Continuing what has been the most exciting MLB playoffs in recent history, the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays will face off in the 2015 ALCS.
The Royals defeated the Houston Astros in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night clinching the series 3-2. Toronto was down 0-2 and came back to win three straight games to beat the Texas Rangers, advancing to the ALCS.
Two powerful teams are going head-to-head in what promises to be an exciting Championship series, and here are the five deciding factors in the series.
Toronto Blue Jays are hot
As many baseball experts are prone to mention, the hot teams are the ones that make the great playoff runs. There is no hotter team right now than the Toronto Blue Jays, as proved by coming back down two games after facing elimination against the Rangers. Backed by clutch defense and timely hitting, like Jose Bautista’s massive home run in game 5, accompanied by his unheard-of bat flip, the Jays are clicking at all the right times.
.@JoeyBats19 sent the @BlueJays to the #ALCS with a bat flip for all-time: http://t.co/g6TPvAdu1Z pic.twitter.com/bU6OMdvdWb
— Cut4 (@Cut4) October 15, 2015
David Price
With left-handed pitcher Aaron Loup leaving the team due to personal reasons and lefty Brett Cecil out for the remainder of the postseason after tearing his calf in game two, David Price is the only lefty starter remaining for Toronto.
Price is all but promised a record-breaking contract as he enters free agency this offseason after putting up record numbers in the 2015 season, with two different teams. However, Price has had some serious ups and downs in his postseason career. The former first overall pick in the 2007 MLB draft, Price has allowed eight earned runs in 10 innings in the 2015 ALDS. In his last seven playoff appearances, he owns a 5.48 ERA while allowing 49 hits in 44 innings.
If the Blue Jays want to continue their historic run and make it back to the World Series for the first time since 1993, then they will need Price to figure out how to stay dominant in the postseason.
Kansas City Royals do not strike out
All baseball coaches preach putting the ball in play and not striking out. However, there is no other MLB coach that believes in this more than Royals manager Ned Yost.
Kansas City struck out an MLB-low 970 times this season. As comparison, the Blue Jays struck out 1,151 times in the regular season.
The Royals and Blue Jays play completely different styles of baseball. The Royals put the ball in play, fight deep into counts and steal bases. The Blue Jays live and die by the long ball, belting 232 homers in the regular season. Good things happen when you put the ball in play, and the Royals have the edge in that category.
The Royals Bullpen
In an era where starting pitchers are brought back on short rest and in relief appearances, bullpens are often overlooked in the playoffs. With the shutdown pitching of relievers Ryan Madson and Kelvin Herrera, if the Royals enter any late inning ALCS game with a lead it’s going to be extremely tough for the Blue Jays to make any late inning rallies.
Closer Wade Davis is second among all AL relievers with at least 50 innings pitched with an average fastball of 95.8 mph, and his teammate, Herrera, holds the top spot at 97.2 mph.
With gas like that, Blue Jays hitters will have some serious problems catching up to the ball and putting it in play.
Home Field Advantage
Both the Blue Jays and the Royals clinched their respective ALDS series on their home turf. Heading into the ALCS, the Royals will have the home field advantage with the first two games taking place in Kauffman Stadium on Friday and Saturday nights.
During the course of the 2015 MLB regular season, the Royals posted a home record of 51-30 and the Jays went 53-28, tied for the best home record in the American League. With the rowdiness of the Toronto fans in the seventh inning of game 5 on Wednesday night, the Royals are very thankful they have home field advantage.
In what promises to be an entertaining ALCS, we predict it will take all seven games and that the Royals will edge out the Blue Jays and make it back to the World Series for the second year in a row.