2015 World Series Game 3
Kansas City Royals at New York Mets
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The Series shifted to New York with the Royals leading two games to none. The Mets were in a tough spot, but they have been there before. The 1986 Mets were down two games to none before heading to Boston, and they were able to come back and win it all in seven games. The Royals, on the other hand, are hoping that history is on their side. Only 11 teams have come back from losing the first two games to win the World Series. The fact that they beat the Mets’ top two pitchers gave the Royals even more confidence.
The Royals sent Yordano Ventura to the mound to try to put the Mets in a three-game hole. The Mets had Noah Syndergaard on the hill as they tried to climb back into the series. Ventura has had a rough go of it in the postseason, with only one win in four starts. Syndergaard came into Game 3 on 11 days rest. The Mets hoped that the extra rest would not prove to be an issue.
Royals Strike First
The first World Series game ever at Citi Field started with a 98 mph fastball right over the head of Alcides Escobar. Escobar would go down swinging on a foul tip. Ben Zobrist hit a double to deep center field to put a runner in scoring position for Lorenzo Cain. Cain extended his streak of getting on base to 18 games with a check swing infield single to put runners at first and third. Eric Hosmer hit a chopper to first and Lucas Duda threw to second for one out, but the throw back to first found both Duda and Syndergaard there and neither was able to catch it and stay on the bag. Zobrist scored on the play to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Mike Moustakas hit one right back to Syndergaard, who threw to first to end the inning.
Mets Grab Lead
Curtis Granderson led of the bottom of the first with an infield single. David Wright took a 96 mph fastball and deposited it in the stands in left-center field to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Ventura got Daniel Murphy to pop out to Escobar for the first out of the inning. Yoenis Cespedes was caught looking at a curveball for out number two. Duda hit a ground ball that went through Hosmer’s legs at first, but Zobrist was able to make the play and get the out to end the inning.
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Royals Take Lead, Again
Salvador Perez opened the second inning with a broken bat single down the left field line that Wright made a great play on to keep it from being a double. Alex Gordon lined a single over Murphy’s head in to right field. Alex Rios drove in Perez with a single to left field. Gordon advanced to third and Rios advanced to second on the throw.
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The Mets challenged the call at third that Gordon was safe. The replays clearly showed that Gordon was out, leaving a runner at second with one out. Ventura had a great bunt to move Rios over to third, and almost made it on himself. Moving the runner up paid immediate dividends when Rios scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball. Escobar lined a single to center field to extend the inning, and the Mets’ bullpen started to stir. Escobar stole second, putting him in scoring position for Zobrist, but Zobrist flew out to center.
Yet Another Lead Change
After each pitcher got through 1-2-3 innings, Syndergaard hit a two-strike pitch to right field for a single, the first by a Mets pitcher this postseason. Granderson ripped one down the right field line that just cleared the fence to give the Mets the lead again, 4-3 in the bottom of the third. Ventura was able to get Wright, Murphy, and Cespedes to ground out to end the inning, but the damage was done.
After another 1-2-3 inning from Syndergaard, the Mets led off the bottom of the fourth with a single by Duda and a double by d’Arnaud to put runners at second and third. With the infield drawn in a little bit, Michael Conforto chopped one between Hosmer and Zobrist that Hosmer fielded, but Ventura did not cover first, so a run scored and left runners at first and third with nobody out. Ventura got Flores to pop out in foul territory, but then gave way to a relief pitcher.
Danny Duffy came on to pitch with runners on first and third with one out in the fourth inning and the pitcher coming to bat. Duffy got Syndergaard on strikes and Granderson on a fly ball to center. The inning ended with just one run, but the Mets led 5-3 after four innings.
Raul Mondesi came in to pinch hit in the pitcher’s spot, and in doing so he became the first player ever to make his Major League debut in the World Series. He and Escobar would go down on strikes to start the fifth inning. Zobrist hit a 2-0 pitch into the right-center field gap, but Granderson was able to track it down for the third out.
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Luke Hochevar came in to pitch in the fifth inning for the Royals and worked around a two-out single by Cespedes for a scoreless inning. After five innings of play, it was still 5-3 Mets.
Syndergaard got Cain and Hosmer on swinging strikeouts to open the sixth inning, making it 12 straight hitters that he retired. Moustakas ended that streak with an infield single. Perez drew a walk to put runners on first and second, and that drew a visit from the dugout. That visit did not seem to help, as Gordon drew a walk to load the bases. Rios hit a ball up the middle that Flores was able to get to and barely got the out at first to end the inning with no runs scored.
Mets Tack On
Franklin Morales came in to pitch for the Royals in the bottom of the sixth. He gave up a one-out single to Juan Lagares, who pinch hit for Conforto. Flores was hit with a pitch to put runners on first and second. Juan Uribe, pinch hitting for Syndergaard, laced a single to right that scored Lagares and moved Flores to third with one out. Granderson hit one back to the pitcher, but Morales could not decide where to go with the ball and everybody was safe with the bases loaded.
Kelvin Herrera came in to pitch and Paulo Orlando came in to play right field in a double switch. Wright immediately hit a line drive to center off of Herrera to drive in Flores and Uribe. Murphy drew a walk to load the bases with just one out. Cespedes hit a ball to left field that was deep enough to drive in Granderson. Duda was called out on strikes to end the inning, but the Mets had taken a 9-3 lead.
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Mets Relievers Shut The Door
Addison Reed came on to pitch for the Mets in the seventh inning. He got Orlando and Escobar to pop out and Zobrist to ground out for an easy three up, three down inning. The Mets took their 9-3 lead to the seventh inning stretch.
Jeurys Familia came in to pitch in the ninth inning with a 9-3 lead. Flores helped Familia out with a great play up the middle to get Perez out at first. Familia got Gordon to strike out on a check swing. Kendrys Morales came in to hit for the pitcher and grounded out to Wright. The Mets won Game 3, 9-3.
Player of the Game: David Wright
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Wright had two hits in four at-bats with a home run and four RBI. His home run was a two-run shot in the second inning to give the Mets their first lead of the night. Wright also made a couple of good plays in the field. One of them kept a single from turning into a double, and the other was a great tag that cut down a runner at third.
Game 4 (Royals lead 2-1)
The Mets did what they needed to do to stay in the series. Now, they will send Steven Matz to face Chris Young Game 4. Young earned the win with three innings of relief in Game 1. Matz started Game 4 of the NLCS, going four and two-thirds innings and only giving up one run. He has not yet faced any of the Royals.