This past Sunday, the Kansas City Royals cemented their place in Major League Baseball history by winning the World Series. This five-game victory over the Mets snaps a 30-year drought, with the team’s last World Series win coming in 1985.
The Series began with a huge game-one win for the Royals in extra innings. After trailing by one run throughout the entire night, Kansas City managed to put a late run on the board in the ninth to force additional play. After the late surge, the Royals scored in the bottom of the 14th inning to secure the win and early series lead. Games two and three were both well controlled, and won by the home team.
The margin of victory in both outings was six runs. This placed the series at 2-1 with the Royals leading. The final two games told a similar tale as the first, with late game surges from the Royals. In both situations, the Mets were in the lead entering the later stages of the game.
In game four, the Royals put three runs on the board in the top of the eighth to overcome a one-run deficit. In the final game of the series, the Royals managed to score two runs in the ninth and once again force extra innings. In extras, the Royals scored five runs in the top half of the twelfth. The Mets were retired in the bottom half of the inning, which secured the game, series and season for the Royals.
Looking back on the series and the season, the Royals were well deserving of the title. Their key to victory stemmed from their late-game surges. This was unexpected, and the Mets, who typically have had a strong closer throughout the season, suffered from multiple blown saves.
Additionally, Daniel Murphy’s spectacular playoff performance in the National League Championship Series must be noted. It was incredible and at the end of the day, congratulations to the Royals, Mets and both of their fans is necessary. It will be interesting to see how both teams fare next season some 162 games later.
Kuhrt is a member of the class of 2017.
