Key World Series Questions That Must Be Answered Before Champion Is Crowned
This thing isn't over yet.
That's what uneasy Mets fans are telling themselves as the World Series shifts to Queens for Game 3 on Friday (8:07 p.m. ET on Fox), with the Kansas City Royals holding a commanding 2-0 lead.
But it also has the benefit of being true. Yes, the odds are stacked against the Mets. Of the 50 teams that have fallen behind 2-0 in Fall Classic history, only 10 have come back to hoist the trophy.
One of those teams, however, was the 1986 Mets, who dropped a pair at home to the Boston Red Sox before storming back to win in seven games, with an assist from Bill Buckner and an errant infield bounce.
Can this year's Amazins follow suit? Or will the Royals—who stumbled at the finish line last year—wear the crown?
We'll know soon enough. In the meantime, let's examine six other pressing questions whose answers could well decide the outcome—and anoint MLB's newest champion.
Can Thor Lower the Hammer?
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The Mets spent Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom in Games 1 and 2 and came up empty. Now, they turn to another young, hard-throwing right-hander in Game 3—and boy, do they need him to come up aces.
Needless to say, this is the biggest start of Noah Syndergaard's career. The 23-year-old rookie has so far acquitted himself admirably in the playoffs, surrendering four earned runs and striking out 20 in three appearances, including two starts.
Now, New York hands him the ball with the season hanging in the balance.
The hurler they call Thor has zero big-league experience against any of the Royals' hitters. But then again, that means they've never seen him or his crackling fastball either.
"I think as much as you'd like to go to that crusty, veteran guy who's been here, who's done it, to help bail you out of the hole you're in, we're not asking that," manager Terry Collins said, per ESPN.com's Adam Rubin. "We're asking this kid to go out and pitch his game, and his stuff should play."
Prediction
The Royals will put the bat on the ball. They struck out less often than any other team in the regular season and have continued that trend into October, registering the fewest whiffs among clubs that advanced to the championship series round.
Still, even if he doesn't rack up double-digit punch-outs, we're betting Syndergaard—who went 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA at home this season—succeeds where deGrom and Harvey could not and gets the Mets that all-important first win.
Will Alcides Escobar Keep Raking?
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Every year, without fail, someone unexpectedly goes nuts in October. It's the law of small samples and the reason Scott Brosius has a World Series MVP Award and Albert Pujols doesn't.
This year, the torch has been passed to Alcides Escobar, who's been blazing hot at the top of the Royals lineup.
Escobar went 11-for-23 with two doubles, a triple, five RBI and six runs scored in the American League Championship Series and earned ALCS MVP honors.
And he's continued his unconscious ways in the World Series, cracking an inside-the-park home run on the first pitch he saw in Game 1 and collecting three hits in 11 at-bats overall.
Escobar's success has come by eschewing the patience and plate discipline that are the norm in today's MLB, particularly for leadoff hitters. As MLB.com's Mike Petriello noted, he's swung at the first pitch 48.5 percent of the time this postseason.
Whatever he's doing, it's working. Suddenly, a guy who posted a pedestrian .257/.293/.320 slash line in the regular season is hitting like Reggie Jackson with the cheat codes.
Can it continue? Again, we're dealing with a minuscule sample, so it's tough to say. Escobar's splits weren't great against right-handers in the regular season, and he'll face a tough one in Syndergaard in Game 3.
"It's something else being able to watch Escobar walk up there and swing at the first pitch almost every single game," Syndergaard said, per Mike Fitzpatrick of NBC New York. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'll be able to break out tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it."
Then again, Escobar fared just fine against high-velocity righties Harvey and deGrom in Games 1 and 2.
Prediction
Syndergaard might cool him off in Game 3, but Escobar is on one of those inexplicable rolls, and he'll get more big hits before this Fall Classic is finished.
Will Daniel Murphy Start Raking Again?
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While Escobar has stayed hot, Daniel Murphy, the Mets' National League Championship Series MVP, has cooled to a low simmer.
Yes, Murphy has two singles and two walks and has scored two runs through the first two games. But after he homered in a record-setting six consecutive postseason contests coming into the World Series, the expectations for Murphy were hovering near the stratosphere.
So far, Kansas City has brought him down to earth.
