Murphy's blunder puts Royals on cusp of World Series title

The New York Mets rode Daniel Murphy's hot bat all the way to the World Series, but they'll be having nightmares after the second baseman committed one of the worst errors in franchise history.

With the Mets clinging to a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth inning and two runners on, Murphy couldn't corral a slow chopper off the bat of Eric Hosmer, allowing the tying run to plate. The Kansas City Royals rallied for two more runs off Tyler Clippard and closer Jeurys Familia to claim a 5-3 victory in Game 4 of the World Series, and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Top Performer: On a night when thousands of fans donned frightening costumes at Citi Field, the only thing Royals pitchers feared on Halloween was Michael Conforto, who became the youngest Mets player to homer in the World Series with his third-inning blast off Kansas City starter Chris Young. The 22-year-old wasn't done there, though, launching another solo shot off lefty Danny Duffy in the fifth. The pair of blasts made the left fielder the third-youngest player in the history of the Fall Classic to record a multi-homer game.

Starting Pitchers: Matz tossed four scoreless innings and racked up five strikeouts before yielding an RBI single to Alex Gordon in the fifth. Mets manager Terry Collins elected to stick with Matz in the sixth, but the 24-year-old southpaw failed to record an out before making way for Jon Niese. He departed with a 3-2 lead.

After retiring the first six batters he faced, Young coughed up a pair of runs in the third inning. However, the lanky right-hander remained in the game to pitch a flawless fourth before taking a seat in favor of a pinch-hitter in the fifth. He threw only 58 pitches after tossing 53 in the 14-inning series opener.

Key Moment: With a pair of runners on and one out, Murphy's error in the eighth inning allowed Ben Zobrist to plate the tying run. The momentum immediately shifted in favor of the Royals as the home crowd was silenced. Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez followed up with RBI singles to give Kansas City a 5-3 advantage. Royals manager Ned Yost then turned the ball over to Wade Davis, who converted a six-out save when Yoenis Cespedes got doubled off at first to end the game.

(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)

Up Next: The Royals are now one win away from their first World Series title since 1985. Kansas City will send Edinson Volquez to the hill for Game 5 on Sunday night. The right-hander threw six strong innings in Game 1 before learning his father had died in the Dominican Republic, but has returned to the club in time to make the start. The Mets will counter with Matt Harvey, who tossed six innings of three-run ball in the opener of the Fall Classic.