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The 2015
American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
(ALCS) was a
best-of-seven playoff There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly ...
contested between the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
and
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
for the
American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...
(AL) pennant and the right to play in the
2015 World Series The 2015 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2015 season. The 111th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion New York Mets and the American Leag ...
. The series is the 46th in league history. The series was broadcast by
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
and
Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 replaced the motorsports network Speed on August 17, 2013, at the same time that its companion channel Fox Sports 2 ...
in the United States, with Fox airing Game 1 and Fox Sports 1 airing Games 2–6.
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...
, a property of Blue Jays owner
Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Telecommunications in Canada, Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of mobile phone operator, wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet access, Intern ...
, simulcast Fox and Fox Sports 1's coverage in Canada. Game 1 took place on October 16, and the series ended with the Royals winning Game 6 on October 23. This was the second ALCS matchup between Kansas City and Toronto; the Royals previously rallied from a 3–1 deficit to defeat the Blue Jays in seven games in the 1985 ALCS. The Royals would go on to defeat the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
in five games, winning their first World Series championship in 30 years.


Background

The
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
finished the season with a 95–67 record, winning the
American League Central The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are all loc ...
division title for the first time since that division was created in 1994. Their season win total was the most since winning 97 games in
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
. The Royals defeated the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
in five games in the 2015 American League Division Series (ALDS), advancing to their second straight ALCS and eighth overall. The
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
made it to the postseason for the first time since winning the 1993
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
, finishing the season 93–69 to clinch the
American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...
title. Playing in their first ALDS in team history, the Blue Jays overcame a 2–0 deficit to defeat the Texas Rangers in five games and move on to the ALCS. It was their first ALCS appearance since 1993, and sixth overall. The Blue Jays won four of seven games against the Royals in the 2015 regular season. This was the second time in seven ALCS appearances the Royals held home field advantage. The other was 1977, when Kansas City lost Games 4 and 5 of the best-of-5 series at
Royals Stadium Kauffman Stadium (), often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhead S ...
to the eventual
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
champion
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
.


Summary


Game summaries


Game 1

Kansas City opened the scoring in the third inning off of Marco Estrada when
Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
hit a leadoff double and scored on
Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
's one-out double, then after a groundout, Escobar scored on
Lorenzo Cain Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
's single.
Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award wi ...
added a home run in the fourth to give the Royals a 3–0 lead. In the eighth, a hit-by-pitch and single off of
LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorad ...
was followed by
Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
's RBI double and
Kendrys Morales Kendrys Morales Rodríguez (born June 20, 1983) is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota ...
's sacrifice fly to make it 5–0 Royals. Meanwhile,
Edinson Vólquez Edinson Vólquez (; born July 3, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City ...
pitched six scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits to earn his first postseason win. The Royals' touted bullpen completed the shutout, making this just the sixth time all season that Toronto was held to no runs.


