The top two clubs in the American League showcased their resiliency in a pair of five-game division series thrillers, and now the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays will clash in the ALCS for a spot in the 2015 World Series.
It's safe to say that both squads had some moments of doubt as to whether they would even get this far. The Blue Jays faced an 0-2 deficit and had to rattle off three straight wins over the Texas Rangers to keep their season alive, while the Royals battled back from a four-run deficit in a must-win Game 4.
With last season's Cinderella in Kansas City going against a Toronto club that is aiming to make a similar ascent to the top for the first time in decades, a memorable series should be on the cards.
Let's take a look at everything to know for a Royals-Blue Jays ALCS.
2015 ALCS Coverage Guide
Matchup: Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Odds (via OddsChecker): Blue Jays 4-5, Royals 21-20
TV Coverage: Fox/Fox Sports 1
Live Streaming: Fox Sports Go
ALCS Schedule
Preview
As the only two AL squads to reach the 90-win plateau in 2015, the Royals and Blue Jays were the obvious favorites to get to this point. But that's not to say that either team got here by strolling through the park.
In fact, it couldn't have been any tougher for these teams to advance and move four wins away from the World Series.
It looked as though fate was constantly working against the Royals throughout their ALDS series with the Houston Astros, and it seemed that the magical World Series run of a year ago wouldn't be making a repeat appearance. But just six outs away from elimination in Game 4, Kansas City quietly put together a five-run inning and returned home to clinch the series in Game 5.
Somehow, the Royals appear to be the most experienced squad left in these playoffs, as Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star quipped:
Not one to avoid dramatics in their own ALDS series, the Blue Jays had to fight back from an even tighter spot than the Royals. Toronto looked doomed from the very start, dropping both home games against Texas to begin the ALDS.
Of course, the rest is history. The Blue Jays rattled off 19 runs in the next three games (all must-wins), capped off by Jose Bautista's go-ahead three-run jack in the seventh inning of Game 5 that all but sealed the series.
What was the MLB's best offense (by far) in the regular season is catching fire at the right time, and they have the aces on the mound to complement them. As Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com noted, the Blue Jays have their pitching rotation set:
The Royals obviously have prowess on the mound as well, but not to the same level. While two Blue Jays starters have an ERA below 3.00, no Royals starter is near that mark.
Sure, there have been flashes of brilliance from Johnny Cueto and Yordano Ventura in these playoffs. But it's impossible to ignore the fact that the Astros' bats raked eight home runs against the K.C. arms in just a five-game span.
With an advantage in both aspects of the game, the Blue Jays just have to keep it simple, as Toronto second baseman Munenori Kawasaki told Cut4:
They took some time to get their feet wet and get used to October baseball, but the Blue Jays are finally finding their gear. When the bats are on point, it takes near-perfect pitching to stymie them—and the Royals don't have a Dallas Keuchel or a Jacob deGrom on their roster.
When it comes down to it, the Blue Jays' bats have scored five or more runs in six of the seven games they've played against the Royals this season. If that continues, there's no way the Royals offense will be able to keep up.
Prediction: Blue Jays win in six games
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