Royals' relentless offense chases deGrom early
No bunt, no problem. Kansas City's relentless offense continues to beat its opponent by any means necessary.
The Royals peppered New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom and drove him out of the game after five innings and 94 pitches following a four-run fifth inning that gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead in Game 2 of the World Series. The big inning helped fuel the Royals to a 7-1 victory and commanding 2-0 series lead.
"They're really, really good," Mets manager Terry Collins told reporters. "That's what you tell every hitter that plays. They've got to make adjustments back to back, from pitch to pitch at times.
After walking No. 8 hitter Alex Gordon to lead off the fifth, deGrom allowed consecutive singles to Alex Rios and Alcides Escobar, the latter whom unsuccessfully tried to lay down two sacrifice bunts before he tied the game with an RBI hit up the middle.
The Royals then added three more singles, including a two-run rip from Eric Hosmer, to complete the four-run rally and chase deGrom from the game. It marked the first time since Logan Verrett on Sept. 22 that a Mets starter allowed at least four runs in a game.
"This guy has been our ace, you have to stay with him," said Collins, when asked if he was close to pulling deGrom during the fifth.
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The hard-throwing right-hander walked three and struck out two over his five innings of work, while generating a career-low three swings and misses after inducing at least 14 in each of his three previous postseason starts.
"We've still got to win four," deGrom said. "We're going home and we like playing at home. Hopefully we win those three there."
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Royals fouled off a staggering 23 of deGrom's 63 thrown strikes, while YES Network's Jack Curry adds that Kansas City had zero swings and misses on 21 two-strike pitches.
"They did exactly what people said, and they put the ball in play," Collins said. "I told Jake not everything has to be a strike. You've got to move it around. You've got to change speeds, give them something to look at. If you continue to pound the strike zone, they're going to put it in play, and that's what they did."