By: Kat Stockford

The 2015 MLB World Series was unforgettable, as the Kansas City Royals won their first championship since 1985. The best-of-seven series began on October 27 and ended on November 2. Kansas City defeated the New York Mets 4 games to 1.

Leading up to the World Series, the stats and descriptions on both teams were set in stone. The Mets had strong starting pitchers, some red-hot home run hitters, and a relentless closer. The Royals, on the other hand, had consistent contact hitters, excellent fielding, and a trustworthy bullpen. So how did Game 1 start? The Mets ace, Matt Harvey, gave off a leadoff inside-the-park home run to Alcides Escobar on his first pitch of the game. He had Yoenis Cespedes to thank for the miscue, but still, not a good start for New York. Five hours later, Escobar scored the winning run on Eric Hosmer’s 14th-inning sacrifice fly, giving the Royals a 5-4 lead over the New York Mets in Tuesday night’s opener.

The Royals took advantage of their momentum and claimed their second win over the Mets in Game 2 with the help of Johnny Cueto who pitched a complete game. The Mets scored their first and only run in the fourth inning when Daniel Murphy found home off of Lucas Duda’s two-out RBI single. Kansas City would respond with 7 more runs, 4 in the 5th inning and 3 in the 8th. Teams up 2-0 in the World Series at home have an 81.6% chance of winning the championship (31 out of 38 times in history).

Mets showed some signs of hope after their 9-3 win in Game 3. Finally being at home and having one win under their belt definitely took some pressure off. It didn’t last long, however, since Game 4 ended in yet another win for Kansas City, 5-3. With possibly one more game left with a Royals win in Game 5, New York had to give it everything they had. Unfortunately, they were not able to come back after an unexpected blow from the confident Kansas City Royals, as the Mets were again not able to finish strong. The first score came from the trying New York right-fielder in the 1st inning, Curtis Granderson, who would find home again in the 6th inning. Nonetheless, the champions were named after the Kansas City Royals retaliated for the last time to clench the Fall Classic title winning 7-2.

Overall, there was no way to predict how this 2015 MLB World Series would go, but it was one to remember, especially for English teacher and Royals fan Ms. Wright.  “I knew that they like to wait till the last minute to pull out the win so I thought the series might last all seven games” Ms. Wright explained, “but I’m so happy they won!” The Kansas City Royals, who suffered an agonizing 7-game defeat in the 2014 World Series, bounced back to finish what they started. They returned home to a parade, and the manager, Ned Yost, has already begun the reshaping process of his roster in an attempt to win a third straight American League pennant in 2016.