World Series Game 3: Five things you need to know before first pitch
NEW YORK — There will be heat. Lots and lots of heat.
And we’re not talking about the weather in New York City for Game 3 of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. Both teams turn to their flamethrowers Friday night and it just so happens they’re two of the hardest throwers in MLB. Game 3 starts at 8:07 p.m. ET and is televised on Fox. The Royals have a 2-0 series lead.
Noah Syndergaard and Yordano Ventura will be on the mound for Game 3. They’re two young guys (23 and 24, respectively) capable of hitting 100 mph with their fastball. In fact, according to MLB’s Statcast, there’s only one other starting pitcher on their level this season.
[Related: For the Mets to rally in the World Series, they need to start hitting]
Syndergaard averaged 97.4 on his heater, tying him with New York Yankees pitcher Nathan Eovaldi for No. 1 among starters. And Ventura was right behind them, ranking third at 96.8 mph on both of his two-seam and four-seam fastballs.
One more fact about Syndergaard: His slider averaged 97.1 mph, so he earns every bit of his Thor nickname. Aside from just throwing hard, Mets manager Terry Collins has been impressed with how Syndergaard, a rookie, has learned to command his pitches and make the right pitch in tense situations.
“When he first got here, we saw 96,” Collins said. “What he’s doing now, I have never seen that. I’ve never seen 98, 99 and 100. I’ve seen good, good power stuff. But I’ve seen a guy grow and learn how to pitch here, where he will go to his secondary stuff in certain counts.”
Ventura — who has been often compared for Pedro Martinez for his powerful arm and fiery personality — understands there are more important things than velocity too. Especially on a Royals team with a lights-out bullpen.
He knows his job is stay in the game, hold on to a lead and turn it over to the relievers.
“Right now I’m not worried about velocity at all,” Ventura said Thursday through an interpreter. “I just want to go deep in the game, let my team — give them a chance to win. My main goal is to really go deep in the games, not really velocity.”
He may not care, but for fans who love to watch big-time fastballs, Game 3 will be a treat.
ROYALS LOSE MORALES IN LINEUP
As the series shifts to New York and NL rules, there’s one significant home-field advantage for the Mets. The Royals will be without their Kendrys Morales, their powerful designated hitter, who has hit four homers and driven in 10 runs in the postseason. This is neither surprising nor new, but as Mets try stay alive in this series, it’s something that tips in their favor.
METS GO BACK TO GAME 1 LINEUP
The question for the Mets is how they’d arrange their lineup. So far they’ve started Yoenis Cespedes in center with Michael Conforto in left for Game 1, then moved Cespedes to left and started Juan Lagares in center for Game 2, while Conforto DH’d. That’s their better defensive alignment. With no DH for Game 3, the Mets went back to their Game 1 setup: Cespedes in center with Conforto in left. Lagares moves back to the bench.
Here’s the full Mets lineup:
Granderson – RF
Wright – 3B
Murphy – 2B
Cespedes – CF
Duda – 1B
d’Arnaud – C
Conforto – LF
Flores – SS
Syndergaard – P
WATCH FOR THE FIRST PITCH
Royals leadoff man Alcides Escobar looooooves to swing at the first pitch. In fact, it was his first-pitch, inside-the-park homer in Game 1 that immediately put the Royals in control. At this point, it’s no surprise that Escobar goes to the plate looking to swing at that first pitch.
[Related: Ben Zobrist won’t leave the Royals if wife goes into labor during World Series]
Asked about it Thursday, Syndergaard said he had something in mind for Escobar, though he didn’t reveal exactly what.
“It’s something else being able to watch Escobar walk up there and swing at the first pitch almost every single game,” Syndergaard said. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I’ll be able to break out [Friday] night. I’m looking forward to it.”
BILLY JOEL WILL SING NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE GAME 3
You know there’d be no shortage of celebrity in the Mets portion of the series. This is New York. For Game 3, they’re bringing a tried-and-true New Yorker for the National Anthem. None other than Billy Joel, the Piano Man himself. Billy Joel doing the Anthem in New York? Even your mom, who doesn’t even like sports, will dig that.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
