Volquez will start for the Royals as they face the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 1 tomorrow.
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Pitcher Aaron Sanchez bounced around the ballpark in Toronto between starting and relieving after injuries ravaged the Blue Jays starting rotation.
The Blue Jays knocked off the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, closing out a decisive Game 5 and moving a step closer to the World Series. Stroman will also throw on four days’ rest after throwing six innings against the Rangers in Game 5.
The Royals had to make a major comeback in Game 4 against the Astros and they did that previous year in multiple games and now they have to try and get past the Blue Jays.
After all, Joe Carter’s walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series isn’t just the stuff of Toronto Blue Jays lore, it’s the stuff that sports dreams are made of. After pushing the San Francisco Giants to the brink a year ago in the World Series, the Royals want to show what they’ve done is no fluke either.
The best-of-seven ALCS starts Friday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Check here for the full schedule for the ALCS and more on the Blue Jays and Royals. In fact, their only quality start of the ALDS came in Game 5 when Johnny Cueto returned to vintage form and delivered a clutch performance. He allowed a home run but struck out seven in four innings of a 5-2 loss. Price has a 7.20 ERA over 10 innings this post-season, a stark downturn from his 2.30 ERA over the season’s final two months following his trade from Detroit to Toronto. Slight advantage: Kansas City. North of the border, they aren’t exactly revered as a well-liked team. You would think with such high stakes no one would be foolish enough to intentionally throw at a hitter or charge the mound after an unintentional plunking, but both teams are so intense you never know. Kansas City will turn to Yordano Ventura in Game 2 on Saturday. They were 50-50 after 100 games this season, then proceeded to win 93 games, the most victories ever by a team that was.
Bautista’s home run was the moment-the game-winner, the most exciting from a pure baseball standpoint, the highlight that will be replayed for many years-but none of the wildness should be forgotten.
“He was unbelievably good”, Royals manager Ned Yost said.
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The green-eyed god of Chicago’s rookie year got a late start when the Cubs waited three weeks was called up to the Cubs on April 17 so they could extend his free agency by a year. But south of the border, the very same could be said of the Blue Jays. Toronto can win a shootout with anyone, this side of the Big Red Machine, but if they fall behind and need to sweep the last few games to advance, they will have a much harder time doing it than they did against the Rangers.
