Royals’ Alcides Escobar wins ALCS MVP

And everything in between. “I threw it OK tonight”.

While Ventura was putting up zeroes, the Royals’ offense was ambushing Blue Jays starter David Price.

First, the teenager. His name is Caleb, and in the second inning, he reached over the railing in right-centre field and snagged, backhanded, a Mike Moustakas shot that looked like it would rattle off the green outfield wall.

Toronto right-fielder Jose Bautista immediately claimed there was fan interference on the play.

This time, on a 2-1 fastball, Donaldson hit the ball 92 miles per hour – not a rocket, but still a hard-hit ball.

But the Royals answered with a run to end Toronto’s season and then held off the Jays in a nail-biting ninth.

Ventura walked the first two men he faced in the fifth inning. Price got out of the inning, but gave up another home run in the next inning, to Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas on a ball that may or may not have cleared the right-field fence. The right field umpire signalled for a home run. He chose to throw to second base rather than hit the cut-off man, who could have made a better throw home to catch the speedy Cain. Who would get those six outs? That game will be at 8:07 p.m. EDT in Kansas City.

In the end, the Blue Jays ran out of playoff lives. Davis warmed in the bullpen but was not brought in. Was Davis hurt? Was Yost completely, utterly stupid? The Royals were six outs away from winning the American League. It’s completely, totally, inexcusable.

BRYANT:…And teams that don’t make mistakes defensively. Of course it doesn’t.

Lorenzo Cain scored from first for the go-ahead run on an eighth inning single by Eric Hosmer to propel the Royals.

According to pitching charts, Revere and Cherry have reason to be upset about the call that left Revere in a 2-2 hole against Royals pitcher Wade Davis instead of giving him the 3-1 advantage.

In the ninth, after pinch-runner Dalton Pompey stole second, and then third, and Kevin Pillar followed him to second, all the Jays needed was a deep fly to tie things. He struck out Revere. Donaldson, who finished 0-for-5 in Game 6, might win the AL MVP Award. They trailed early, they trailed late, and again and again they hung around.

The Royals last took home baseball’s ultimate prize in 1985.

The Blue Jays went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position for the game.

Price delivered a solid performance and kept the Blue Jays in the game at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals added an insurance run in the seventh.

Bautista also supplied the first run of the game for Toronto with a towering hit in the fourth inning to halve a then 2-0 Kansas City lead. No review was necessary for that one, an estimated 428 feet. This time, it took a much different route.

The Royals lost to Houston in the divisional round in a game delayed by rain. Before they even announced his name, Brett replied: “Escobar is going to win. I knew I didn’t get a win… and we didn’t win but what happens in October does not define who I am”. Thank you, Dayton Moore.

Ned Yost has to gameplan for a tough Mets starting rotation.

Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar was voted the ALCS MVP after going 11 for 23 (.478). “I know I didn’t get a win and we didn’t win”.

The Royals will open the Series at home Tuesday. The last two such Series were sweeps: Boston over Colorado in 2007, and San Francisco over Detroit in 2012. The graphic pictured Kansas City’s Hosmer and New York’s Daniel Murphy on opposite sides, with the time of the game in between them.

It’s getting hard to believe the Royals still have magic left. They’re a year ahead of schedule. “Forever Blue. Go Kansas City”, the official twitter account for the library posted Friday night.