Top Five Royals Moments From the 2015 World Series
The Kansas City Royals roared into the World Series for a second consecutive season after multiple come-from-behind efforts in the first part of the 2015 playoffs. It was an unbelievable month of baseball that Royals fans will never forget. It's never too late to relive those moments, even on or after the six-year anniversary of the Boys in Blue winning another championship. Here are my top five moments for the Royals from the 2015 World Series.
Alcides Escobar Leadoff Inside the Park Home Run in Game 1
No one is really quite sure how “Esky Magic” came to be, but it became a thing during the 2015 season and continued into the playoffs. Despite having a well below-average on-base percentage, manager Ned Yost continued to bat Escobar leadoff. It paid off in Game 1 of the 2015 World Series.
Escobar went into the at-bat with a first-pitch swing on the mind, and he connected a shot to the gap in left-center field. New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes kicked the ball to the warning track and gave Escobar enough time to complete the sprint around the bases for the first World Series inside the park home run since 1929. It was the first World Series leadoff inside-the-park home run since 1903.
Alex Gordon Home Run in the Bottom of the 9th Forces Extra Innings
With the Royals trailing 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 9th, the team needed someone to step up to the plate — literally and figuratively. With one man already out and only two outs away from a Game 1 loss, Alex Gordon was the man to get the job done.
Mets closer Jeurys Familia had not blown a save since July 30th of that year — it had been a full three months since his last one. Gordon didn’t care, though, and swung at a quick pitch from Familia and took him deep to center field. With an index finger pointing to the sky as he rounded first base, Gordon cemented his legendary status in Royals history.
The Royals would go on to win Game 1 by the score of 5-4 after finally scratching a run across in the bottom of the 14th inning.
Royals Pitching Comes Through in the Clutch
This is many moments combined into one, but the Royals' pitching, especially the bullpen, was excellent in this series. Edinson Volquez started Game 1 despite practically everyone except Volquez knowing his father had passed away earlier in the day. His family later mentioned they didn’t want to tell him until after the game so it wouldn’t distract him from pitching in the biggest game of his career.
Volquez pitched very well, earning a quality start with three earned runs through six innings before being pulled from the game. Incredibly, the bullpen featuring Danny Duffy, Kelvin Herrera, Luke Hochevar, Wade Davis, Ryan Madson, and Chris Young didn’t allow an earned run over the next eight innings. Chris Young got the victory, pitching the final three innings while striking out four and only allowing one hit.
In Game 2, Johnny Cueto was back for more heroics. He went the distance, pitching a complete game two-hitter and lead the Royals to a 7-1 victory, and a 2-0 lead in the series before heading to New York. Cueto was the first American League pitcher since 1991 to throw a complete game in the World Series and then first pitcher since 1967 to throw a complete game while allowing two hits or fewer in a World Series start.
It was Wade Davis, who was well-rested after not being used for two games in a row, who pitched a two-inning save in Game 4 to lift the Royals to a 3-1 series lead and the brink of their first World Series since 1985.
Eric Hosmer Mad Dash Home in the Top of the 9th Inning
The Royals were shut out by Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey over the first 8 innings. There was a valiant effort from Volquez, who had just returned to the United States after attending the funeral for his father in the Dominican Republic. The bullpen, once again, kept the Royals right in it.
Harvey took the mound for the 9th inning, trying to go for a complete game shutout, but it was not meant to be. First, it was a leadoff walk to Lorenzo Cain. Then Eric Hosmer doubled to score Cain and end Harvey’s night.
A groundout by Mike Moustakas advanced Hosmer to third base when Salvador Perez came to the plate. A sacrifice fly would do, but Perez hit a ground ball to third baseman David Wright. Hosmer took a few steps toward home and when Wright threw the ball to first to get Perez out, Hosmer dashed home, beating the errant throw from first baseman Lucas Duda and sliding in for the game-tying run, sending the game to extra innings.
Royals Set Off Fireworks in the 12th inning
The Royals and the offense unloaded on Mets relief pitcher Addison Reed in the 12th inning. The “keep the line moving” mentality came back with a leadoff single from Perez. Dyson pinch-ran, stole a base and scored on a pinch-hit single by Christian Colon. Then it was Colon scoring on a hit by Escobar. The bases would end up loaded for Lorenzo Cain who came through with the dagger, a bases-clearing double that would put the Royals up 7-2, which would be the final score.
Davis came into the game to shut the door, despite the game not being a save situation. Davis handled it like business as usual and struck out Wilmer Flores for the final out of the game.
Just like that, the Royals were the 2015 World Series Champions. Those moments will live on forever in our hearts, and we will think of them fondly whenever this time of year rolls around as we await the team’s return to the postseason.