Game 2

This game marked the fourth time that the Royals rallied back from a multi-run deficit to win in this post-season. The Blue Jays struck first in the third on back-to-back leadoff doubles by
Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, N ...
and
Ryan Goins Ryan Matthew Goins (born February 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Royals, and C ...
off of starter
Yordano Ventura Yordano Ventura Hernández (; June 3, 1991 – January 22, 2017) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ventura made his MLB debut on September 17, 2013. Known as a power pitche ...
. They made it 3–0 in the sixth when Edwin Encarnacion followed a leadoff single and walk with an RBI single, then
Troy Tulowitzki Troy Trevor Tulowitzki (born October 10, 1984), nicknamed "Tulo", is an American retired professional baseball shortstop, who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Colorado Rockies. He also played for the Toronto B ...
hit a one-out RBI double. Going into the 7th inning, David Price had retired 18 consecutive batters since a leadoff single to
Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
in the bottom of the first inning. However,
Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
led off the seventh inning with a pop-up to shallow right field; second baseman
Ryan Goins Ryan Matthew Goins (born February 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Royals, and C ...
tracked the ball back and waved off charging right fielder
José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...
, but inexplicably ducked out of the way at the last moment and allowed the ball to drop for a single. After
Lorenzo Cain Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
singled,
Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
's single,
Kendrys Morales Kendrys Morales Rodríguez (born June 20, 1983) is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota ...
's groundout, and
Mike Moustakas Michael Christopher Moustakas (; born September 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds. Moust ...
's single scored a run each to tie the game. After
Salvador Perez Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
struck out,
Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
's RBI double put the Royals up 4–3. Aaron Sanchez relieved Price and allowed an RBI single to
Alex Rios Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...
. The Royals added another run in the eighth when Moustakas followed back-to-back two-out walks off of
Aaron Loup Aaron Christopher Loup (born December 19, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padr ...
with an RBI single Wade Davis pitched a scoreless ninth despite allowing a leadoff single and walk as the Royals' 6–3 win gave them a 2–0 series lead. This was David Price's seventh consecutive playoff loss, tying him with
Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...
for the all-time record. He did record 18 consecutive outs, setting a Blue Jays franchise record.


Game 3

Toronto's high powered offense finally came to life in Game 3. After the Royals scored a run in the first off of
Marcus Stroman Marcus Earl Stroman (born May 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. Stroman is listed at , making him o ...
when
Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
hit a leadoff triple and scored on
Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
's groundout,
Ryan Goins Ryan Matthew Goins (born February 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Royals, and C ...
's single with runners on second and third put the Blue Jays up 2–1 in the third. After a walk,
Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
's RBI single made it 3–1 Blue Jays. The Royals cut the lead to 3–2 in the third when
Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
hit into a forceout at second with runners on first and third, but the Blue Jays blew the game open in the bottom half. After a leadoff single and walk,
Troy Tulowitzki Troy Trevor Tulowitzki (born October 10, 1984), nicknamed "Tulo", is an American retired professional baseball shortstop, who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Colorado Rockies. He also played for the Toronto B ...
's three-run home run made it 6–2 Blue Jays. Russell Martin then walked and scored on
Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, N ...
's double. Kris Medlen relieved Cueto and after getting two outs, allowed a home run to
Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
to make it 9–2. In the fifth, Stroman's wild pitch with runners on second and third made it 9–3, then after a walk,
Mike Moustakas Michael Christopher Moustakas (; born September 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds. Moust ...
's RBI single made it 9–4 Blue Jays, who added another run in the bottom of the inning on
Ryan Goins Ryan Matthew Goins (born February 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Royals, and C ...
's home run. They added another run in the eighth on
José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...
's RBI single with two on off of
Franklin Morales Franklin Miguel Morales (born January 24, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays. Professional career Colorado Rockies A ...
. In the ninth,
Liam Hendriks Liam Johnson Hendriks (born 10 February 1989), nicknamed "Slydah", is an Australian professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Toront ...
allowed a leadoff single and subsequent double. After
Lorenzo Cain Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
's sacrifice fly and Hosmer's single scored a run each,
Roberto Osuna Roberto Osuna Quintero Jr. (born February 7, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Hous ...
relieved Hendriks and allowed a two-run home run to
Kendrys Morales Kendrys Morales Rodríguez (born June 20, 1983) is a Cuban-Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota ...
before retiring the next two batters to end the game.


