The Royals used outbursts of four and three runs Wednesday to win Game 2 of the World Series 7-1 over the Mets at Kauffman Stadium.
After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning, Mets ace Jacob deGrom was unable to slow the Royals' bats in the fifth. Kansas City plated its first three batters in the inning en route to taking a 4-1 and chasing deGrom from the game.
MORE: World Series 2015 in photos | Cueto dominates Mets in Game 2
Royals starter Johnny Cueto delivered a complete game two-hitter, becoming the first pitcher since Greg Maddux in 1995 to hurl a complete game two-hitter in the World Series. Of the two hits allowed, one stayed in the infield and one was an opposite-field flare to left field that plated the Mets' only run.
Here are our five takeaways from Game 2:
1. DeGrom was unable to fool the Royals' hitters. The Mets ace entered Game 2 with 27 postseason strikeouts but was only able to fan two batters Wednesday. In fact, deGrom only recorded three swings and misses, and none by way of his 54 two- or four-seam fastballs. While the Royals had the lowest strikeout rate in the majors this season, deGrom was not himself as he allowed six hits, three walks in addition to the four runs — the most he had allowed on the road since Aug. 24.
2. Cueto delivers a gem similar to his ALDS clincher. Cueto returned to the form displayed in Game 5 against the Astros. In that game, Cueto worked eight innings, allowed a pair of runs on just two hits and retired the final 19 hitters he faced. On Wednesday, Cueto retired 15 of his last 16 batters.
3. Alcides Escobar is too hot to be bunting. The ALCS MVP, who entered Game 2 having hit safely in 11 consecutive postseason games (.391 average), attempted a sacrifice in the fifth inning but fell behind 0-2 to deGrom. Despite being in the hole, Escobar smacked the next pitch into the outfield, driving in the Royals' first run of the game. He is one game away from tying a Royals postseason hitting streak record (set by Lorenzo Cain last week in the ALCS, a carryover from last postseason). With his eighth-inning triple, Escobar is the first player with three triples in a single postseason since the White Sox's Scott Podsednik in 2005.
4. Eric Hosmer again steps up with runners on. The Royals first baseman is a different batter when he isn't the only offense on the field. Hosmer entered Wednesday's game 1 for 22 in the postseason with no runners on base. but was batting .346 with runners on. Hosmer has carried over his postseason magic from a year ago and now has 27 RBIs in 28 career postseason games. The only player with more RBIs in his first 28 career postseason games was Yankees great Lou Gehrig with 33.
5. The Mets have dug themselves into a deep hole. Only 11 times in World Series history has a team come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the series, the last being the 1996 Yankees, who won four straight to beat the Braves after dropping the first two games at home.
What's next: Game 3 in New York on Friday (8 p.m. ET, Fox). The Royals will send Yordano Ventura (0-1, 5.09 ERA in the postseason) to the hill against Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard (1-1, 2.77 ERA in the postseason). Ventura will look to improve upon his spotty postseason, in which he has allowed 10 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings. Syndergaard, who will start on 11 days' rest, has been dominant at home, where he owned an 8-2 record and a 2.41 ERA in the regular season.