I don’t know how long it takes for mail to get from New York to Kansas City (especially because most people don’t know which state KC is in), but apparently the Royals never got the memo that this is the Mets’ year. Maybe it should’ve been FedExed.
Just two games into the Fall Classic, the Royals are already halfway to the title, after having outdone the Mets in basically every phase of the game. We knew Kansas City was a tough, smart, experienced team. But we didn’t know they were a juggernaut.
After squeaking out a 5-4 win in 14 innings in the opener, when New York was just two outs from victory before closer Jeurys Familia suddenly became human again, the Royals dominated last night at Kauffman Stadium. The home team scored 7 runs as all but two of their regulars got hits. On the flip side, only one Met got into the “H” column -- 1B Lucas Duda, with 2 singles -- as KC hurler Johnny Cueto dominated, allowing just one run while registering what’s become an almost-unheard-of feat in baseball’s postseason: a complete game.
Royals manager Ned Yost found a cure for what’s been ailing Cueto since he arrived in KC in late July via a trade with the Reds: National League hitters. Cueto, one of the NL’s best pitchers over the past half-decade, had been awful for the Royals through the last two months of the regular season and the playoffs, posting a combined 5-8 record with a 5.27 ERA going into Wednesday’s game. But the visitors had no answer for the 29-year-old righty -- not even 2B Daniel Murphy, who had a 10-game postseason hitting streak going (oh yeah, and a few dingers along the way) before going hitless in Game 2, although he did reach base twice on walks.
While the Mets’ batters have been overmatched, their esteemed starting pitchers appear exhausted. Game 1 hurler Matt Harvey has now pitched a total of 208 innings this season (superagent Scott Boras has reportedly filed a grievance with Amnesty International on this) -- 30 more than he has ever thrown before. Game 2’s Jacob deGrom is now at 216 frames, nearly 70 more than his previous high in the pros.
The Amazins’ backs are undoubtedly against the wall, but the depth of their rotation ensures that they aren’t out of it yet as they head home to Citi Field. Tomorrow night, Noah Syndergaard, who may well have the best stuff on the Mets’ staff, faces off against the eminently average Yordano Ventura. Like Harvey and deGrom, Syndergaard is now in uncharted territory as his 2015 workload nears 200 innings. Still, the the 23-year-old fireballer has been a force in Queens, and if the Mets lineup can give him a little support, they’ve got a great chance to narrow KC’s series lead.
After losing last year’s World Series in 7 games, the Royals obviously think this is their year. If the Mets are going to prove them wrong, they’d better get started.
