Five key moments from the Royals’ 7-2 victory in World Series Game 5
The Kansas City Royals do not quit. We saw it when they managed a four-run comeback in Game 4 of the ALDS, a three-run deficit in Game 2 of the ALCS, an eighth-inning rally in Game 6 of the ALCS and a ninth-inning comeback in Game 1 of the World Series.
So, it should come as no surprise that Kansas City pulled off their late-inning magic again in Game 5 against the New York Mets, clinching their first World Series title since 1985.
Throughout their postseason run, the Royals have been called relentless, determined, ruthless and unforgiving. All of those adjectives seem apt, considering the road they took.
Sunday’s win featured more of the same. The Mets got off to an early start, and even held that lead into the ninth inning. That’s when the Royals magic kicked in.
Eric Hosmer’s gutsy decision to head home on a ground out forced the game into extras, where the Royals did what they usually do: ripped out the other team’s heart. The flood gates opened in the 12th, as Kansas City plated five runs.
As usual, Wade Davis was nails in the bottom of the frame, securing the long-awaited victory for the Royals.
Here are five key moments from the contest, starting with Granderson’s leadoff blast.
GRANDERSON GOES DEEP
Curtis Granderson set the tone for the Mets early, belting a solo home run to lead things off for New York. It took just three pitches before Granderson put his team ahead, bashing an 87 mph changeup out to right center field. It was a good thing Granderson struck, because Edinson Volquez quickly settled in following that at-bat. Until the sixth inning, Granderson’s dinger was the Mets’ only hit of the game. It was, obviously, a huge one.
HARVEY SETS ‘EM DOWN
When the Mets needed him most, Matt Harvey gave them everything he had. Perhaps the most impressive part of his excellent start came in the fourth and fifth innings. Harvey struck out the side in the fourth, and then followed that up with three more strikeouts in the fifth inning. He walked Alex Gordon somewhere in there, but picked up six consecutive outs via the strikeout. It was arguably the most dominant Harvey has looked all season.
COLLINS STICKS WITH HIS MAN
Heading into the ninth inning up 2-0, Terry Collins had a decision to make. Should he stick with his dominant ace for one more frame, or turn things over to his normally excellent closer? It appeared Collins initially chose the latter. That didn’t sit well with Harvey, who repeatedly was seen saying “no way” in the dugout when informed of the decision. That was enough to convince Collins to go with his ace. It backfired. Harvey walked Lorenzo Cain to start things off, and gave up an RBI to Eric Hosmer in the next at-bat. He was pulled from the game at that point. While we’ll never know whether Collins’ decision truly impacted the game, the shot of Harvey saying “no way” in the dugout will live on for quite some time.
HOSMER GOES HOME
With the Royals trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth, Eric Hosmer made the gutsiest decision of the season. On a routine ground ball to third, Hosmer opted to try and score once David Wright threw to first. While a good throw by Lucas Duda likely would have resulted in an out, Duda’s throw was offline. Hosmer scored easily, tying the score at 2-2 and completing yet another Royals comeback.
COLON GETS A CHANCE
It would have been easy for most fans to completely forget Christian Colon was even on the Royals’ World Series roster. The 26-year-old infielder hadn’t received an at-bat during the entire postseason. That is, until the 12th inning of Game 5 of the World Series. On a Royals team that featured contributions from nearly every player on the roster, it was fitting that Colon would come through. On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Colon shot an 86 mph slider out to left to score Jarrod Dyson from third and give the Royals the 3-2 lead. Kansas City would pile on the runs later in the frame, but Colon’s hit was the biggest of the night.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
