Comeback Royals Crowned World Series Champs
November 2, 2015
The Kansas City Royals seized the World Series crown with a comeback victory at Citi Field in New York last night, defeating the New York Mets 7-2 in Game 5. It was the eighth game in the 2015 post-season that the irrepressible Royals had come from behind to win, including all four of their World Series victories.
The Kansas City Royals celebrate after Game 5 of the World Series against the New York Mets. Credit: © David J. Phillip, AP Photo
The Mets began the game with a leadoff home run by outfielder Curtis Granderson and a dominant pitching performance by starter Matt Harvey. Harvey held the Royals to eight scoreless innings before returning to raucous applause to pitch with a 2-0 lead in the ninth. But trouble developed early with a leadoff walk to Kansas City center fielder Lorenzo Cain. Cain then stole second, and Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer doubled him in to cut the Mets lead in half. The Mets brought in closer Jeurys Familia to face Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas, who grounded out to send Hosmer to third.
Then, in the critical play, Royals catcher Salvador Perez grounded out to Mets third baseman David Wright, who looked Hosmer back to the bag before making the throw to first. Hosmer broke for home instantly, scoring as the throw from Mets first baseman Lucas Duda flew wide of catcher Travis d’Arnaud. Familia, a reliable closer for most of the year, had a tough series, blowing all three of his save opportunities after being brought into some tight situations.
Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez of the Royals also turned in a memorable performance, having returned just before Game 4 from his father’s funeral in the Dominican Republic. Volquez held the Mets to two runs, allowing only the leadoff by Granderson and one additional run as he escaped from a bases loaded, no outs jam in the sixth. Both teams carried the tie into the 12th inning, when the Royals finally broke through with a five-run rally against Mets relievers Addison Reed and Bartolo Colon.
The victory marked something of a double comeback for the Royals, who were returning from a heartbreaking 4 games to 3 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 World Series. The 2015 victory marked Kansas City’s first MLB championship since 1985. The defeat ended a magical season for the Mets, who took their division despite trailing the majors in runs scored per game before Aug. 1.
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