Going into Game 2, baseball experts expected great pitching from New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom.
They weren’t sure what fans would see from Kansas City hurler Johnny Cueto.
Cueto was terrible in his most recent postseason start before Wednesday, giving up eight runs to the Blue Jays in the ALCS.
But he apparently loves the mound at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium.
In Game 2, he was better than deGrom, and the Royals took a 4-1 lead after seven innings.
DeGrom was sterling through four innings then faltered in the bottom of the fifth, giving up four runs on five singles. He also walked the leadoff batter, a huge baseball no-no.
It was the first time deGrom, who was replaced by Hansel Robles in the sixth, had given up more than two runs in a playoff game.
Cueto had given up just two hits and walked two in seven innings.
Volquez mourns father
When Edinson Volquez slipped into the clubhouse after being taken out of Game 1 he was greeted by his wife, kids, brother and Royals General Manager Dayton Moore. They took him into the manager’s office and closed the door.
His father, the man who prodded him to take up baseball, was dead. Daniel Volquez, 63, died in the Dominican Republic from complications of a heart condition, MLB.com reported.
The pitcher and his family flew to the Dominican Republic for the funeral, but Volquez told Royals Manager Ned Yost that he would see the team in New York. Yost said he fully expects to see Volquez on the mound in Game 5, which would be Sunday, if necessary.
Sleep? O-ver-ra-ted!
“It’s the World Series. Nobody gets much sleep,” Yost said after getting just two-and-half hours rest following Tuesday’s 14-inning game. “It’s kind of exhausting, but it’s exhilarating at the same time.”
Drizzle begins
Going into the game the National Weather Service said the chance of rain was between 30% and 40%. A drizzle began in the bottom of the fourth but the service’s Kansas City office said not to worry because no significant rainfall is expected.
And it didn’t appear to be having any effect on the players’ ability to grip the ball.
Folks also are hoping for a nine-inning game, because it’s going to get cold overnight. The forecast low is 37 degrees.