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The 2015 World Series is on the brink of being over. After falling short in last year’s Fall Classic, the Kansas City Royals have been on a mission en route to a commanding 3-1 lead over the New York Mets entering Game 5.

Despite the potential disadvantage of three straight road contests, Kansas City stole Game 4 at Citi Field to gain the inside track for the Commissioner’s Trophy. For all the big-picture implications the World Series has, there are plenty of finer details to appreciate on baseball’s grandest stage.

Odds and prop bets are always interesting to follow, but wagers can become particularly bold and lucrative at this late stage of the MLB year’s grand finale. Let’s take a look at some of the props, followed by a preview of Game 5 with some prop analysis sprinkled in.

Updated Prop Bets

Game 5 Preview

The Mets have the type of starting pitching talent that could turn this World Series around in a hurry, dire as the situation looks right now with New York facing elimination Sunday.

First up to save the day is Matt Harvey, who yielded three runs in six innings to start Game 1’s marathon that went to Kansas City 5-4 after 14 innings. He’ll be going up against Edinson Volquez, the man who matched Harvey in the opener.

In the midst of Game 4, ESPN Stats & Info referenced how the Mets’ rotation of flamethrowers hasn’t been able to whiff Kansas City’s lineup, which has been a big reason for the Royals’ prohibitive World Series edge:

Prior to Sunday’s elimination contest, Harvey lamented his inability to control his heat in Game 1 and admitted to not having his best stuff on that particular evening, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

I think it was just kind of how the game was worked out and how things felt. I felt like I didn’t really have the greatest control with my fastball and greatest life. So with a team who’s known to hit the fastball well, I think when you lose a little bit of confidence in that, you kind of have to try to pitch a little bit differently.

In front of the home fans and with the season on the line, it just seems as though one of New York’s supremely gifted dealers is due to for a gem. It would certainly help the cause to avert a Royals World Series celebration on the Mets’ home turf.

If the man behind the plate for Volquez, catcher Salvador Perez, calls a strong game and keeps up his roll at the plate, though, those who wager him for the World Series MVP stand to win big.

Perez is a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, but he has been exceptional on offense with a .412 Fall Classic batting average. He singled home the insurance run in Game 4 to cap the Royals’ eighth-inning rally as well. MLB.com notes just how locked in Perez has been in the batter’s box:

Whenever they have a sliver of opportunity, the Royals band together, pounce on it and thrive when it matters most. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan highlights the uncommon collective resilience K.C. has displayed this postseason:

Other than sticking it to their foes in enemy territory, if there’s any game when the Royals are bound to have a letdown, Sunday’s seems to be the place.

Kansas City will have two games still in hand even if it loses tonight. Meanwhile, New York is fighting for its playoff life—and the two-time reigning American League champions had yet another come-from-behind win in Game 4.

Then again, when K.C. has been counted out before and even during games all postseason, manager Ned Yost’s bunch has found a way to get the job done. Sunday’s showdown will be close, but expect Harvey to deliver a big performance to help keep the Mets afloat in a low-scoring, thrilling affair that will match the over-under projection dead on.

Since Johnny Cueto would likely be in line to start Game 6 at Kauffman Stadium, the bet on him as World Series MVP may be the better route to go. If the series goes back to K.C. and Cueto adds a win to his two-hit complete game from Game 2, he’d be a shoo-in for top individual honors.

And that means the Royals in six or seven is the better bet on the Fall Classic’s longevity based on the circumstances surrounding Game 5.

Game 5 Prediction: Mets 4, Royals 3

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FINAL SCORE: Royals win 7-2 over the Mets

The Mets were three outs away from sending the World Series back to Kansas City. Instead, the Royals orchestrated their eighth comeback of the postseason, scoring two runs in the ninth and five in the 12th to claim the club’s first Fall Classic since 1985.

The go-ahead hit came off the bat of Christian Colon who was hitting for the first time in the postseason. Salvador Perez was named the World Series MVP. The backstop led off the five-run 12th with a single before getting pinch run for and hit .364 in the series.

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.

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The Kansas City Royals have three chances to end their 30-year world title drought, beginning with Sunday night’s Game 5 of the 2015 World Series.

Having trailed into the eighth inning of two of their wins this series, the Royals could just as easily be down 3-1 as opposed to up by that same margin. The New York Mets have to be kicking themselves for getting in this position, but they’ll have one last home game at Citi Field to attempt to get back into the series.

