Turns out Marty McFly didn't need to go anywhere to predict the 2015 World Series matchup.
Back in 1985, the Kansas City Royals won their last World Series title, but nobody needed an almanac to realize the New York Mets were close. A year after winning 98 games, they captured their franchise's second championship in 1986.
In the 29 years since, neither flying hoverboards nor more hardware for these franchises materialized. While the overachieving Royals weren't expected to defend their American League crown, the Mets looked another year away from making serious noise. Now one will win it all.
As of now, Vegas can't decide which club to back. Kansas City won five more games during the season and boast home-field advantage, but the Mets completely revamped their offense down the stretch. They also have a dominating pitching nucleus that will look to stymie the Royals' hot hitters during the Fall Classic.
World Series Preview
They say pitching wins championships, but it's only one piece of the puzzle. Just look at the Los Angeles Dodgers, who lost a best-of-five series with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke pitching four times. Not only does everyone else have to cooperate, but the hurlers have to deliver, which is far from a guarantee.
The Mets' young aces are making good on that mantra, firing on all cylinders through two rounds. They've limited the opposition to 2.9 runs per game, accruing 91 strikeouts and 22 walks through 80 innings. With Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey or Noah Syndergaard on the hill, they've won seven of eight playoff bouts, triumphing in all but the Chase Utley game.
Hey, remember when Harvey was going to shut it down after 180 innings? Any restrictions are apparently down the drain. After tossing 7.2 masterful frames in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, the 26-year-old righty has logged 202 innings this season.
The narrative has shifted from "Will he pitch in the postseason?" to "Can he make two starts in the NLCS?" to "Should he take three turns in the World Series?" Surprisingly enough, it's wasn't initially out of the question. According to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, manager Terry Collins gave serious thought to having Harvey open the series on Tuesday and continuing on short rest:
He eventually decided on a four-man rotation including Steven Matz, but Harvey will indeed start the festivities. ESPN.com's Adam Rubin confirmed the order on Saturday:
Regardless of who's on the mound, the Mets will have a hard-throwing phenom take the hill every night. They'll need to sustain their scorching stretch to finish the job. Leading all playoff contestants with a .777 OPS and 5.7 runs per game, the Royals are no pushovers at the plate.
Per BaseballSavant.com's Daren Willman, the Royals are well-equipped to handle the heat:
The Royals drew the fewest walks in baseball this season, and only the Washington Nationals yielded fewer free passes than the Mets. Their contact ways worked against the Toronto Blue Jays, as Alcides Escobar collected 11 hits from the leadoff spot.
Royals manager Ned Yost, who lucked into success batting the shortstop first despite his putrid .293 on-base percentage, praised his player after seizing the pennant, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com.
"He's such a talented player," Yost said. "But with the grind of a 162-game season, there are little periods where his focus will tend to waver a little bit. But during the playoffs, he just locks in. And when he's focused, he's as good as any player in the league."
Then again, Escobar morphing into Ichiro Suzuki isn't less likely than Daniel Murphy turning into Barry Bonds with seven postseason home runs. The winner will receive noteworthy production from an unlikely source, and a big name or two will probably falter on the losing side.
New York's nasty pitching against Kansas City's aggressively productive offense will steal the show. The other side of the equation, however, tilts the tides in the Mets' direction.
Excellent starting pitching has guided the Mets to the World Series. The Royals, on the other hand, are here in spite of their starting staff. In 11 starts, Kansas City's starters have relinquished 34 runs through 55 innings, doling out 29 walks. The bullpen has constantly saved the day, an easier formula to sustain in high-scoring affairs.
The Mets aren't the Blue Jays, but they ranked No. 4 in OPS after the All-Star break. There's nothing close to an easy out in this lineup, and Lucas Duda awaking from his slumber in Game 4 of the NLCS should terrify the Royals' right-handed starters.
Expect New York to gain early leads, mitigating Kansas City's top weapon. As Yost showed on Friday night, he won't use common sense and employ closer Wade Davis outside of the ninth inning, even if facing the heart of baseball's most powerful lineup with a two-run lead in the eighth inning of a series-clinching playoff game.
Collins is far more aggressive with utilizing Jeurys Familia, who has yielded two hits and no runs through eight playoff appearances. Kansas City held a massive bullpen edge over its AL adversaries, but New York can push back.
Prediction: Mets in Six
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