The Kansas City Royals are World Series champs for the first time in 30 years, beating the New York Mets on Sunday in Game 5.
The Royals beat the Mets 7–2, though the Mets had hung onto a lead for most of the game. The Mets' Curtis Granderson hit an early home run, which remained the only score on the board through five innings. He scored again in the sixth off of a fly ball hit by Lucas Duda.
Though Royals starting pitcher Edinson Volquez — who had just returned from his father's funeral in the Dominican Republic — pitched six innings, allowing only two hits, one earned run, and five walks, Mets ace Matt Harvey dominated through 8 scoreless innings to send the game into the final frame with the Royals down two runs.
In the top of the ninth, Harvey allowed a leadoff walk to Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who then stole second base during first baseman Eric Hosmer's at-bat. Hosmer ripped a double deep to left to score Cain, and Harvey was pulled for closer Jeurys Familia. Down 2–1 with one out, Hosmer advanced to third on a ground out by third baseman Mike Moustakas. Catcher Salvador Perez hit a ball softly to Mets third baseman David Wright, who threw Perez out at first, but Hosmer scored the tying run when Mets first baseman Lucas Duda wasn't able to successfully throw him out at home.
The game went to extras, and the Royals took the one-run lead in the 12th inning. Catcher Perez hit a leadoff single to start the inning, and was replaced with pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson, who quickly stole second base. Dyson advanced to third on a groundout, and scored the go-ahead run on a single from pinch-hitter Christian Colon. Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy bobbled a hit from Paul Orlando, and Colon advanced to second, and Orlando reached first. Murphy had a similarly crucial fielding error in Game 4.
The Royals went on to knock in Colon on a double by shortstop Alcides Escobar, making it 4–2. The Royals loaded the bases, and Mets veteran Bartolo Colon took the mound, allowing a base-clearing double from Lorenzo Cain, cracking the game open to 7–2, Royals. The Mets were unable to answer in the bottom of the frame.
It was par for the course for the 2015 Royals, who clobbered their way through the postseason to return to the World Series for the second year in a row. Their 2014 bid for the crown was stymied by the San Francisco Giants and dominant performances from Madison Bumgarner. Though the Royals clawed their way through the 2014 postseason — they made their way to the ALDS following a wild and unbelievable performance in the AL Wild Card against the Oakland Athletics — they finished the 2015 regular season with the best record in the American League.
The Royals took an early lead in the series over the Mets with back-to-back wins in Kansas City to send the game to New York needing only two wins. The Mets managed to take Game 3 from the Royals behind rookie pitcher Noah Syndergaard, but dropped Game 4 to the Royals.
The Mets last won a World Series in 1986. The Royals won their only World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals in an intra-state showdown in 1985.