The 2015 World Series is finally here. At the beginning of every MLB season, we typically feel the Fall Classic is so far away, but it always creeps up on us faster than expected. And could we have asked for a more unconventional and entertaining matchup?
The Kansas City Royals will host the New York Mets in Game 1 of the World Series tonight at 8:07 p.m. ET.
Scroll to the bottom for the MLB live stream and radio broadcast.
Kansas City will send Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55 ERA) to the mound to face Mets' right-hander Matt Harvey (13-8, 2.71 ERA) as both pitchers are slated to make their World Series debut. Harvey is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two postseason starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs while Volquez is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in three postseason starts against the Astros and Blue Jays.
Harvey will attempt to get the Mets off to a good start in a hostile environment at Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals are 5-1 this postseason. However, New York boasts a 4-1 road record during the 2015 playoffs with two wins at Dodger Stadium and two at Wrigley Field. They clinched both the NLDS and NLCS on the road as well.
Still, Harvey will have to watch out for Kansas City's left-handed/switch hitters (Kendrys Morales, Eric Hosmer, Ben Zobrist, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas), who batted .281 with an .829 OPS in 1,583 at-bats this season. The team's best run production came in those matchups, with those hitters compiling 243 runs scored, 58 home runs and 235 RBI.
Same goes for the Mets' left-handed/switch hitters against right-handed pitching. The combination of Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy, Michael Conforto and Kelly Johnson hit .253 with a .783 OPS in 1,821 at-bats. That matchup netted the Mets 77 home runs and 214 walks, which was the most in any pitcher vs. hitter scenario for New York.
The Mets' top two postseason hitters are Murphy and Granderson, which doesn't bode well for Volquez. Murphy has homered in six straight postseason games, which is a new MLB record, and Granderson is batting .303 with seven RBI and four stolen bases.
As for the Royals, Hosmer and Morales have combined for 21 RBI to lead the team while Zobrist, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Rios have at least 11 hits each.
It should be a World Series for the ages, as one of these clubs will snap a longstanding championship drought. The Royals last won a title in 1985 and the Mets in 1986, so gear up for a matchup that is bound to end with some bad blood.
Click here for tonight's lineups.
You can check out the live stream for the World Series here as well as the live radio broadcast here (KC) or here (NYM).
