It has been just about 29 years since either the Mets or KC won the World Series. The last Series appearance for NY was in 2000 when the Bronx Bombers in 6 games beat them; and the last appearance for the Royals was in 1985 when they defeated the Cardinals in 7. So, this Fall Classic will be a battle of very hungry teams. Back in the mid-late 80’s, each of these clubs were competitive every year, but since, it’s been a struggle to get back to the top. However, this season both teams took the league by storm.
This series will come down to which bullpen can dominate more, and which manager can do a better job. Both teams have 4-5 starters that are capable of winning a big game, and a solid bullpen. Offense is a second nature to both squads as the Mets lacked run production in the first half until trading for Yoenis Cespedes, thus having an explosive second half, and KC hit less than 100 homers last season, but in 2015 the lineup has been bringing in runs all season long with the help of Morales’ 100 RBI’s. Every game could be tight, as both teams are very similar, so in the end it will be a battle of the bullpens.
The Kansas City Royals are not like the Cubbies or Dodgers, who struggled against elite pitching of the Mets. NY has the most pitchers with 95+ mph fastballs, which is an advantage for the men at the K, as the Royals are batting .285 against flamethrowers. The winning team usually has a couple very hot hitters throughout the playoffs, and Daniel Murphy for the Mets is the hottest hitter in the whole post season, so if the Royals can take out the core of the Met’s lineup, they will have a good shot. KC is the absolute best with small ball, they find a way to win at any cost with the help of their lethal bullpen who had a league low of a 2.78 ERA during the regular season.
New York has a great rotation with an ace at the top with a record this post season of 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA. The other three are very good as well, but if deGrom can’t continue delivering, than the Mets will be in trouble. KC’s rotation has struggled so far in October, so Daniel Murphy and the rest of the lineup need to score runs early and take the lead, because if NY is losing going into the 6th inning of any game, the KC bullpen will shut the hot Mets lineup down. What KC’s offense has this year that they didn’t last season, is the ability to score in bunches, so defense is key along with striking Royals’ batters out.
Despite the Mets being the best team in the National League in the second half, this KC Royal team has been building for years and has fixed what hurt them against San Fran during the last Fall Classic. The Royals will win in 6 games by hitting the Mets rotation, then Wade Davis closing it out.