Let’s take a look at everything to know for Game 5.

Game 5 Info (Royals Lead 3-1)

Date/Time: Sunday, November 1, at 8 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Game 5 Preview and Latest Comments

It’s safe to say the Royals have become masters at the art of winning the close game. 

In the Mets’ lone victory in this series, they took it to the Royals and won by a wide margin of 9-3. Of course, Kansas City has one lopsided win as well, but its other two wins have been quite improbable.

After coming back late in Game 1 and putting together a similar effort in Game 4, the Royals added to their many wins this postseason that came in surprising fashion, as SportsCenter noted:

Coaches can teach hitting. They can teach good pitching. One thing, however, that only comes with experience—or is just hard-wired into certain players—is the ability to pull out the tight games.

Royals manager Ned Yost knows his team has that, as he told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.

“They’re as cool as cucumbers,” Yost said. “They never panic because they’ve been through it before, and they know they’re capable of doing it again. It’s just something they believe in their heart that they can accomplish.”

If the Royals are going to end their 30-year World Series drought Sunday, it will come down to the arm of Edinson Volquez—at least early on. Volquez learned of the death of his father after Game 1, but he is back with the team to pitch Game 5.

There’s nowhere Volquez would rather be than with his teammates on the biggest stage of his life, as he told the team’s Twitter account:

Volquez will take to the mound opposite the Mets’ Matt Harvey in a rematch of a Game 1 pitching duel that saw both pitchers go six innings and give up three earned runs. 

One concerning aspect for Mets fans is that Harvey has gone over the 200-inning plateau already in 2015. But while that could be seen as a disadvantage fatigue-wise, Harvey is looking at the positives, per ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin:

As a starting pitcher and being a younger guy, I think getting to that 200-innings limit is something you always look for. You kind of want to be a horse and go out there. And you look at guys who have thrown 230 innings year after year after year, that’s kind of somebody who I’ve always wanted to be. I think, obviously, after this start I’ll probably be hopefully around 215 innings or so. And that’s a good mark for me. I’m definitely happy about that.

If Harvey is going to pitch the Mets back into the series and force these teams to return to Kansas City for a Game 6, he’ll need to pitch like he’s fresher than ever against a Royals lineup that is hitting virtually everything.

The best chance that the Mets have is to get something rolling on offense in the early innings in order to allow Harvey to settle down and be comfortable enough to execute his pitches. Otherwise, the Royals’ bats could jump on him instead.

If that happens, don’t be surprised if the Royals are returning to Kansas City to celebrate a championship 30 years in the making.

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One win away from taking the 2015 World Series, the Kansas City Royals turn to a pitching rematch of the series’ opening game for Game 5 against the New York Mets.

For much of the last two games, the Mets have had Citi Field rocking and given the look that they would have this series tied up by now. But things fell apart in the eighth inning of Game 4, when the Royals put up three runs to take the lead and eventually take a 3-1 series advantage.

Both teams have to hope for similar performances from their aces that they got in Game 1, hopefully with considerably less extra-inning time. Let’s take a closer look at the pitching matchup for Game 5.

Edinson Volquez, Royals

Volquez‘s life has changed dramatically since he last stepped on the mound for the Royals in Game 1.

After pitching six innings of work in the series opener, giving up six hits and allowing three earned runs in an eventual Royals 14-inning victory, Volquez found out that his father had passed away. He’s now back with the team to pitch in a game that could clinch the Royals’ first World Series in 30 years.

Volquez has much more than just the stage of the World Series to motivate him Sunday, as Kansas City Star‘s Vahe Gregorian reported:

“I’m pretty sure my dad is going to be proud of me when I pitch tomorrow on the mound,” he said. “We’ll see.”

His father, he added, “was everything for me. He was one of the greatest men.”

Even for the most diehard Mets faithful, anyone following this World Series has to be pulling for Volquez to at least pitch well in this tough circumstance. It’s surely been a tough few days, but he’s been with the team since they arrived in New York and has had the great support of his teammates.

When it boils down to it, the 32-year-old is the Royals’ most reliable starter—and he’s shown it. The desperate Mets bats will surely get a few runs home on him in the early going and Kansas City’s bullpen will relieve him after six, but he’ll do more than enough to keep his Royals in the game.

