ROYALS
The Royals won their second World Series, their first since 1985.
The Royals became the first team to win the World Series the year after losing the World Series since the Athletics who won in 1989.
The Royals became the first team to win three games in the World Series that they were trailing in the 8th inning or later.
The Royals outscored their opponents 51-11 from the 7th inning on. No other World Series team has scored more than 36 runs from the 7th inning on (the 2002 Angels).
The Royals picked up eight victories from relievers. That’s a record.
The Royals were behind in six of 11 victories this offseason. No team had ever done that before.
Royals’ starters postseason WHIP: Yordano Ventura 1.67, Edinson Volquez 1.26, Johnny Cueto 1.08 and Chris Young 0.89.
Lorenzo Cain scored 11 times, drove in 11 runs and walked 11 times in the playoffs. He also stole six bases and hit a homer. Hell of a player when healthy.
Alcides Escobar set a record for one postseason with a 15-game hitting streak. He hit only .231 in the World Series but .329 in the playoffs.
Eric Hosmer hit only .212 with a pathetic .524 OPS this postseason. He also drove in 17 runners in 16 games, the most in playoff history for a player 26 years of age or younger.
Salvador Perez became the first catcher since Pat Borders in 1992 to be named Series MVP. Perez was clutch, going 6-for-12 with two strikes on him. He had a hit in all five games for a total of eight base knocks as he hit .364.
Ben Zobrist scored 15 times in 16 playoff games.
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METS
The Mets 3-4-5 hitters didn’t produce a single extra base hit. That’s the first time that has happened since the Yankees failed in 1999. Daniel Murphy and Yoenis Cespedes both went 3-for-20 in the Series.
Michael Conforto finally hit in the postseason with two homers and a 1.046 OPS over 15 plate appearances in the World Series.
Travis d’Arnaud hit a mere .143 with a .333 OPS. That was seven points lower than Cespedes and Murphy. Murphy did hit seven homers and posted a 1.115 OPS over 14 postseason games. Cespedes was doubled up as his OPS was a pathetic .584. By the by, reports suggest that Cespedes will not be re-signed by the Mets.
Jeurys Familia blew three saves in the World Series, the first time that has ever happened. The last pitcher to blow three saves in a postseason was Mariano Rivera (2004).
Curtis Granderson had a .375 OBP, drove in 12 and scored 10 times in the playoffs.
After all of that… Matt Harvey threw a total of 216 innings. That’s the most in history for a pitcher in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He threw 111 pitches Sunday night, more than in any start this season.
"I wasn't going to let the innings limit or how the season played out, all that other stuff get in the way," he said. "A couple pitches here, a couple pitches there, we're back in Kansas City."
In the 9th inning, Harvey allowed two runs, his first two runs of the evening, to allow the Royals to push the game to extra innings. And manager Terry Collins had planned to take Harvey out before the 9th.
"He just came over and said, 'I want this game. I want it bad. You've got to leave me in,'" Collins said. "I said, 'Matt, you've got us exactly where we wanted to get.' He said, 'I want this game in the worst way.' A fitting end perhaps to a tumultuous season for Harvey.
Mets’ starters postseason WHIP: Jacob deGrom 1.16, Matt Harvey 1.09, Steven Matz 1.43 and Noah Syndergaard 1.21.
David Wright hit .208 with eight strikeouts in the five games. He struck out 20 times in 14 playoff games.
From the first pitch on April 5th to the last pitch on November 2nd the major league season lasted 210 days and 45 minutes.
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Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.