The time has come to decide which long-suffering franchise will put a storybook ending on their season, as the 2015 World Series begins Tuesday with Game 1 of what's sure to be an enticing series.
The Kansas City Royals make an appearance in the World Series for a second straight year, coming drastically close to ending their now-30-year title drought last season when they took the San Francisco Giants to seven games. The New York Mets haven't made it this far since 2000, when the Yankees edged them in the Subway Series.
We'll begin to find out Tuesday evening which club is ready to make the ascension to world champions in Game 1, so let's take a look at everything to know for that matchup.
Game 1 Info
When: Tuesday, October 27
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City
Time (ET): 8:07 p.m.
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Preview
The Mets roster is pretty chock-full of players who are in no way experienced on the postseason stage. But you couldn't tell it by the way they ripped through the previous round.
Against another young squad in the Chicago Cubs, the Mets dominated the National League Championship Series at the rate that made it not even look competitive. New York swept Chicago in four quick games, aided by Daniel Murphy's continued unconscious hitting and timely knocks from the rest of the lineup.
Murphy's six-straight postseason games with a home run—a MLB record—are getting a lot of the publicity, but it's no secret the Mets' arms are paving the way to this run. A three-headed rotation of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard is proving too much for opposing lineups to deal with.
Even with all three in their first postseasons, they're pitching like seasoned veterans and will have the Royals' hands full, per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News:
While no Mets player looks scared off by the bright lights of the postseason, the Royals obviously aren't, either. A mere nine outs from elimination in the ALDS against Houston, Kansas City rallied back to get back in that series and edged the Toronto Blue Jays in impressive fashion.
The Royals' arms don't have the name recognition that the Mets' arms have been getting, but they have a similar chance to dominate the series. Edinson Volquez gets the start in Game 1, while Yordano Ventura and Johnny Cueto have proven capable of shutdown performances.
When it comes down to it, the Royals are the ones who are experienced at this stage after coming one Madison Bumgarner performance away from the championship last year. But manager Ned Yost isn't convinced that will play a part in the series, per Jacob Albracht of KWCH (Kansas City):
"I don't really see it as an advantage," Yost said. "We didn't have any playoff experience last year, and we took it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series."
Nerves may not have prevented the Royals from putting together a serious surge at the title last year, but they're obviously going to feel a lot more comfortable this time around. Beginning the series in Kaufman Stadium will only help that, as Kansas City has gotten a considerable boost when playing in the confines.
The Mets will undoubtedly have to shake off some of those nerves early on, but they shouldn't be expected to hang around for long. In the end, they're just going out and doing what they've done their whole lives—playing baseball.
Only this time, the whole world is watching, and they'll be forever remembered by how they perform.
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