“Now we’re going back to the World Series”.
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Third base coach Mike Jirschele’s bold green light led Lorenzo Cain and Kansas City back to the World Series on Friday night, but now the Royals and Mets have to wait until Tuesday for Game 1.
In the end the Royals were able to do just enough to beat the Jays in a tough six games and now they must face another underestimated team in the New York Mets in the World Series.
Starting the game for the Royals was Yordano Ventura.
Kansas City claimed its second straight AL pennant – and the fourth in franchise history – while earning a date with the waiting New York Mets in the World Series.
Jose Bautista’s second homer of the game, a two-run shot in the top of the eighth, lifted Toronto into a 3-3 tie.
The score was tied at three in the bottom of the eighth: Lorenzo Cain stood at first base, Eric Hosmer was at the plate.
With Ben Revere on base, Bautista, who hit 40 home runs in the regular season, belted a Ryan Madson fastball into the left field seats. It’s not a guaranteed run -like it ended up being – because I threw to second, but they would have been in a good position to score at least one run.
In the eighth inning, with their Royals leading 3-1 and their hopes soaring, Bautista came up again, and of course they showered him with boos.
Then it was up to Davis, who got the Royals out of a jam in the eighth, to finish it off.
Davis gave up a single to Russell Martin and walked Kevin Pillar before striking out pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro.
Cain said he just kept running and running was as surprised as anybody when he got the green light to head for home. “Even when he got a runner on third and nobody out, I knew Wade had that extra gear he finds in those situations, and boy, did he find it”.
It’s getting hard to believe the Royals still have magic left.
Kansas City’s appearance in last year’s World Series was their first in 29 years. The Jays, after surviving four must-win games in the ALDS against Texas and the ALCS, ran out of playoff lives. While their bullpen isn’t as strong as KC, they have enough in Colon and Familia to keep the game in check.
While the end obviously didn’t fit the Blue Jays’ picture, it’s worth remembering Toronto’s positives during their tremendous playoff run.
Asked about his club’s resilience, Toronto manager John Gibbons said before Friday’s first pitch: “They’ve looked and played and acted like they have all season long”.
“I’m sure that’s something they’ve talked about, especially with their speed where if they see the ball go to second they’re going to take a chance and send the guy home”. “They laid it out there every day”. But it didn’t seem to dent the confidence of the Royals, who have grown accustomed to tense postseason games.
If you’re David Price and the Jays, this is the game you most want back.
Aaron Sanchez came in for Price with one on and two outs in the seventh. He smacked a 1-2 pitch from Blue Jays starter David Price over the fence in right field, but there was a few question whether the fan who caught it interfered with the play by reaching over the fence to grab the ball. They will have home field advantage at Kauffman Stadium for the first two games before the Mets get home field in Game 3.
Alex Rios turned the game back into a two run lead for the Royals with an RBI single to left scoring Moustakas in the seventh inning.
Madson allowed Bautista’s tying homer with Davis, another former Ray, warming in the bullpen.
Toss in a home-run review that held up a home run for the home team, a 45-minute rain delay, a curious manager’s decision by the Royals’ Ned Yost, and a bad throw from hero-goat Jose Bautista and it was an instant classic that featured an old-standby for the plot.
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Price, who had lost seven straight as a post-season starter, gave up three runs on five hits and struck out eight in a 99-pitch outing.
