The Kansas City Royals will be going to the World Series for a second year in a row. The Royals won their second straight AL pennant with a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the ALCS. The Royals become the first team to win back to back AL pennants since the Texas Rangers did it in 2010 and 2011. Of course, the Rangers failed to win the World Series and the Royals will try to avoid that fate next week.
I missed most of the game as my roomie and I saw Ringo Starr in concert. (Yes, there will be a column about that.) When we returned home, the game was tied 3-3 in the 8th. Jose Bautista had just hit a game tying home run. Joey Bats had also homered earlier in the game while Ben Zobrist and Mike Moustakas went deep for the Royals.
Then the rains came. After a 40 minute delay, the game resumed. The Jays put their closer Roberto Osuna on the mound. He promptly walked Lorenzo Cain and then gave up a single to Eric Hosmer. Joey Bats threw the ball to second to prevent Hosmer from extending his hit into a double. But that gave Cain an opportunity to make a dash for home and score all the way from first to give the Royals a 4-3 lead.
There was a question as to whether the Royals would stick with closer Wade Davis who had been pitching before the rain delay. Usually a pitcher is removed after a lengthy delay. With the actual delay and the bottom of the eighth, an hour had elapsed since Davis last pitched. Davis gave up a bloop single to catcher Russell Martin. The Jays took out Martin for pinch runner Dalton Pompey who stole both second and third. Davis then walked Kevin Pillar. With the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base, Davis bore down and struck out Dioner Navarro and Ben Revere before getting likely AL MVP Josh Donaldson to end the Blue Jays’ season by grounding out to Mike Moustakas.
Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar was named ALCS MVP. Escobar went 11 for 23 (.478) and drove in five runs during the ALCS.
The Royals will host the New York Mets in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night.