"The first two rounds they got a historic performance out of Murphy," ESPN's Buster Olney told Armen Williams and Jeff Levack of 104.5 The Team after Game 2. "The Royals are clearly intent on taking that away by pounding him with fastballs and not giving him a chance to extend his arms."
Murphy isn't the only Mets hitter capable of jolting the offense (more on that in a moment). But a little of the mojo he flashed in the division and championship series would boost a New York team that's suddenly sagging in the swagger department.
Prediction
As Olney correctly pointed out, the Royals have zeroed in on Murphy and found an approach that works. Don't count him out, but don't bank on another ridiculous power binge either.
Can the Mets Find Some Power?
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Here's a striking stat: Through the first two games of this World Series, the New York Mets have one extra-base hit.
Collectively, they're hitting .165 with an anemic .432 OPS and are 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Give credit to the Royals pitchers. Simply put, though, New York's bats had better rattle to life, or this Fall Classic could be over by Halloween.
We already talked about Murphy, but there are other hitters who can, and must, get it going.
Curtis Granderson has that lone extra-base knock, a solo home run, but he's just 1-for-8 overall. Lucas Duda is 4-for-9, but he's also struck out three times. And Yoenis Cespedes, whose pop propelled the Mets after he arrived at the trade deadline, is 1-for-10 with three whiffs.
Cespedes is the only Mets hitter with experience against Kansas City's Game 3 starter, Yordano Ventura, and he's 1-for-7 against him.
But somehow, some way, someone in this lineup has to start swinging it with authority.
Prediction
The Mets hit more home runs and posted a better OPS on the road than at home in the regular season, so a return to Queens doesn't necessarily bode well for a power surge. Indeed, Citi Field was the third-least hitter-friendly yard in baseball, according to ESPN's Park Factors statistic.
On the other hand, Royals pitchers have surrendered 16 dingers this postseason, the most of any club. Someone in a Mets uniform is going to launch one at some point—and maybe it'll be contagious.
Will the Royals Bullpen Stay Perfect?
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Not many teams could lose their closer in September and not miss a beat.
But the Royals aren't just any team, and this isn't just any bullpen.
Since Greg Holland went down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, which slid Wade Davis into the ninth-inning role, Kansas City's 'pen has kept cruising, posting a 2.39 postseason ERA and racking up 71 strikeouts in 49 innings.
By contrast, Mets relievers have thrown 36 innings and punched out just 28.
The Royals relief corps got a breather in Game 2 when Johnny Cueto twirled a complete game, but it logged eight scoreless innings in Game 1's 14-inning marathon with 12 strikeouts and two walks.
Davis and flame-throwing setup man Kelvin Herrera are the biggest weapons, but Game 1 also saw Danny Duffy, Luke Hochevar, Ryan Madson and starter-called-to-duty Chris Young toss up goose eggs.
Now rested and ready for Game 3, can K.C.'s 'pen stay perfect?
Prediction
We can't overstate the importance of Cueto's complete game. With that and the off day Thursday, manager Ned Yost now has his full arsenal to play with and can extend Herrera and Davis multiple frames if needed.
The Mets may scratch a run across against the Royals relievers at some point, but they'd be wise to build their leads before the late innings roll around.
Can the Citi Field Faithful Turn the Tide?
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The Mets haven't hosted a World Series game since the Bill Clinton administration, so it's safe to assume Citi Field will be roaring Friday.
In fact, this is the first time this ballpark will witness baseball's biggest best-of-seven. The last time the Mets were here, in 2000, they called Shea Stadium home.
Last year, long-suffering Royals fans watched their club play its first Fall Classic in three decades yet couldn't quite will it past Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants in Game 7.
Now, the Queens faithful will attempt to exert their influence.
The Mets went 49-32 at Citi Field during the regular season and own a 3-1 mark in the playoffs. And historically, as MLB.com's Phil Rogers noted, NL squads have gone 17-8 at home over the last nine World Series, when the AL team is forced to ditch the designated hitter.
Prediction
The Royals can spray champagne in New York with two victories in three games. But if they don't, they have Games 6 and 7 back in Missouri thanks to the AL's win in the All-Star Game (with Yost at the helm, it should be noted).
K.C. remains the favorite, but it says here these Mets will dig in their heels and at least make this a series.
All statistics current as of Oct. 29 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.
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