Now given a few days to digest their sweeping National League Championship Series victory, the New York Mets await either the Kansas City Royals or Toronto Blue Jays for the World Series, set to begin Tuesday.
The Fall Classic is already assured of a matchup between expansion teams for the first time in history. The Mets (1962) and Royals (1969) were two of the eight teams MLB added to its original 16 during its rapid inflation in the 1960s. The Blue Jays (1977) joined later.
Prior to this October, at least one of the original 16 had played in every World Series since its inception in 1903. It’s a refreshing and fitting change in a postseason that’s featured six new teams that weren’t here last year. San Diego Padres announcer Jesse Agler voiced his approval even though his team, also an expansion club, didn't reach the postseason:
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Much of the story in New York has centered on its youthful pitching corps that has embodied veteran poise. Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom this postseason are a combined 6-1 with a 2.36 ERA over 45.2 innings pitched, in which they’ve allowed just 12 hits while striking out 63.
They completely shut down a Cubs offense that averaged six runs per game in its first four postseason contests and gave the Mets an insurmountable 3-0 series lead in their consecutive starts. Despite great performances on offense, Jay Zawaski of 670 The Score in Chicago encapsulated why the Mets won the series:
The postseason generally boils down to power pitching, and the Mets have no shortage. The Royals and, particularly, the Blue Jays boast among the best lineups in baseball. But New York proved in its series wins over the Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers its starters have the power and longevity to go deep into games and series. It’s why many, including ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, believe the Mets are the Fall Classic favorite regardless of opponent:
The gem in the Mets’ pitching success has been the consistent and comfortable run support, an average of 6.1 runs per game these playoffs. The Mets never trailed once in four games against the Cubs and held them to a .164 average, the lowest in NLCS history.
Mets bats have largely thrived behind playoff sensation Daniel Murphy, who has homered in six straight games and against playoff ace Jon Lester and Cy Young candidates Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw (twice). But Murphy is just one cog in a well-oiled offense, which has already overcome the game’s three best pitchers.
The Royals and Blue Jays each have formidable staffs, but not quite to the caliber of the Cubs and Dodgers—at least not this postseason. Despite strong regular seasons, the Blue Jays’ David Price, Marcus Stroman and R.A. Dickey, and the Royals’ Yordano Ventura and Johnny Cueto have all looked vulnerable this October.
Price is still winless in seven career playoff starts. Stroman gave up four runs on 11 hits in ALCS Game 3, albeit a Blue Jays win. Dickey didn't make it out of the second inning a day later in the Royals' 14-2 rout. Ventura has a 6.56 ERA over three starts these playoffs, averaging just over four innings per outing. Cueto allowed eight runs in the first two innings of ALCS Game 3.
By World Series Game 1, the Mets will be on five days' rest thanks to putting away the Cubs in a sweep. Their opponent will have either three (Royals) or two (Blue Jays) days' rest depending on the outcome of the American League Championship Series, which could go seven games if Toronto steals a road win Friday.
The extra rest will at least give the Mets the assurance of forecasting potential pitching matchups, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:
Though there will forever be debate about whether long layoffs between the LCS and World Series help or hurt teams, there is little question the Mets' five days of rest aid them in at least one sense: For the first time this postseason, they truly have a say in how they will align their starting rotation.
If the Mets meet the Royals, they’ll face a team a year removed from a devastating, seven-game World Series defeat. The Royals are hungry, experienced and have a balanced club that can pull clutch hits out of a hat and limit offenses with its shutdown bullpen.
If the Blue Jays reach the World Series, it’ll be their second consecutive come-from-behind series win, and they would be 6-0 in elimination games. That kind of remarkable resiliency is how championships are won. As great as Mets starters have been, the Blue Jays boast a lineup that manufactures runs like clockwork.
Given home-field advantage will go through either the Rogers Centre or Kauffman Stadium—ballparks as hostile as any—the youthful Mets face a daunting challenge of winning four games against the AL champion. But that’s not to say the Mets won’t put up a formidable fight. The combination of top pitching and a reliable offense will push this series deep.
Prediction: AL champion over Mets in 6
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