Game 4

The Royals got to Toronto starter
R. A. Dickey Robert Allen Dickey (born October 29, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Bra ...
early in Game 4, with a two-run home run from the second batter of the game,
Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
. After a walk, stolen base, and single, a passed ball scored another run for the Royals, then after a groundout,
Mike Moustakas Michael Christopher Moustakas (; born September 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds. Moust ...
's sacrifice fly made it 4–0.
Alex Rios Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...
's home run made it 5–0 next inning and Dickey was pulled from the game after allowing a walk and hit-by-pitch. Kansas City put up 5 total runs in the first 2 innings to chase Dickey from the game.
Liam Hendriks Liam Johnson Hendriks (born 10 February 1989), nicknamed "Slydah", is an Australian professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Toront ...
entered in as the long reliever for the Blue Jays and pitched 4.1 scoreless innings from the second to the sixth and finished with 13 outs from 12 batters faced, breaking the playoff record for more-outs-than-batters-faced performances.
Jim Lindsey James Edgar Lindsey (born November 24, 1944) is a former American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, having played from 1966 to 1972. Today he is a real estate agent and golf developer. Sports Arkan ...
previously held the mark with eight outs from seven batters faced in 1930, while playing for the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. Royals starter Chris Young, who had split time in the starting rotation and the bullpen, pitched innings. The Blue Jays scored their only runs of the game in the third on
Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
's ground-rule double with runners on first and second followed by
José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...
's sacrifice fly. Kansas City's bullpen then shut the Blue Jays down for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Royals' offense exploded, adding nine runs in the final three innings. In the seventh, after
LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorad ...
allowed a walk and two singles to load the bases with no outs,
Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
hit a sacrifice fly off of
Ryan Tepera Dennis Ryan Tepera (born November 3, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox. He attended Br ...
, who then threw a wild pitch to let another run score. After
Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
walked,
Lorenzo Cain Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
's RBI single and
Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
's sacrifice fly scored a run each. Next inning, the Royals loaded the bases off of Tepera when Escobar hit another sacrifice fly, then a single reloaded the bases before Cain's two-run single made it 12–2 Royals. In an effort to save his bullpen and to the amusement of some fans and players, Toronto manager John Gibbons elected to bring utility infielder Cliff Pennington to pitch the top of the ninth with two on and two outs. This marked the first time that a position player pitched in a playoff game. Pennington allowed a single to load the bases before Escobar's two-run single capped the game's scoring at 14–2 Royals.
Franklin Morales Franklin Miguel Morales (born January 24, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays. Professional career Colorado Rockies A ...
pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth to give the Royals a 3–1 series lead.


Game 5

Game 5 appeared to be a pitchers' duel early on. Toronto starter Marco Estrada and Kansas City starter
Edinson Vólquez Edinson Vólquez (; born July 3, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City ...
dominated early on, with the first run of the game on
Chris Colabello Christopher Adrian Colabello (born October 24, 1983) is an Italian-American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, ...
's home run in the second. Things began to unwind for Volquez in the bottom of the sixth as he walked two batters and hit a third to load the bases. Volquez then walked
Edwin Encarnación Edwin Elpidio Encarnación (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland ...
to force in a run. With Troy Tulowitzki coming to the plate, Royals manager
Ned Yost Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos. Early life Yost was born o ...
opted to pull Volquez in favor of Kelvin Herrera; however, Tulowitzki promptly lined a bases-clearing double off the center-field wall to make the score 5–0. That proved to be more than enough for Estrada, who only surrendered a home run from
Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award wi ...
with two outs in the eighth in his innings of work. The Blue Jays added to their lead off of
Danny Duffy Daniel Richard Duffy (born December 21, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals. After being drafted by the Royals in 2007, Duffy spent the ...
, who allowed back-to-back two-out doubles in the seventh to
Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
and
José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...
, then a one-out single to Tulowitzki in the eighth and RBI double to
Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, N ...
.
Roberto Osuna Roberto Osuna Quintero Jr. (born February 7, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Hous ...
pitched a perfect ninth to keep Toronto's season alive and send the series back to Kansas City. This would be the final postseason game played with sliding pits instead of a traditional full dirt infield, as the Blue Jays would install a new dirt infield at Rogers Centre prior to the start of the 2016 season.


