Sports has long been known to be a cruel mistress, professional sports most of all. It’s the very nature of the game, after all, you play to win. Thus, it’s completely reasonable that only one participant, be it a team or an individual, should end the year happy because they alone are champions. This is why championships are so exciting, the combination of much hard work and many tough moments have culminated in one chance to claim glory. Two teams are on their way to fight it out for that glory. On October 27th, Game One of the 2015 Major League Baseball will take place between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals.
These two teams bring with them two very different stories. Kansas City comes in as the winner of the American League with a record of 95-67. The Royals have had a fantastic season, winning the AL Central and claiming the first overall seed in the AL playoffs. Last year, the Royals snuck into the playoffs as a wildcard. Despite that being their first playoff appearance in 29 years, they ran with their opportunity all the way to the 2014 World Series only to lose to the eventual champion San Francisco Giants in seven games. This year, the Royals have been all but certain to make the playoffs, winning their division by 12 games. Second chances are rarely given in the sports world, but the Royals have found themselves supplied with a chance to correct last year’s shortcoming.
On the other side of the table lie the New York Mets. Like this year’s Royals, the Mets did not exactly squeak into the playoffs, winning the NL East by seven games. The NL East was by far the worst division in baseball this year. The Mets did not take control of their division until after the late-season All-Star break and for much of the season, were nothing but an average team with tons of potential for the future. Given great moves at the trade deadline though and fortunate timing, the Mets’ bats sprung to life. Great, young pitching and red-hot hitting have combined to form the postseason titan that is the NL Champion Mets.
The 2015 MLB season has seen 30 teams enter, some with high hopes, some with future plans in mind. Here we are, at the end of the road and only two teams remain in a dead race to four wins. The finish should be wild.
