KC Royals: Five Things About Game 2 Comeback VS. BlueJays

Oct 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Wade Davis (17) and center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) celebrates after beating the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The KC Royals, AKA the Comeback Kings of October, have done it again. They’ve won yet another game while trailing in the late innings. This time they victimized Toronto Blue Jays ace David Price to turn a 3-0 seventh-inning deficit into a 6-3 victory in Game 2 of the 2015 American League Championship Series.

For those of you who are counting, that’s four come-from-behind victories for the Kansas City Royals out of their five post-season victories in 2015.

David Price came into the seventh inning Saturday night on cruise control. He had given up only a leadoff single in the first inning to Alcides Escobar. Aside from that one blot, he was dominating the KC Royals with a mere 66 pitches for 18 straight outs and eight strikeouts.

Price looked unbeatable.

Until, that is, the KC Royals stroked four consecutive singles that began when Toronto right fielder Jose Bautista, and second baseman Ryan Goins, misplayed Ben Zobrist‘s pop fly into a hit. By the time the inning ended, the Kansas City Royals had hung a five-spot on Price and seized a commanding (with their bullpen) 5-3 lead.

Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas added an RBI single in the eighth to give the KC Royals a 6-3 victory, and an encouraging 2-0 lead in the ALCS.

Right now, the formerly sad-sack Royals are two wins away from earning their second consecutive American League pennant. And they’re doing it on the back of their ability to pull out games in the late innings. Those heroics include two eighth-inning rallies to steal victories after falling behind by four runs in an elimination game, and a major-league record four extra-inning wins in one post season.

For Kansas City Royals fans still capable of rational thought, and at the risk of thinking too much about my favorite team pulling off an important victory rather than simply enjoying it, I’d like to present five observations about the KC Royals latest comeback victory.

Next: The Royals Have Pulled Out Too Many Improbable Comebacks To Dismiss Them As Luck

Sep 30, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) reacts after hitting a walk-off single against the Oakland Athletics during the twelfth inning of the 2014 American League Wild Card playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals won 9-8. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

1. THE ROYALS HAVE PULLED OUT TOO MANY IMPROBABLE COMEBACKS TO DISMISS THEM AS LUCK

On Sept. 30, 2014, no team in baseball history had rallied from a four-run deficit to win an elimination game. The KC Royals have now repeated that feat in consecutive post-seasons. First they victimized the Oakland A’s 9-8 in what became an instant playoff classic to survive the wild card game in 2014. Next they downed the Houston Astros 9-6 to stave off elimination in Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS. 

KC Kingdom

In the 2015 playoffs, the Kansas City Royals have overcome two, two-run deficits, one three-run deficit, and one four-run lead to earn wins. And, coming from behind to win isn’t something that is odd for the KC Royals. Kansas City tied the Astros for most comeback wins in the American League with 41, which ranked third in major-league baseball behind the Cardinals (44) and Pirates (43).

Yet, in the post-season, the KC Royals take it to another level. Against top relievers in do-or-die games, the Kansas City Royals have shown remarkable resilience to overcome usually large leads.

And, watching them on Saturday night, you can see it’s no accident.

In particular, you see KC Royals cleanup hitter Eric Hosmer cutting down his swing to put the ball in play with two men on, rather than to continue trying to drive the ball after Price had frustrated the KC Royals over the previous six innings. It’s difficult to take such a restrained approach when your every instinct screams at you to attack in a high pressure situation.

Now, the KC Royals seventh inning comeback in Game 2 came when the meat of the Kansas City order were facing Price for the third time. They’d had time to figure him out. But the consistency of Kansas City Royals hitters to pull these late comebacks suggests an impressive amount of baseball craft.

It’s not just luck. The KC Royals have an unusual ability to adjust when playoff pressure has to be yammering within their skull. Resisting the urge to do too much also shows supreme confidence in the players that come behind you in the order. And the entire team has this faith.

Next: Coaching Has To Play A Big Role In KC's Rally Tendencies

Aug 6, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals hitting coach Dale Sveum against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

2. COACHING MUST PLAY A BIG ROLE IN KC’s RALLY TENDENCIES

I know this article is starting to read a little bit like a fan letter where I spout “I love you, man” to everyone connected to the KC Royals, but I do think recognizing the Royals ability to come back in high-stakes games has something to do with the coaching staff.

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It’s one thing for one guy to figure out how to “try easier” under pressure—as KC Royals Vice-President of Baseball Operations, and baseball Hall-of-Famer, George Brett likes to say. It’s another for an entire team to adopt this philosophy.