Game 6

Ben Zobrist Benjamin Thomas Zobrist (; born May 26, 1981), is an American former professional baseball second baseman and outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, and Chi ...
opened the scoring two batters into the bottom of the 1st with a home run to left field off of David Price.
Mike Moustakas Michael Christopher Moustakas (; born September 11, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds. Moust ...
added another home run for Kansas City in the 2nd inning, but this one was not without controversy. It was a liner right at the right-center field wall, where a fan reached out and caught the ball at the top corner of the wall. The ball was initially ruled a home run, but Toronto wanted the play reviewed. The Fox commentary crew of
Joe Buck Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is an American sportscaster. The son of sportscaster Jack Buck, he worked for Fox Sports from its 1994 inception through 2022, including roles as lead play-by-play announcer for the network's Nation ...
,
Harold Reynolds Harold Craig Reynolds (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from to , most prominently as a member of the Se ...
, and
Tom Verducci Thomas Verducci (born October 23, 1960) is an American sportswriter who writes for ''Sports Illustrated'' and its online magazine SI.com. He writes primarily about baseball. He is also a reporter and commentator for Fox Major League Baseball and ...
seemed confident that the ruling would be overturned, but the ruling of a home run stood with the play being too close to overturn. Buck, Reynolds, and Verducci would later call it a good call by the reviewing crew upon viewing further replays and upon fully understanding the configuration of the outfield wall, but debated the call several times throughout the broadcast. Toronto got on the board in the fourth when
José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...
blasted a home run off the Royals Hall of Fame sign in left field. The Blue Jays would threaten again in the fifth when starter
Yordano Ventura Yordano Ventura Hernández (; June 3, 1991 – January 22, 2017) was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ventura made his MLB debut on September 17, 2013. Known as a power pitche ...
gave up consecutive walks to lead off the inning. However, he settled down and induced two pop-outs, which then brought up eventual AL MVP
Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
. Donaldson hit a hard line-drive towards 3rd base, but Moustakas was able to come up with a spectacular diving catch to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Moustakas reached base on a broken bat blooper to center-field.
Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award wi ...
next hit a deep fly ball to left field. Left fielder
Ben Revere Ben Daniel Revere (born May 3, 1988) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Angels. ...
then one-upped Moustakas' earlier catch with a leaping catch at the top of the left-field wall. Revere then tried to double up Moustakas at 1st, but Moustakas got back in time to leave it at one out.
Ryan Goins Ryan Matthew Goins (born February 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Royals, and C ...
then kept the good defense going by making a sliding stop on a hard
Alex Gordon Alexander Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Prior to playing professio ...
grounder to get Gordon out at 1st, to make it two outs, but Moustakas reached 2nd on the play. At this point David Price was taken out of the game in favor of right hander Aaron Sanchez to face Alex Ríos. On a 1-2 pitch, Rios hammered a ball to left field for a single that drove in Moustakas to give Kansas City a 3–1 lead. In the top of the eighth, Kansas City manager
Ned Yost Edgar Frederick Yost III (; born August 19, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Kansas City Royals. He played for the Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Montreal Expos. Early life Yost was born o ...
brought in
Ryan Madson Ryan Michael Madson (born August 28, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles D ...
to get the Royals through the inning after Kelvin Herrera kept Toronto scoreless for the last innings. Yost would say after the game he put in Madson because of the impending rain: he didn't want to bring in closer Wade Davis early in case there was a lengthy rain delay which could prevent him from pitching the 9th. Revere hit a high chopper to
Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
and beat the throw to 1st base for a lead-off infield single. Up next was
Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...
, but he remained hitless on the night when Madson got him to strike out for the first out. Madson faced Bautista next who promptly blasted a two-run home run down the left-field line to tie the game at 3. Madson then walked
Edwin Encarnación Edwin Elpidio Encarnación (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland ...
, forcing Yost to pull Madson from the game in favor of Wade Davis. Davis induced a pop-out from