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

Matt Harvey, Mets

One of three young aces, Mets pitcher Matt Harvey could do nothing but sit in the dugout and watch as the Royals eventually won Game 1 in one of the longest games in World Series history.

Now, the man who was once pegged as the best young pitcher in baseball has a chance to prove he’s worth all the hype by pitching his Mets into a Game 6.

Harvey did allow three runs on five hits in six innings in his Game 1 outing, but one run came on a wild inside-the-park home run. In the middle innings, he absolutely dominated, retiring a dozen batters in a row before allowing the Royals to tie it up as he left the game.

If he can get it going along with his other two aces, the Mets may have a chance after all, as Adam Rubin of ESPN.com noted:

Harvey will come out dealing hot fire and relying on his brutal fastball, one of the only ones Royals hitters have had trouble making contact with in this series. Kansas City’s opportunistic bats will find a way to ink out a run, but not much more against Harvey.

Considering the bullpen’s troubles in this postseason, the Mets will continue riding Harvey until he can pitch no longer. Expect a long outing for him in this must-win affair.

Prediction: 7.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 strikeouts

Game Prediction: Mets 5, Royals 2

The Royals are up 3-1 in the series, but it could just as easily be 3-1 Mets. Some might argue that it should be 3-1 Mets.

Surprisingly enough, late-game errors and struggles of elite closer Jeurys Familia have allowed for the Royals to steal a pair of games—including Game 4 on Halloween night. That’s the reason why the Mets will do everything they can to keep Harvey in the game, as long as he’s pitching well.

Volquez will have the Mets struggling at the plate, but they’ll get to the Royals bullpen and put up a few more runs to ice this and force a Game 6.

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From Chris Young to Mike Moustakas, plenty of unsung heroes have pushed the Kansas City Royals to the brink of winning the 2015 World Series.

With the Royals holding a 3-1 advantage over the New York Mets, this list of understated but indispensable contributors is dominated by Kansas City players.

However, there is room for one Mets veteran who made a habit of delivering in big moments during the regular season and who has been doing the exact same thing on baseball’s biggest stage.

Begin Slideshow

The Kansas City Royals are one win away.

It was a classic Royals rally in the eighth inning. Thanks to hits from Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez and an error by Daniel Murphy, the Royals scored three times in the top of the eighth and took a 3-1 series lead with a 5-3 win over the New York Mets Saturday night in Game 4 of the World Series.

Despite rookie left fielder Michael Conforto becoming the third-youngest player ever with a multi-home run game in the World Series, the Mets only recorded four more hits off Kansas City’s pitching. Chris Young pitched four innings, and his only two hits were the home runs by Conforto.

But it was Wade Davis who got the six-inning save to put Kansas City in a position to clinch its first championship in 30 years on Sunday in Citi Field. Here’s all the info you need to know for Game 5 of the World Series.

Game 5 Info

When: Sunday, Nov. 1

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

Where: Citi Field

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez (KC) vs. Matt Harvey (NYM)

Preview

This could be the last baseball game of the year. It’s going to be on at the same time as the Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos over on NBC.

There’s a slight chance that the city of Kansas City will not be watching the football game at any point Sunday night. The Royals are going for their first World Series title since 1985 and have the chance to end it in New York.

Edinson Volquez is projected to get the ball for the Royals, and this series has been nothing short of emotional for the 32-year-old pitcher. Volquez was the Game 1 starter for Kansas City and pitched six innings and allowed three runs before being awarded a no-decision. 

Right after he was pulled from the game, Volquez returned home to the Dominican Republic to be with his family. His father, Daniel, died before Game 1 due to heart failure.

All signs point to Volquez being in New York, according to Royals manager Ned Yost, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick:

He’s worked so hard to get to this point. And it was like Chris Young when his dad passed away. Chris just knew how proud his dad was of him and that his dad would want him to carry on. His dad would want him to be on that mound and helping his team win. And I imagine that Eddie’s dad would want the same thing for Eddie.

There are moments when motivation can be the driving force behind a stellar, memorable performance. When the news broke about Volquez’s father dying, there were conflicting reports as to whether or not the pitcher knew his father had died before the game. We’re going to find out early how focused Volquez is on the mound.

