KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The list of Royals who came through in the biggest moments of the team’s dramatic, 14-inning Game 1 victory is long.
Alex Gordon hit a game-tying home run. Alcides Escobar led off the game with an inside-the-park homer and scored the game-winning run. Eric Hosmer had the game-winning sacrifice fly. Mike Moustakas made a couple of great defensive plays at third base.
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Chris Young didn’t have that signature moment, and that’s why he’s here. Young was so brilliant out of the bullpen that he didn’t put himself in position to need a signature moment.
The 6-10 right-hander, who’s still scheduled to be Kansas City’s Game 4 starter, came in to start the 12th inning, as the Royals’ seventh pitcher of the contest.
He struck out the only three hitters he faced in the 12th, allowed only a two-out walk in the 13th and set the Mets down 1-2-3 in the 14th. He struck out four in his three scoreless innings, and the Royals won in the bottom of the 14th.
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Bartolo Colon, on the other hand, came into the game in the 12th for the Mets. He allowed three hits, walked three (all intentionally because of game situations created by the hits allowed) and didn’t strike out anyone.
Without Young’s excellent three innings, who knows what might have happened?
