings, per Len Jennings of KMBCKansas City.

Jeff Rosen of the Kansas City Star shared the route the team will take, meanwhile:

If the turnout for the parade is anything like the World Series ratings in the Kansas City area during the World Series, well, the downtown area will be bumping on Tuesday. Pete Grathoff of the Kansas City Star passed along those numbers:

Of course, the Royals themselves already started the party. Manager Ned Yost had the following to say after the game on early Monday morning:

Yost wasn’t done there, however:

It was probably the best cheeseburger he’s ever had. 

And it was one of the more special teams the city of Kansas City has ever had, too. Even George Brett—who led the way for the Royals’ last championship in 1985—would tell you that.

“They’d beat us,” he told Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star on early Monday morning when asked if the 2015 squad was better than his 1985 version. “They’re better than we were.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find too many people in Kansas City who would contradict anything from the mouth of a legend like Brett. 

And it’s hard to find a reason why anyone else would contradict him in this case. The core of this team was one magical Madison Bumgarner performance in last year’s postseason away from being back-to-back world champions. They orchestrated one epic comeback after another in October, generated runs with a tenacious yet disciplined approach at the plate and smart baserunning, locked down games with one of the league’s finest bullpens and got enough from their starting pitching staff to stay close into the later innings.

They carried themselves with a swagger not born of arrogance, but rather of an unwavering belief that they could, and would, win any game, no matter the circumstances or deficit. Eight comeback wins and a World Series title later, the Royals earned the right to swagger through downtown Kansas City.

And you can bet an entire city can’t wait to toast them as they do. Enjoy the party, Kansas City—after 30 years of dreaming about this celebration, your wait is finally over. 

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The Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets to win the 2015 World Series, which means these two teams can now join the rest of the league in figuring out their future plans.

While the Royals might take a little bit of time to celebrate, the reality is the offseason has officially started. With 29 teams looking to improve upon their performance from this past season, Kansas City doesn’t have a lot of time to rest on its laurels. 

At the same time, the Mets have a young team with many returning players but still have a lot of question marks going forward.

Here is a look at the biggest questions each World Series team faces in the upcoming winter.

New York Mets

1. Can Mets keep middle-of-the-order hitters?

Yoenis Cespedes came to the Mets at the trade deadline and exceeded all expectations. In 57 games, he hit 17 home runs with 44 RBI and posted a .941 OPS. He also helped jump-start what was a stagnant offense at the time into a legitimate playoff contender.

Daniel Murphy has been with the team his entire career, although his best was saved for the very end when he hit seven postseason home runs while earning MVP of the National League Championship Series. He didn’t have a great World Series, but he still was a major reason the team got to that point in the first place.

Despite these two key hitters in the lineup, Marc Carig of Newsday thinks they will each end up elsewhere:

ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin recently reported New York is only going to “modestly pursue” the Cuban outfielder and likely won’t match his six-year asking price.

Meanwhile, Murphy will likely be too expensive to keep as well when you consider the Mets have cheaper alternatives in Wilmer Flores and Dilson Herrera currently in the system.

Both young players would also represent defensive upgrades over Murphy at second base. Not only did the veteran make costly mistakes in the World Series, but Baseball-Reference.com rated him as a below-replacement-level infielder in each of the past four seasons.

After the Game 5 loss, Murphy was grateful to the organization but still didn’t seem like someone planning on staying:

These players were important at the plate this past season but don’t necessarily fit into future plans.

2. How will the team fix the bullpen?

Looking back at this World Series, it will be remembered for the Royals’ ability to score late.

Closer Jeurys Familia set a major league record with three blown saves in the series, although he didn’t allow a hit in two of them. The rest of the bullpen could barely be trusted to pitch most games, with starters Bartolo Colon and Jonathan Niese getting a lot of work in the playoffs. 

Ron Darling discussed this being a smart move with John Harper of the New York Daily News:

Still, this strategy is difficult to trust in big moments and certainly won’t be available for the duration of the regular season. The Mets need to add a few pitchers they can trust in the late innings before getting to Familia. This includes a lefty specialist, which was missing from the organization after Jerry Blevins broke his arm early on.

After seeing how valuable the bullpen was to Kansas City, you can be certain the Mets and other teams will start being more aggressive looking for these types of assets.

Kansas City Royals

1. Will Alex Gordon find more money elsewhere?

No matter what happens this offseason, Alex Gordon will be remembered fondly in Royals history thanks to this huge home run in Game 1:

This shot tied the game in the ninth inning and gave Kansas City a chance to win the opening game of the World Series. Despite hitting out of the No. 8 hole, he showed just how valuable he could be at the plate.

Of course, Gordon has been an elite player for some time. The three-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove player is a consistent producer who helps the team win in many ways. Although injuries limited him to just 104 games this season, he did finish 12th in the MVP race in 2014.

The outfielder is expected to decline his $12.5 million player option, and then, as ESPN’s Jim Bowden reported, the Royals will “make it a priority” to re-sign both Gordon and Ben Zobrist. That said, there is likely going to be a big market for a five-tool player who now has a ring.

Even at 31 years old, Gordon should get a nice contract this offseason. The question is whether that is in Kansas City or somewhere else.

2. What free-agent pitchers might be available?

One of the only question marks heading into the World Series for the Royals was their starting pitching. Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto had been terrible in their postseason careers, while Yordano Ventura and Chris Young were extremely hit-or-miss. 

Despite these issues, all four players came through as needed in the final round, especially Cueto with his complete-game win in Game 2.

The problem is the ace likely won’t be back next season and will need to be replaced.

“The Royals already know they will not be trying to retain Johnny Cueto,” Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported. “They expect his free-agent price tag to go beyond their comfort level and, also, they have seen enough of his inconsistency to be worried about trying to keep him long term anyway.”

David Price and Jordan Zimmermann are also on the market, although Kansas City seems unlikely to get to that cost, either.

Instead, the Royals might continue to go after the less-heralded players who could provide much value. Volquez was a relative steal last offseason, and the team might be able to find a similar player in John Lackey, Mike Leake or others.

After seemingly every move has worked out for this organization in recent years, the front office will try to keep it going with some sleeper picks on the free-agent market.

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

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