Inside The Royals

Top Five Royals Moments From the 2015 ALDS & ALCS

The Royals were not lacking for drama in their run to the 2015 World Series, as was evident in their ALDS and ALCS matchups with the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays.

Mark Van Sickle

The 2014 playoff run set up what ultimately turned out to be an even more fulfilling 2015 postseason for the Kansas City Royals. After coming up just short of the ultimate goal in 2014, the team was focused and came out firing in 2015.

The entire season led to the best record in the American League. The Royals tasted playoff success in 2014 and knew they had what it took to get back and win the whole thing.

The playoffs began in the ALDS against the Houston Astros, who had climbed their way out of the dumpster with several top draft picks in the years leading up to their rise in the AL. However, this wasn’t the Astros' year, this was the Royals' year.

The Royals then wrapped up their second-straight AL championship with a series win over the pesky Toronto Blue Jays. Here are my top moments from both the American League Division Series and the American League Championship Series.

The Comeback Kids

I'm utilizing this space two combine several moments into one, but the main theme surrounding this “top moment” from the ALDS, and these Royals playoff teams in general, was their ability to rally late in games and come back to win.

In Game 2, with the Royals down 1-0 in the series, the Astros took an early 3-0 lead. The Royals would come back and ultimately take the lead for good in the 7th inning after an Alcides Escobar leadoff triple set up an RBI single from utility man Ben Zobrist.

In Game 4, with the Astros leading the series 2-1 and smelling blood in the water with an elimination at stake, the Royals once again would not be denied. Trailing 6-2 heading into the 8th inning, the Royals took advantage of a funky hop to shortstop Carlos Correa that kept the line moving. Ultimately, the Royals would score five runs in that inning to take a 7-6 lead.

The game was sealed with an exclamation point home run from Eric Hosmer in the top of the 9th inning. The Royals would win the game 9-6 to bring the series back to Kansas City for a Game 5, series-deciding matchup.

Johnny Cueto's Lights Out Performance

One of the Royals' big moves at the trade deadline in 2015 was acquiring veteran ace Johnny Cueto via trade from the Cincinnati Reds. His regular season with the club was very up and down, but his performance in an elimination game made the trade all worth it.

Cueto pitched an eight-inning gem, allowing only two hits while striking out eight batters in a dominant effort that saw him retire the final 19 batters he faced. It will go down as one of the greatest pitching performances in Royals history and got the Royals over the hump and back into the ALCS for a second consecutive season.

Royals Shut Out Power-Hitting Blue Jays in Game 1 of ALCS

To open the 2015 ALCS, starting pitcher Edinson Volquez pitched six shutout innings and recorded the first ever postseason win of his career. The bullpen, which was dominant for the entire postseason, pitched in with three shutout innings of its own to close the door. This was only the sixth time the entire season that the 2015 Blue Jays were shut out in a game.

Game 2 Comeback

With the Royals losing 3-0 heading to the 7th inning, there was no panic in the dugout or in the stands from the fans that were packed into Kaufman Stadium on a beautiful October afternoon in Kansas City.

A miscommunication in short right field between second baseman Ryan Goins and right fielder Jose Bautista led to the rally in this game. A shallow pop-fly from Ben Zobrist turned into a single that would eventually lead to a five-run 7th inning, the Royals ultimately winning the game 6-3, and the club taking a 2-0 series lead as the games traveled north of the border to Toronto.

Game 6 Weather Delay in Kansas City Leads to Late-Game Heroics

The Royals led 3-1 in the series as the teams made their way back to Kansas City. The Royals led by a score of 3-1 heading into the 8th inning. With a random October thunderstorm popping up nearby, Royals manager Ned Yost didn’t want to go to his closer Wade Davis early in the 8th inning if he didn’t need to, just in case there was a long rain delay.

The strategy ultimately backfired, as relief pitcher Ryan Madson gave up a two-run home run to Jose Bautista, tying the game as the rain began to make its way toward the stadium. When Madson put another runner on base, Yost made the tough decision to put Davis in the game despite the weather.

Davis struck out Troy Tulowitzki and left two runners stranded as the rain began to fall in the middle of the eighth inning. There was a 45-minute rain delay before the Royals had a chance to bat.

The Blue Jays went to their closer, Robert Osuna, with All-Star center fielder Lorenzo Cain leading off the inning. Cain battled for an eight-pitch walk. Next up was first baseman Eric Hosmer, who battled to a 2-2 count before taking a rip and driving the ball down the right field line.

Cain, who had been running on contact, flew around the bases from first to home and scored what would eventually be known as the game-winning run.

The heroics weren’t done yet. Davis went back out to the mound to finish off what he started, now over an hour since he was brought into the game before the rain delay in the top of the eighth. Davis, who was exhausted at this point, allowed two base runners. He battled to the end, and ultimately struck out two batters before getting Josh Donaldson to ground out to third for the final out of the game, sending the Royals to the World Series for the second consecutive season.

The drama was never-ending with those Royals playoff teams. On that note, we’ll get to my top-five moments of the 2015 World Series in the next article.

Read More: Can Adalberto Mondesi Help the Royals Acquire an All-Star Pitcher?

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Mark Van Sickle
MARK VAN SICKLE

Mark Van Sickle was born in Seattle, Washington, but has lived in the Kansas City area for 30 years. He has followed the city’s sports teams along the way, from the KC Blades to the Chiefs to the Wizards/Sporting KC, now the KC Current and — of course — the Royals. Mark has been a radio producer and on-air talent in Kansas City since 2011 and is currently a producer for morning shows on KCMO Talk Radio. He is a writer and podcast host for the Heartland College Sports Network, a writer for Arrowhead Report on FanNation and a consistent guest on Roughing the Kicker Chiefs podcast. He is also a writer and weekly contributor to FanNation’s InsideTheRoyals.com

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