Bob Lutz: Royals’ magical postseason ride is coming into the station

The Kansas City Royals didn’t pop the corks from any champagne bottles Saturday night at Citi Field. But this World Series is all but over.

And the only reason I use some restraint is because it’s baseball and anything can happen.

Anything, likely, except the New York Mets rallying from a 3-1 series deficit and winning the next three against a resilient, tough, ridiculously-good Royals team that once again rallied in the late innings against relief pitchers who don’t normally allow rallies.

Kansas City came back from a 3-1 deficit in Game 4 to win 5-3. The Royals used a three-run rally in the eighth inning that was boosted by an unconscionable boot by Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, who lived large during the NL Division Series and the NL Championship Series, but has endured a World Series nightmare. He’s not hitting, he’s not fielding.

He’s been Yosted.

Or Royalsted.

It’s fun to hear baseball people speak in terms of amazement at the way the Royals are going about this incredible postseason run. Not many home runs, except when they really need one. Kansas City has been behind a bunch throughout the postseason. But the Royals have a knack for not staying behind, especially in close games.

The Mets got to Kansas City in Game 3, 9-3. It was a blowout and the Royals took a stake through their hearts. And that’s the only way to make sure against this team.

The eighth-inning rally started with two one-out walks after Alcides Escobar tapped back to the mound. Ben Zobrist drew the first against Mets reliever Tyler Clippard, who then got ahead of Lorenzo Cain, 0-2. The Royals don’t take many walks, except when they have to. Turns out, this team can do a lot of things when it has to.

Cain battled. He worked the count full, then took a base on balls.

Clippard left the game in favor of Mets closer Jeuyrs Familia, who should have started the eighth inning except that New York manager Terry Collins, like so many other skippers, is paralyzed by routine.

Addison Reed pitches the seventh, Clippard the eighth, Familia the ninth. It’s great when it works. It’s nonsense when it doesn’t.

Familia inexplicably pitched the ninth inning of the blowout win Friday night and he wasn’t sharp Saturday. But what happened wasn’t all his fault.

Eric Hosmer, who has been so clutch during the postseason, hit a soft grounder to second. Murphy charged the ball but didn’t get his glove down and it rolled past him into shallow right field, allowing Zobrist to score the tying run and Cain to get to third.

Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez followed with singles, both of which drove in runs.

Two walks, an error, two singles. Three runs. It was a vintage late-inning Kansas City uprising and Wade Davis made it hold up with a perfect eighth and a “Nightmare on Elm Street” ninth when the Mets put two runners aboard with one out. But their fans watched in horror as Lucas Duda hit a soft liner to Moustakas at third and Cespedes, who took off on contact for some reason, was doubled off first for the final out.

Now the Royals get three chances to win one game and wrap up their first world championship in 30 years. It could happen Sunday night at Citi Field. The Mets, of course, have a say in all of this, but it’s going to take some gumption to get this series back to Kansas City and a miracle to beat the Royals three straight.

It’s so difficult to quantify what Kansas City is doing. Sabermetrics don’t explain it. Baseball purists can’t explain it. Nobody who manages, coaches or plays for the Royals can explain it and that’s because there’s never been anything like it.

The Royals don’t bowl anyone over with power. They eek out wins in close games because they’re persistent and maybe even possessed. KC drew fewer walks than only one team in the major leagues this season, Miami, but used two to fuel its eighth-inning rally?

They’re chameleons, capable of changing color depending on the situation. It’s difficult to manage against the Royals because no matter what moves you make, they make them the wrong moves.

And then there’s some luck sprinkled in.

If Murphy makes the play on the Hosmer grounder, who knows? Maybe Familia finds a way to retire Moustakas with two outs and runners at second and third.

Yeah, probably not. I’m just trying to find some way to rationalize the Royals, to make them easier to explain and understand.

That’s futile, though, because Kansas City defies explanation and comprehension. They’re just a really good baseball team that’s easy on the eyes.

Speaking of eyes, theirs are about to burn from the sting of champagne. Maybe Sunday, maybe Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. But soon.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Royals’ magical postseason ride is coming into the station."