For the Mets, they’re going to turn to Matt Harvey once again. He also pitched six innings and allowed three runs in Game 1. The one thing the Royals do better than anyone else in baseball is adjust to opposing pitchers. The Royals got to Harvey in the sixth inning, but he knows that Kansas City can make more adjustments and he needs to prepare for that, per Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News:

I think they’re a good team at making adjustments and throughout the game it seems from at-bat to at-bat they’re able to adjust and make different changes. It seems like early in their count they’re taking a chance to kind of go big fly, and then later as the game goes on they adjust. So as the starting pitcher you’ve got to be able to adjust with them and pick up on that.

The Mets are going to need the game of Harvey’s life in order to bring this series back to Kansas City for Game 6. There hasn’t been a pitchers’ duel at any point through the first four games, but we could be on course for one Sunday night. Harvey will pitch well, but Volquez will get it done. Going against an emotionally charged player is something that should be taken into account.

As great as it would be for the Royals to go back to Kansas City and clinch the World Series in Kauffman Stadium, the Royals would probably prefer the season ends in Citi Field. Kansas City gets its championship, and the party begins.

Prediction: Kansas City 3, New York 2

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The Kansas City Royals always seem to have a flair for the dramatic.

That was no different Saturday night.

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the eighth, the Royals scored three runs to take a 5-3 lead. After closer Wade Davis allowed back-to-back hits with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Lucas Duda lined out into a game-ending double play. Kansas City won 5-3 and goes into Sunday with a chance to win the World Series.

The Royals have had to come back in all three of their wins this series. This has been their way of doing things since last season. All they need to do is get by Matt Harvey on Sunday night and give Edinson Volquez some run support, and the parade in Kansas City will commence.

Here’s all the info you need for Game 5, including where and when to watch the game, as well as how you should play this one if a trip to the sports book is in your mind.

Game 5 TV Info

When: 8:15 p.m. ET

Where: Citi Field

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Game 5 Odds

Betting Prediction

Here’s how unique this World Series has been from the betting perspective. According to Odds Shark, the Royals have been the underdog for three of the four games. The only time Kansas City was favored was in Game 1, and despite the game going 14 innings, K.C. didn’t cover.

So, that’s why it’s a shock to see the Royals, who are one win away from winning a title, as the underdogs once again when the books listed Game 5 late Saturday night.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Therefore, the Royals should be the safe pick to not only cover but to win outright and end the 2015 MLB season with a bang.

The World Series has yet to see a pitching duel through four games. It’s about time that happened in this series, and Game 5 sets the stage for it with Edinson Volquez and Matt Harvey as the probable pitchers for the evening.

Both pitchers went six innings and allowed three runs in Game 1, but this game will have a different feel. Harvey will be pitching to save the Mets’ season. Volquez, on the other hand, is returning to the Royals five days after his father died from heart failure.

Neither pitcher will want to make a mistake and will work the zone as much as he can. Now that other Mets players such as captain David Wright and rookie Michael Conforto have picked up the offensive slack for New York, the Royals are going to need to be more wary of how they pitch.

That plays right into Kansas City’s hands when the game goes to the bullpens.

The longer the game goes on, the better chance the Royals have of slamming the door shut on this series. The Royals got two innings from Davis in Game 4, and they’re surely going to go to him again should the situation arise on Sunday.

Despite the bad performance the bullpen had in Game 3, they Royals are prepared to get back to the level they were at in Game 1, as Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal notes:

The Royals have been nothing but easy money in this series, as more bets continue to trickle in toward Kansas City. Odds Shark listed 55 percent of the first oncoming bets leaning toward the Royals, and that number should grow throughout Sunday.

Take the Royals with the moneyline and the spread while it’s still in their favor, and be prepared to watch Kansas City party like it’s 1985.

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NEW YORK — The games change quickly, and the stories do, too. Baseball is a game meant to be judged over time, but the postseason gives us little, and the World Series gives us less.

One pitch. One home run. One little ground ball that rolls under a glove and into history.

“I wish I would have caught it,” Daniel Murphy said late on Halloween night, when the trick was on him.

They all wish he would have caught it, all the New York Mets and all their fans, everyone who remembers beginning the eighth inning of Game 4 with a little trepidation but a lot of hope of evening up this World Series with the Kansas City Royals. The Mets were five outs from doing just that, five outs from changing the Series and changing the story.

