Written by Pablo Figueroa at Sporting Charts
Just a few months ago, there was a real and strong backlash to the possibility of the Kansas City Royals taking over the All-Star Game with as many as six starters for the American League. After all, the team may have been on top of the standings as the defending AL champion, but nothing about its players screamed out “superstar”. In the end, it may all have been just a premonition for what was to come. Ladies and gentlemen, the same Kansas City Royals are now World Series champions.
These words have to begin with the disclaimer that I picked the Mets to win the series, but also with the realization that we have witnessed one of the most improbable and special championships in recent history. The indelible moment from the clinching Game 5 may come from Eric Hosmer‘s gutsy slide to tie the game in the ninth, or the pinch-hit single from the little-used Christian Colon to take the lead in the 12th, or maybe just the untouchable Wade Davis striking out the side to finish the game. But anyway you want to remember this title, it all comes down to how the Royals were able to overcome adversity time and again to get to this point.
Going by win expectancy, the Royals won seven games this postseason in which they held a 25% or lower odds to win. This includes the catalyst, which came in an elimination Game 4 of the ALDS when they trailed by 4 runs in the eighth facing the Astros in Houston. It also includes the three separate occasions in the World Series in which the Royals trailed in the eighth inning or later, where shaky defense and a probably tired Jeurys Familia managed to blow games in painful fashion. While it could be assumed that history will mention how the Mets collapsed, I think that Kansas City’s resilience should remain the bigger story.
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