The 2014 MLB playoffs continue Friday with the American League Championship Series matchup between the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals.
Both teams swept their ALDS series - the Orioles took down the Detroit Tigers and the Royals crushed the Los Angeles Angels - en route to the ALCS. The Orioles, who will host Game 1 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, haven't made it to the World Series since 1983. The Royals haven't been to the big show since 1985.
Like breaking in a new glove, these two storied franchises will work oil and dirt into the web of the series until baseball in October again feels as natural and as much an extension of themselves as a glove they've had since childhood.
The Orioles will try to break the Royals' seven-game postseason winning streak - a streak that goes all the way back to Game 5 of that 85' World Series. Eleven different teams have represented the AL in the World Series since the Royals beat the Cardinals 29 years ago.
"You dream of the opportunity to pitch in a postseason game and get to the World Series," said Orioles pitcher Bud Norris.
"The crowd, it's an unbelievable atmosphere," said Royals pitcher James Shields, who won Game 3 of the ALDS on Sunday. "It's an unbelievable atmosphere. This is a special time in this city right now, and they're enjoying this as much as we are. To be able to win in front of the home crowd is nice. I mean, this is the best atmosphere I've ever been a part of. To be able to do it in front of our fans is great."
The Royals took four of seven games from the Orioles in the regular season.
"These [teams] are the best the world has to offer," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "So everybody is very capable. Everybody's got strengths and weaknesses, and we're just excited and honored to be a part of it."
Besides less than stellar starting rotations, these two teams could not be constructed more differently. The Orioles hit the most home runs in the AL (211) and the Royals hit the fewest (95). The Royals stole the most bases (153) and the Orioles, the fewest (44).
The Royals built their success off a foundation of small-ball; working counts, stealing bases, moving runners and legging out grounders to avoid double plays - playing the game to win no matter the cost, a different hero on every night.
"We'll bunt, we'll hit and run, we'll do it any way we can," Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas said. "We don't really care how we win ballgames, just as long as we get a 'W' at the end of the night. And I think I speak for 25 guys in that clubhouse [who] will say the exact same thing. We go out every night with intentions to do whatever we can do to win."
They took down three former Cy Young winners in David Price, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to sweep the Tigers in the ALDS, and they didn't do it with a lot of hits - just the right hits at the right time - and an uncharacteristically large number of homeruns.
"Well, you know, it was huge. Won us two games," Royals manager Ned Yost said of the power hitting after Sunday's ALDS series clincher. "Coming into this game, we were hitting .162 as a team, they were hitting .141, but the difference were the two big home runs. That gave us the edge. Tonight the power was huge again."
Yost, much like his Baltimore counterpart Showalter, isn't trying to shoehorn his players into a particular formula for winning. Instead, he's just trying to let them be them, and figure out their own path to victory.
"These kids are all stepping up big time and putting us in the position that we're in now," said Yost. "I mean, we're going to go to Baltimore and fight for the American League. There's two teams left standing and it's going to be a great series. Both teams coming in with a lot of momentum, both teams very, very good baseball teams. It's going to be a great series."
The Royals also boast possibly the best bullpen in the postseason - they're in close contention with Baltimore for that mantle - it has accounted for three victories and has pitched to a 2.37 ERA. They have also fanned 21 batters in 19 innings.
The only possible weakness is their starting pitching. After ace James Shields, Yost will likely turn to rookie Yordano Ventura or lefty Jason Vargas. Danny Duffy could also get a start.
The Orioles, on the other hand, who won their first AL East crown since 1997, are built for power. Even without slugger Chris Davis, who is currently serving a suspension for amphetamine use, they've got Nelson Cruz, who led the league with 40 homeruns and has 16 postseason homeruns in the last five years, and went 6-for-12 with two homers and five RBI's against the Tigers.
"He's been awesome all year," said Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis. "That's the main reason we got him. I played a lot of games against him and he's done a lot of damage against us. I'm just glad he's on our team doing the damage now."
They're aggressive - often to a fault - but it's this unorthodox approach at the plate that's gotten them this far.
"We tee high and let it fly," said outfielder Adam Jones. "That's been our motto. Sometimes it's good and sometimes we look crazy for six or seven innings. But it's helped us get to this point, so we're not gonna change."
"I try to hit a home run every time," Delmon Young told the New York Times. "I try to pull it every pitch."
But Cruz, for one, thinks it's the Baltimore pitching that's going to decide their fate. And he may be right. It performed well beyond expectation against Detroit.
"I think what takes us here is the pitching," said Cruz. "The pitching has been unbelievable."
The group is comprised of three 13-game winners - Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris and Chris Tillman - for the first time since 1997.
Much like the Royals, their bullpen - led by closer Zach Britton - is one of their strongest components. Orioles relievers combined for a 3.10 ERA in the regular season, the third-lowest in the AL, and a 1.16 WHIP, tied for the second lowest.
From the eighth inning on in the regular season, opponents managed a meager .216 against the O's.
These two teams do have something in common though - according to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first meeting in an LCS or World Series between two teams that finished in the bottom five in the majors in walks since divisional play began in 1969.
This series will likely come down to whether or not the Orioles can score. If they do, look for them to edge out the Royals, who won't be able to keep up. If the Royals' starters can keep games close, their chances of moving onto the World Series greatly increase.