Michael Conforto was going to be the focus on this night, Conforto and another rookie named Steven Matz. They were going to be the reason the Mets were back in this, and Murphy’s World Series slump (2-for-16 with no RBI at that point) was going to be an unnoticed postscript to the home run streak that had carried the Mets here.

But then Tyler Clippard walked two straight batters. Then Mets manager Terry Collins went to closer Jeurys Familia, perhaps a batter too late but certainly early enough to get the job done, especially when Familia began his night by getting Eric Hosmer to hit a little roller to second base…

A little roller, yes, not exactly like the one Mookie Wilson rode into Mets and World Series history but not that dissimilar. A little roller Murphy charged and watched go right under his glove, which allowed Ben Zobrist to score the tying run and set up the inning that gave the Royals their 5-3 win Saturday night.

“Jeurys did his job,” Murphy said. “I didn’t do my job. … I just misplayed it.”

On all those nights when he hit all those home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, Murphy turned every postgame question into a chance to deflect praise to his teammates. On this one night when it all went so wrong, he kept all the blame for himself.

His teammates tried to help, with Mets captain David Wright repeating over and over that this was a team loss, not a Daniel Murphy loss.

“There’s a dozen different things we could have done to win this game,” Wright said. “[Murphy’s misplay] was not the reason we lost this game. That’s definitely not the reason we lost.”

There were other reasons. There are always other reasons. Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS was the Steve Bartman game, even though Alex Gonzalez’s error was just as (or more) costly. Game 6 of the 1986 World Series will always be the Bill Buckner (and Mookie Wilson) game, even though it was Bob Stanley’s wild pitch that cost the Boston Red Sox their lead.

October narratives are tough to break, and that was true even before we called them narratives. It’s just as true now, and a Mets postseason that was known before Saturday for Murphy’s seven home runs (including a record six in consecutive games) now could be known as the one that crashed on Murphy’s misplay.

That still says “could” because Saturday’s win was only the third for the Royals in this World Series. They need one more, and the Mets have Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard ready to start the three games they hope they’ll play.

The Mets still have hope, and Murphy still has time to change the story back.

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here,” Michael Cuddyer said. “He still has tomorrow, and I think he’s going to be a hero.”

The Mets are in need of multiple heroes now and probably in need of multiple hits, too. Conforto became the third-youngest player to homer twice in a World Series game (only Andruw Jones and Tony Kubek were younger), but his long balls gave the Mets just two runs. They scored a third only because Royals right fielder Alex Rios seemed to forget how many outs there were, and Wilmer Flores came home on a sacrifice fly.

A 3-2 lead and 15 outs from Matz put pressure on the weakest parts of the Mets, their middle relief and defense. Neither held.

Murphy has never been the strongest of defenders, a weakness easily overlooked when he hits the way he did for much of October. He hasn’t hit that way against the Royals, perhaps because of the Mets’ pre-Series time off or perhaps simply because no one stays that hot for too long.

“I’m just not getting any hits right now,” he said.

Murphy said he felt a little better in his later at-bats, including the one that resulted in an infield single in the ninth inning. He shrugged off a suggestion that he needs any mechanical changes.

“We’re running out of at-bats,” he said. “So hopefully, I can figure it out quickly.”

Things happen quickly this time of year, as Murphy knows all too well. Games change quickly, and stories change with them.

Sometimes all it takes is a little roller.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball. 

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If the saying goes that a playoff series doesn’t really begin until both teams have played a home game, the New York Mets loudly announced their presence in the World Series with an impressive victory over the Kansas City Royals in Game 3. 

Now, the Mets will turn to rookie pitcher Steven Matz to even the series against Kansas City’s wily veteran Chris Young in Game 4 at Citi Field on Saturday night. 

These two pitchers have vastly different approaches to the game, as Matz brings power stuff and youthful ignorance and Young succeeds by changing speeds and frustrating hitters with his ability to alter eye levels. 

Pitching Analysis

One potential advantage the Mets could have over the Royals in this game is Young’s three-inning relief appearance in Game 1 of that 14-inning affair. 

Even though Mets hitters didn’t have a hit against Young in his relief stint, it did get them a look at what he has to offer. 

According to MLB.com, the Mets’ projected lineup for Game 4 has a total of 15 at-bats against Young, 11 by Yoenis Cespedes. That was before Tuesday’s game, so every starter on Saturday except Michael Conforto got a look at the right-hander. 

