Kansas City Royals Countdown: Top 10 Moments of 2015 Postseason Run

No. 10 Johnny Cueto’s Two Gems

Fine, these are technically two different games. But it’s fair to consider these as one collective “moment.” It’s impossible to reflect on Johnny Cueto‘s time in Kansas City without remembering his performances in ALDS Game 5 and World Series Game 2.

The ace added from Cincinnati pitched lights out against Detroit in his first game at Kauffman Stadium. These two performances continued his theme of pitching well at The K.

First came his clutch performance in the winner-take-all finale of an outstanding ALDS. After the incredible comeback in Game 4, Cueto took the ball with the goal of getting the Kansas City Royals to a second straight ALCS.

Things didn’t start well with a two-run homer by Luis Valbuena with two outs in the second inning. Cueto then got Chris Carter to fly out and proceeded to retire the next 18 batters over eight sensational innings. Along the way, the Royals scored seven unanswered runs to give Cueto—who finished with eight strikeouts, two hits allowed and no walks—a much-deserved win.

A few weeks later, Cueto pitched another brilliant game in what turned out to be his last appearance as a Kansas City Royals player.

This time Cueto went the distance in the 7-1 win. After a marathon Game 1, his performance allowed the Royals to rest their bullpen. Similar to his ALDS Game 5 start, Cueto improved as the game went along. This time he retired the final 15 batters. He finished with four strikeouts, while allowing just three walks and two hits.

He made the final game at Kauffman Stadium in 2015 one to remember.