Baseball Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Royals Win It All
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Perhaps it would have been more fitting for the Royals to have clinched the World Series on Halloween, because they seem like baseball’s living dead. Even when it appears they’ve been dead and buried, the Royals have consistently found a way to come back late and win ballgames. That was the case in Game 4 and it remained the case in Game 5.
Mets starter Matt Harvey was humming along, dominating the Royals all night on Sunday. He had an early 1-0 lead thanks to a leadoff Curtis Granderson home run in the bottom of the first inning, and it appeared to be all he would need. The Mets gave him an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a Lucas Duda sacrifice fly.
Harvey got through the eighth with ease, sitting on 102 pitches. Unsurprising to anyone, manager Terry Collins planned to call on Jeurys Familia to start the ninth inning. Harvey was informed of this decision by pitching coach Dan Warthen.
“No way!” Harvey yelled in frustration. The right-hander clopped towards his manager and argued his way back out to the mound for the ninth inning.
It would have been quite the storybook ending. Harvey drew criticism during the regular season for a 180-inning limit imposed on him by agent Scott Boras, souring his once-pristine relationship with fans. Barking at his manager to stay in the game, then closing out a World Series game to keep his team alive would have been the perfect remedy to his image.
Instead, Harvey yielded a leadoff walk to Lorenzo Cain, who then stole second base. Eric Hosmer ripped a double over Michael Conforto’s head in left field, plating Cain easily and putting the tying run in scoring position. Harvey got the hook and in came Familia.
Hosmer moved to third base on a ground out by Mike Moustakas. The Mets’ infield played in as Salvador Perez took the next at-bat. Perez hit a weak grounder to David Wright at third base. He looked Hosmer back, then crow-hopped to make a throw to first base. Hosmer broke home. It was apparent that he was a dead duck if first baseman Lucas Duda could make an accurate throw home. The throw was way wide and Hosmer scored the tying run easily.
The two sides would trade zeroes for three innings in extra innings, and then the floodgates opened for the Royals in the top of the 12th inning. Facing Mets reliever Addison Reed, Perez led off with a single to right field. The speedy Jarrod Dyson subbed in as a pinch-runner and stole second base. Alex Gordon moved Dyson to third base with a grounder. Christian Colon pinch-hit in the pitcher’s spot and delivered a go-ahead single to left field. The unlikeliest of heroes.
Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, who committed a catastrophic fielding error in Game 4, muffed a play again. Paulo Orlando hit what in most cases is an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. Murphy booted it and no outs were recorded. The next batter, Alcides Escobar, added an insurance run with a line drive double to left-center, pushing two more runners into scoring position in the process. Reed intentionally walked Ben Zobrist before being taken out for Bartolo Colon. Colon gave up a blistering bases-clearing double to Lorenzo Cain to make it a 7-2 game, putting the game all but out of the reach of the Mets.
Royals closer Wade Davis, who has had a dominating post-season, took the mound for the bottom of the 12th. He struck out Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud consecutively, then worked around a one-out Michael Conforto single by striking out Wilmer Flores looking. The Royals, who just barely lost the 2014 World Series to the Giants, finally ended their 30-year championship drought.
Perez was named MVP of the World Series. He went 1-for-5 in Game 5, but was the catalyst for the Royals’ comeback in the ninth inning and their five-run explosion in the 12th. He entered the game with seven hits, including two doubles, in 17 at-bats.
Lost in the late-inning drama was a solid start by Edinson Volquez for the Royals. He went six innings, allowing the two runs on two hits and five walks with five strikeouts. His father died before his Game 1 start, but he wasn’t informed of the bad news until after he was taken out of the game. He left the team to be with his family but returned on Saturday and started on Sunday. Kudos to Volquez for having the temerity to block out – or use as motivation – the stress of his personal life, keeping his team in a position to make a comeback.
Cespedes Suffers Knee Contusion
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes fouled an 0-1 Edinson Volquez pitch off of his left knee during an at-bat with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning of Game 5. After lying on the ground in pain, tended to by team trainers, Cespedes remained in the game to finish his at-bat. However, he mustered only a weak pop-up, grimacing in pain as he swung and limped down the first base line.
To no one’s surprise, Cespedes did not take his position for the top of the seventh inning. Juan Lagares replaced him in center field. Fortunately, Cespedes did not suffer a fracture; just a contusion, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Cespedes has struggled in the World Series after slugging .471 across 35 plate appearances in the NLDS and NLCS. The Royals held him to three hits (all singles) in 21 PA.
Donaldson, Harper win Hank Aaron Award
On Saturday in New York, Major League Baseball announced that Blue Jays third baseman and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper were the winners of the Hank Aaron Award for the American and National League, respectively. The award is given to the best offensive player in each league.
Donaldson, 29, led the majors with 122 runs scored, and the AL with 123 RBI and 352 total bases. He hit .297/.371/.568 with 41 home runs and 41 doubles. Donaldson and Angels outfielder Mike Trout are the two top candidates to win the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Donaldson will be entering his second year of arbitration eligibility and is expected to receive a hefty raise on his $4.3 salary for the 2015 season.
Harper, 23, led the majors in all three triple-slash categories, batting .330/.460/.649. He led the NL with 118 runs scored and 42 home runs. He also knocked in 99 runs, walked 124 times, and hit 38 doubles. Harper is considered the runaway favorite to win the NL MVP Award. He’ll be entering the final year of a two-year extension signed in December 2014, earning $5 million for the 2016 season. After that, he’ll have two more years of arbitration eligibility.
Quick Hits: The Orioles are reportedly making an “early effort” to sign 1B/OF Chris Davis, soon to be a free agent … The Cardinals intend to pick up starter Jaime Garcia’s $11.5 million option for the 2016 season … Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez has qualified as a Super Two player … Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada (broken leg) is expected to be ready for spring training … the Braves signed pitcher Chris Volstad to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training … Red Sox pitching prospect Brian Johnson was a victim of a carjacking in Florida but was unharmed … Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley will return to the team for a 14th season … The Marlins are expected to introduce new manager Don Mattingly with a press conference on Monday.
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