Kansas City Royals: Revisiting the 2015 ALCS Game 4

After dropping Game 3, the Kansas City Royals looked to extend their lead and keep their bats hot against the Blue Jays in Game 4 of the ALCS.

When the Kansas City Royals arrived in Toronto, up 2-0 in the ALCS, they hoped they could continue their streak and sweep the Blue Jays. The Jays had other ideas, though. In the first game with home-field advantage, Toronto got an early jump on the Royals and outscored them 11-8, taking Game 3 of the ALCS.

The Royals had to answer if they wanted to continue keeping their hopes of the World Series alive. The Royals bats, even in their loss, had been incredibly hot, scoring 5, 6, and 8 runs in the first three games of the ALCS. If they could continue their streak and keep the bats alive, the Royals knew they had a chance to continue this series with a multigame advantage.

To continue having the advantage, the Royals would have to quiet the Blue Jays on their home field in front of their own crowd. On October 20, 2015, in front of a packed Rogers Centre of 49,501 fans, Game 4 of the ALCS got off to a quick start.

For Toronto, R.A. Dickey took the start. In the regular season, Dickey had a record of 11-11 and finished with an ERA of 3.91. Taking the mound for the Kansas City Royals was veteran pitcher Chris Young. Young took the mound knowing he needed to shut down the Toronto bats. He finished the regular season with an 11-6 record and a nice 3.06 ERA.