In contrast, Matz has made just eight career starts including the postseason and hasn’t been seen by anyone in Kansas City’s lineup. 

This is the first World Series start for both pitchers, but Matz will be under the microscope because he’s the 24-year-old rookie throwing at home. 

Fortunately for Mets fans, per Ryan Hatch of NJ.com, Matz is taking things as they come instead of dwelling on how young and inexperienced he is. 

“This is where you want to be in baseball,” Matz said. “This is the dream. … This is what you write up in your backyard when you’re playing Wiffle ball.”

Matz should also be relaxed prior to the start because he will be driving to the ball park from his parents’ house in Long Island. 

While the starting pitching should be the focus, as it’s played a pivotal role in the outcome of the last two games, Cliff Corcoran of Sports Illustrated did note that Young and Matz have not been given long leashes in October:

He (Young) averaged 5.5 innings per start during the regular season and hasn’t thrown as many as 80 pitches in a single appearance in four weeks. In the National League park, where he’s as likely to depart for a pinch-hitter as he is because of fatigue or ineffectiveness on the mound, Young seems unlikely to pitch past the fifth inning. The same can be said about Matz, who has completed the sixth inning just once in six starts since returning from a torn latissimus dorsi muscle in early September. Matz hasn’t thrown a pitch in the sixth inning in more than five weeks.

Matz couldn’t even make it to five innings in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs, in which the Mets were winning 6-0 after 3.5 innings. 

Young also had a game like that against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. He was staked to a 5-0 lead after two innings and had a 5-2 lead after three innings but couldn’t get out of the fifth inning. Kansas City’s offense did torch Toronto’s bullpen for nine runs over the last three innings to turn a three-run game into a 14-2 blowout. 

Assuming both bullpens see a lot of use in this game, neither team should have restrictions on anyone. Kansas City manager Ned Yost used six relievers on Friday, including Kelvin Herrera despite the Royals trailing by three runs, but only Franklin Morales threw more than 20 pitches.

The Mets used their main trio of relievers (Addison Reed, Tyler Clippard, Jeurys Familia) for the final three innings with none of them throwing more than 13 pitches. 

For all the talk of Kansas City’s main relievers being untouchable, the Mets have gotten to Herrera without having that one big inning against him yet. The hard-throwing right-hander has thrown just two innings in the World Series, but he has allowed four hits, one walk and one unearned run. 

The Royals are still favorites if any of the remaining games depend on relievers, but with the exception of Wade Davis, Yost‘s Big Three with Herrera and Ryan Madson looks as vulnerable as it has this season. 

Prediction

Given the way New York’s offense finally came alive in Game 3, pushing its home record in the playoffs to 4-1, the Mets do have confidence. Matz has to pound the strike zone better than he has in his first two postseason starts, but he no longer has to feel like perfection is necessary to win.

Young has been far better this October than anyone could have predicted, as it’s rare for someone who doesn’t break 90 mph with the fastball to average more than one strikeout per inning pitched. 

The Mets had adrenaline and the crowd working on their side Friday. Citi Field will be alive again on Halloween, but the Royals have responded to losses on the road every single round this postseason with a victory. 

The Royals are going to win the game thanks to a bounce-back effort from the lineup and strong bullpen work from Yost‘s stable of relievers. 

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The Kansas City Royals are one victory away from winning the 2015 World Series crown. For the second time this series, they orchestrated a late rally to upend the New York Mets, extending their lead to 3-1.

New York entered the eighth inning up 3-2, but Kansas City drew two walks off Tyler Clippard before a costly Daniel Murphy error squandered the lead. Two more hits off closer Jeurys Familia extended the edge to 5-3, which held up as the final score.

Steven Matz, who started the season in Single-A, threw five stunning innings. But the rookie pitcher coughed up a second run in the sixth inning, the furthest he has pitched this postseason. Michael Conforto, who also started the season in Single-A, belted two homers that went to waste.

The Royals continued to chip away with nine hits, including Ben Zobrist’s fourth double of the series. Exclaimed by a two-out save from Wade Davis, the bullpen quieted the Mets to one run through five frames. They can now finish the series Sunday night. 

FINAL: Royals 5, Mets 3

Royals Lead Series 3-1 

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