Chris Colabello Christopher Adrian Colabello (born October 24, 1983) is an Italian-American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, ...
, before throwing a wild pitch against
Troy Tulowitzki Troy Trevor Tulowitzki (born October 10, 1984), nicknamed "Tulo", is an American retired professional baseball shortstop, who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Colorado Rockies. He also played for the Toronto B ...
which allowed Encarnacion to advance to 2nd. It was only Davis' second wild pitch of the season. Facing a 3-2 count against Tulowitzki, the rain started to fall in Kansas City. Davis got Tulowitzki to swing and miss for a strike out to end the inning, but Yost's fears came true as the grounds crew brought out the tarp for a rain delay, meaning Davis would have a lengthy wait between pitching appearances if he was even able to return depending on the length of the delay. After a 45-minute rain delay, Toronto manager
John Gibbons John Michael Gibbons (born June 8, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Gibbons briefly played in the Major Leagues as a catcher with the New York Me ...
sent out closer
Roberto Osuna Roberto Osuna Quintero Jr. (born February 7, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Hous ...
to pitch the bottom of the eighth.
Lorenzo Cain Lorenzo Lamar Cain (born April 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and the Kansas City Royals. The Brewers drafted him in the ...
worked an 8-pitch walk to get on base.
Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...
was up next and worked a 2-2 count before driving a ball to the right field corner for a hit, and Cain ran on contact. Bautista fielded the ball and threw to second while Cain was flying around the base. As soon as Royals third base coach
Mike Jirschele Michael John Jirschele (; born March 3, 1959) is an American professional baseball coach who is the current manager of the Omaha Storm Chasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. He previously served as manager of the Storm Chasers ...
saw Bautista throw to 2nd, he waved Cain home. By the time the throw reached second base, Cain was already well past third and by the time Tulowitzki's throw to home reached catcher Russell Martin, Cain was sliding past home for the go-ahead run. It was the second time of the 2015 post-season that Cain had scored from first base on a single from Hosmer. On the play, Cain went from 1st to home in under 10.5 seconds. Davis came back in to pitch the top of the ninth after having waited just over an hour between in-game pitches. Martin greeted Davis with his first hit of the series on a single to center-field. Dalton Pompey then came in to run for Martin and promptly stole 2nd base to put the tying run in scoring position. Then on a 2-2 pitch into the dirt to
Kevin Pillar Kevin Andrew Pillar () (born January 4, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, N ...
, Pompey stole third and Perez could not scoop up the ball to even make a throw. That put a runner on third with no outs and a 3-2 count to Pillar. After a foul ball, Davis missed on a pitch inside to walk Pillar to put runners on the corners with no outs.
Dioner Navarro Dioner Favian Navarro Vivas (born February 9, 1984) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Ch ...
came in to pinch-hit for Goins with Toronto needing a catcher to replace Martin. On a 1-1 pitch, Davis got a called strike that was high and outside. The Toronto dugout not only started complaining about that, but they believed Davis should've been called for a quick pitch balk, which would have brought the tying run home. Instead it was a 1-2 count and Davis got Navarro to swing and miss for the first out. However, Pillar stole 2nd on the pitch to leave the Royals without a double-play chance and thus putting two runners in scoring position. That brought up Revere who worked a 2-1 count when Davis threw a called strike, which appeared to be a ball, to make it a 2-2 count. On the next pitch, Revere swung and missed for the second strikeout of the inning, bringing up Donaldson with two runners in scoring position in a 4–3 game. On a 2-1 pitch Donaldson grounded out to 3rd for the final out to clinch back-to-back AL Pennants for the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
.
Alcides Escobar Alcides Escobar () (born December 16, 1986), is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals, and the Tokyo Ya ...
, who batted .478 in the series with 2 doubles and a triple, was named 2015 ALCS MVP.


Composite line score

2015 ALCS (4–2):
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...
beat
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:2015 American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
American League Championship Series
American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
American League Championship Series The American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the two winners of the American ...
2010s in Kansas City, Missouri Toronto Blue Jays postseason Kansas City Royals postseason October 2015 sports events in the United States October 2015 sports events in Canada