The Royals moved within one win capturing their first World Series title since 1985 with a 5-3 comeback win over the Mets on Saturday in Game 4 at Citi Field in New York.
Trailing by one run entering the top of the eighth, the Royals completed yet another improbable comeback, scoring three runs in the frame. Aided by a Daniel Murphy error at second base that brought in the tying run, Kansas City used two walks and two singles off relievers Tyler Clippard and Jeurys Familia to take a 5-3 lead.
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Things got interesting in the bottom of the ninth when Royals closer Wade Davis allowed two runners to reach base with one out. But Davis was able to get Lucas Duda to line into a double play to preserve the six-out save.
Here are five takeaways from Game 4:
1. Murphy's play is a complete 180 from NLDS and NLCS. The NLCS MVP entered the World Series batting .421 with an incredible seven homers and 11 RBIs. Not only has the second baseman disappointed at the plate to the tune of .176 (3 for 17), but his fielding error in the top of the eighth may haunt Mets fans for decades to come. With runners on first and second and one out, Murphy let a slow grounder off the bat of Eric Hosmer go under his glove for a game-tying error. The next batter, Mike Moustakas, hit a go-ahead single.
2. Royals are most dangerous late in games. As the outs winded down, the Royals bats kept producing. Kansas City's three-run eighth inning is no surprise for the American League champions. In fact, the Royals have now scored 44 runs in the seventh inning or later this postseason. The previous record was 36, held by the 2002 Angels. The come-from-behind win is the Royals seventh comeback this postseason.
3. Michael Conforto breaks out on the biggest stage. It's hard to believe the rookie started the season in Single-A, but the 22-year-old has already etched his name among the all-time greats. With his fifth-inning blast off Danny Duffy, Conforto became the third-youngest player in World Series history with a two-homer game (Andruw Jones, Tony Kubek). The solo shot off Duffy was Conforto's first major-league home run against a left-handed pitcher.
4. Alex Rios' mental error nealry cost the Royals. With one out and a runner on third, Curtis Granderson flew out to Rios in right field. As Wilmer Flores tagged Rios slowly took two steps towards the dugout, appearing as if he thought there were two outs. The 34-year-old outfielder tried to throw home but it was too late as the Mets took a 2-0 lead in the third.
5. Mets will have to accomplish what only 12 teams have ever done. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, teams that lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series win 85 percent of the time (68-12). The last team to rebound from a 3-1 World Series deficit was the 1985 Royals. The Mets don't have Bret Saberhagen, as the Royals did, but they do have Matt Harvey, their Game 5 starter and star of the rotation.
What's next: Game 5 on Sunday in New York (8:07 p.m. ET, FOX). Edinson Volquez (13-9, 3.55 ERA in regular season) will take the mound despite mourning the death of his father. Volquez, who allowed three runs over six innings in Game 1, will look for his second win this postseason. Harvey (13-8, 2.71 ERA in regular season) will toe the rubber for the Mets, looking to improve on his two-strikeout performance from Game 1.