The Johnny Cueto who the Kansas City Royals thought they got at the trade deadline showed up at the perfect time.
The 29-year-old pitched eight innings and allowed two earned runs and two hits while carrying his team to a 7-2 victory over the Houston Astros in the decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series. Next up for the defending American League champions is a battle with the Toronto Blue Jays for the right to play in the World Series.
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out it was business as usual for this team when facing elimination:
Cueto gave up both runs on a two-run homer in the second inning and then proceeded to retire 19 batters in a row before handing the ball to Wade Davis in the ninth. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports commented on Cueto's incredible outing:
MLB Network Radio and Ace of MLB Stats noted Cueto found himself among impressive company with this performance:
Cueto wasn’t the only Royal amidst historical baseball names following Wednesday’s win, as former pitcher and current Fox Sports 1 analyst C.J. Nitkowski highlighted:
Kansas City didn't need much offense with Cueto on the mound, but it received plenty in the fifth and eighth innings. The victors manufactured three runs in the fifth, but Kendrys Morales put the game away in the eighth with a mammoth three-run homer that took the pressure off in the final frame.
Despite the loss, the Astros scored four runs off Cueto in Game 2 of the series and wasted little time jumping on him Wednesday. Luis Valbuena blasted a two-run home run in the top of the second and quieted the raucous Kansas City crowd.
Passan pointed to the unfortunate swing of events for the Royals:
Valbuena only hit .224 on the season, although he drilled 25 home runs. In fact, homers accounted for 25.8 percent of Valbuena's hits during the regular season. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports acknowledged the third baseman's penchant for hitting long balls:
The Royals clawed back in the bottom of the fourth when Eric Hosmer singled and drove in Lorenzo Cain all the way from first after center fielder Carlos Gomez fell down during the play. Despite the mistake from Gomez, Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star praised Cain for his overall awareness:
Kansas City parlayed that momentum into a game-changing fifth inning. Mike Fiers replaced Collin McHugh after the starter allowed two baserunners, and Alex Rios proceeded to drive both runners in on a two-run double down the line. Ben Zobrist then tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly, and suddenly the Royals held a 4-2 lead with Cueto rolling.
ESPN Stats & Info pointed out how unusual the clutch hit from Rios was given his regular season:
It was an unfortunate turn of events for an Astros team that struggled to hold on to leads throughout the series. Evan Drellich and Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle described the problems:
Cueto remained in the game to start the seventh, and he retired Houston in order with a 1-2-3 inning. With a little help from an incredible catch by Zobrist, Cueto retired 16 hitters in a row after the home run to push the Astros to within six outs of elimination. The dominant pitcher looked nothing like the version of himself that struggled to a 4.76 ERA in 13 starts after the Royals acquired him at the deadline.
Chandler Rome of MLB.com and Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star suggested as much:
It was more of the same for Cueto in the eighth, when he pitched another perfect inning to stretch his streak to 19 consecutive Astros retired. Inside Edge put the pitcher's performance in perspective:
Houston ace Dallas Keuchel pitched the bottom of the eighth for the Astros, but it didn't matter when Morales drove Kauffman Stadium into a euphoric state with a backbreaking three-run homer to open up a nearly insurmountable 7-2 lead. Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle did not agree with putting the starting pitcher into that situation, especially on two days' rest after throwing 124 pitches:
Wade Davis came in to shut the door in the ninth without a hitch, and the Royals clinched the 7-2 win and series victory in front of their ecstatic fans.
What's Next?
While the Astros must wait until the 2016 season to take the field again, the Royals will start the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays on Friday night.
Toronto led the league in runs with 127 more than the second-place team and has a dangerous lineup loaded with sluggers. Josh Donaldson hit 41 home runs, Jose Bautista hit 40 and Edwin Encarnacion hit 39. Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin are capable of driving the ball out of the park as well.
The Blue Jays also feature a strong rotation that includes the dominant David Price, 24-year-old Marcus Stroman and deceptive knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reminded us that it won't be the first time these two teams meet in a high-stakes showdown:
Cueto, Yordano Ventura and Co. will certainly have their hands full dealing with that Toronto lineup, but the Royals are thrilled to even have the opportunity after winning an elimination contest against the Astros on Wednesday.
Postgame Reaction
The mood was understandably somber on the Astros’ side following the missed opportunity. However, manager A.J. Hinch was congratulatory of the winning team, per the team’s Twitter account: "We congratulate the Royals. It was a hard fought series. But it doesn't feel good."
Hinch added, “I got a lot of heartbroken guys in the room who really believed,” per Ortiz.
Hinch also discussed his decision to put Keuchel into the game in the eighth inning despite his normal status as a starter, per Ortiz: “I thanked him for gutting it out. He is a special pitcher and a special competitor.”
Keuchel tipped his hat to the Royals after allowing that three-run homer, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com: “K.C. has done it all year. They have the best record in the major leagues for a reason.”
While the Astros reflected back on the loss, the Royals were busy celebrating on their home field, as MLB shared:
Hosmer discussed his team’s effort and the performance from Cueto during the revelry, as Fox Sports MLB passed along:
All it took was one dominant outing from Cueto to make the midseason trade worth it.
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