With hitter after hitter buying into the “keep the line moving” approach, it’s clear that this comes from management.

The KC Royals appear to be a team that is unusually “coachable”. I think this characteristic came into focus as the team identity in their 2014 wild card win over the A’s. Afterward, you saw Mike Moustakas trying to take outside pitches the opposite way rather than pull them. Eric Hosmer adjusted his swing by studying video from his early days in the league. The team in general seemed to be applying what coaches had been preaching to address their weaknesses.

As a result, the 2014 Kansas City Royals weren’t a team that “got hot at the right time”. It was a team that grew into their potential under the crucible of the playoffs.

Their continued success in 2015, both during the regular season and their ability to steal improbable playoff victories, shows that their 2014 pennant wasn’t any fluke. The KC Royals are really this good.

Next: Eric Hosmer's Baserunning Was The Key To They Comeback

Oct 16, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Luke Hochevar (44) and catcher Salvador Perez (13) celebrate after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in game one of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Royals win 5-0. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

4. LUKE HOCHEVAR’S FIFTH INNING ESCAPE SHOWS THE VALUE OF KC’S BULLPEN DEPTH

The 2014 KC Royals demonstrated what three dominant relievers can do for a team in the playoffs. This season, the Kansas City Royals are showing what bullpen depth can achieve.

The first step to a miraculous comeback, in many cases, is a middle reliever keeping his team in the game. Hochevar performed this feat in the sixth inning for the KC Royals, escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam to keep the game at 3-0. Kevin Pillar and Ryan Goins had an opportunity to deliver a knockout punch to Kansas City’s Game 2 aspirations.

Instead, Hochevar retired Pillar on an infield popup, and got Ryan Goins to ground out to first base.

You can see video of Hochevar’s heroics below:

While it’s obvious that Luke Hochevar played a big role in enabling Saturday’s comeback, having someone like him and Danny Duffy available as a bridge to the back end is often an unrecognized key to running down teams from behind.

Last season the mainstream baseball media really pushed the “third time through the order penalty” concept during the playoffs. Yet, often a team faces opposing hitters for the third time too early to bring in the back end of the bullpen. That reality often leaves the weakest pitchers of the relief corps trying to navigate through this critical part of the game.

Relievers like Luke Hochevar, Danny Duffy, and Chris Young (when he’s not starting) allow a KC Royals manager Ned Yost the luxury of pulling a starter before hitters can get too good a read on his stuff, without over-working his pen.

Next: Toronto Allowing David Price To Pitch The Entire Seventh Inning Highlights Their Shallow Bullpen

Oct 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher David Price (14) on the mound during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals in game two of the ALCS at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

5. TORONTO ALLOWING DAVID PRICE TO PITCH THE ENTIRE SEVENTH INNING HIGHLIGHTS THEIR SHALLOW BULLPEN

I was surprised that Toronto manager John Gibbons allowed David Price to pitch the entire seventh inning. I expected Gibbons to pull Price after Mike Moustakas drove in Eric Hosmer to tie the game at three all.

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Clearly, the KC Royals hitters had figured out Price. And, tying up the game had jazzed Kauffman Stadium into a frenzy. I would have wanted to prevent Price from becoming the losing pitcher, and hope that going to the pen might help break Kansas City’s momentum.

However, upon reflection, I understood Gibbon’s decision. Right-handed hitter Salvador Perez followed Moustakas in the KC batting order, with lefty Alex Gordon behind Perez. If he pulled Price after Moustakas’ single, he would only have one lefty option to use against Gordon in Aaron Loup.

Loup is anything but a shut-down reliever with his 4.46 ERA in 2015. While Loup performed fairly well against left-handed hitters this season with a .275/.342/.362 for a .704 OPS and a 94 OPS+ (6% better than a league-average pitcher), he’s hardly a world-beater. Meanwhile, David Price has a strong track record against Alex Gordon, allowing only a .214/.214/.286 slash line in 14 career at bats.

Sticking with Price made sense given his early game performance, his career success against Gordon, and the lack of situational lefties available to Gibbons.  Price was probably the best lefty option available to the Blue Jays to face Alex Gordon.

After striking out Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon stroked a double into the right-center gap that drove in Moustakas from second to give Kansas City a 4-3 lead.

Gibbons lacks the luxury of two strong lefty relievers to help him win platoon advantages in the late innings, unlike KC Royals manager Ned Yost who has Franklin Morales and Danny Duffy. This shortcoming could prove fatal to the Toronto Blue Jays World Series aspirations.

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