(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
  Royals win after rain-delay en route to World Series!
Nederlands
 KANSAS CITY, Missouri (USA) -
The Kansas City Royals led 3-1 vs. the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday-evening (October 23) in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series in the top of the eighth inning.
But then José Bautista made it a 3-3 score with his second homerun of the game.
A 45-minute rain-delay followed and when the game resumed, Lorenzo Cain scored all the way from first base on a single (!) to give the Royals a 4-3 win!
With the win, the Royals again became the champion of the American League and with that returns to the World Series.
Last year, the Royals lost the Series 4-3 to the San Francisco Giants.
The only time the Royals won a World Series was in 1985 when they defeat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3.
The Royals also played in the final in 1980, but then lost 4-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Royals will open the World Series next Tuesday-evening at home.
In the best-of-seven final, the Royals meet the New York Mets, who swept the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series.
...Grand Slam Webmaster Marco Stoovelaar...
...with Erin Andrews in Chicago in 2008... |
After completion of tonight's game, Erin Andrews of FoxSports hosted the award-ceremony.
American League Honorary President Frank Robinson first handed out the William Harridge Trophy for the American League Champion to David Glass, the Chairman and Owner of the Kansas City Royals.
The trophy is named after the former AL-President, who led the league from 1931 to 1959.
Hereafter, Frank Robinson, who played 21 seasons in the Major League (1956-1976) and is a Hall of Famer, handed out the Leland S. MacPhail Trophy for the Most Valuable Player to Alcides Escobar.
Leland MacPhail was a baseball executive for 45 years.
Starting pitchers tonight were righthander Yordano Ventura for the Royals and lefthander David Price for the Blue Jays.
Yordano Ventura was 13-8 this season with a 4.08 ERA and led the team with 156 strikeouts.
In his career, Ventura is 1-0 against the Blue Jays, with the win coming this season.
Tonight was Ventura's fourth start in the current postseason and eighth in his career.
He was the starter in Game 2 of this series against the Blue Jays, but then had a no-decision.
The Royals won the game, 6-3.
David Price was 18-5 this season with a 2.45 ERA and struckout 225 batters.
In his career, Price is 2-0 against the Royals, including one win this season.
Like Ventura, Price also started Game 2 of this series and then was the losing pitcher.
In the ALDS, Price was 1-1 against the Texas Rangers.
Before today, the Royals had won 12 of their last 15 postseason-games at home.
Just as was the case in the Mets vs. Cubs series, this series was lost by the Manager who had been the Bench Coach of the winning Manager in the past.
In the NLCS, Chicago-Manager Joe Maddon had been the Bench Coach of New York-Manager Terry Collins when both were with the Anaheim Angels.
In the ALCS, Toronto-Manager John Gibbons has been the Bench Coach of Kansas City-Manager Ned Yost when he was with the Royals himself.
Gibbons was the Bench Coach when Yost became Manager of the Royals in 2010 and he held the same position in 2011.
By the way, Yost, Gibbons and Maddon are all former catchers, Collins is a former short stop.
The Royals got good contact from the beginning off of David Price.
In the first two innings, the lefthander gave up two hits, but both were homeruns!
In the first at bat, Ben Zobrist homered with one out to give the home team an early 1-0 lead.
In the second inning, it was Mike Moustakas, who also homered with one out to make it 2-0.
When the ball closed in on the fence in right-centerfield, it was caught by a fan on top of the wall.
An umpire-review followed, regarding possible fan-intereference, but the call was upheld and so, the Royals were leading 2-0.
Royals-starter Yordano Ventura gave up a lead-off double to Ben Revere in the first inning, but then retired the next nine batters in a row, four of them with a strikeout.
Things changed for Ventura in the top of the fourth inning.
With one out, he gave up a towering homerun to José Bautista that cut the lead in half.
With two outs, he gave up a single to Chris Colabello, but Ventura then closed with another strikeout.
In the bottom of the fourth, Price struckout the side, then the Blue Jays got its first two batters on base in the next at bat.
Ventura walked both Russell Martin and Kevin Pillar to begin the fifth inning, but two flyouts followed.
The inning ended when third baseman Mike Moustakas caught a line drive hit by Josh Donaldson.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Royals got a runner into scoring position when Álex Ríos singled with one out.
With two outs, he stole second base (which was challenged, but upheld) and that was the first stolen base Price had allowed in the entire season!
Ríos stranded when a pop-fly ended the at bat.
Ventura's outing ended in the next inning.
After giving up an one-out double to Edwin Encarnacion, Ventura was relieved by Kelvin Herrera.
The righthander struckout Chris Colabello, then Troy Tulowitzki flied out, ending the inning.
With that, Toronto left another runner in scoring position.
Herrera then retired the side in the top of the seventh inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, while rain was approaching, Mike Moustakas led off with a single.
Hereafter, David Price got some great and important support from his defense.
First, Salvador Pérez drove the ball into deep leftfield, where leftfielder Ben Revere made a great catch against the fence.
Hereafter, second baseman Ryan Goins made a nice play on a grounder by Alex Gordon, which moved Moustakas to second base.
That meant the end for Price, who was relieved by Aaron Sanchez.
But then, the Royals added an insurance run when Álex Ríos delivered a runscoring single that made it 3-1.
Another single followed, this time hit by Alcides Escobar that brought pinch-runner Paulo Orlando to second base.
A grounder ended the at bat, but the Royals had added an important run.
However, it became a new ballgame moments later!
Ryan Madson became the new pitcher for the Royals in the top of the eighth inning.
He gave up a lead-off single to Ben Revere, but followed with a strikeout.
Madson then gave up a 2-run homerun to José Bautista that tied the score!
For Bautista, who hit 40 homeruns in the regular season, this was his second homerun in the game.
When next batter Edwin Encarnacion walked, Madson was replaced by closer Wade Davis.
He retired the next two batters to end the inning.
In the meantime, it also started to rain!
And that led to a rain-delay in the midst of the eighth inning!
The game resumed after some 45 minutes.
Roberto Osuna became the new pitcher for the Blue Jays.
The 20-year rookie has been very successful throughout the postseason for Toronto, but now he gave up some hard hits.
He first walked Lorenzo Cain, then a single into rightfield to Eric Hosmer followed.
The speedy Cain was waved home all the way from first base and gave the Royals a renewed lead.
Hereafter, Kendrys Morales also singled to put runners on first and second base.
A flyout and double play ended the inning, but the Royals were leading again!
Despite the delay, Wade Davis returned to the mound for the Royals.
He gave up a lead-off single to Russell Martin, who then was replaced by pinch-runner Dalton Pompey, who then stole second and third base!
A walk for Kevin Pillar followed.
Davis then struckout pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro, while Pillar stole second base!
With runners on second and third base, another strikeout followed, this time for Ben Revere.
A grounder by Josh Donaldson then ended the exiting game!
The Royals are going back to the World Series!
(October 23)
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