For some reason (*cough*gothamcentricity*cough*), the Mets have been favored by the oddsmakers for both games.
I think the teams are pretty evenly matched, but the big difference is that the Royals went to Game 7 of the World Series last year. You can see it in their team demeanor: They never say die, they never think a game is over. The Wild Card game last year against Oakland, they were six outs away from defeat. The tallied three in the eighth and one more in the ninth to overcome a four-run deficit, and won it in extra innings.
This year, the Royals were again six outs from elimination in Houston. The Astros had been nursing a slim 3-2 lead when they got back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the seventh. Minute Maid Park was rocking as Houston took a 6-2 lead into the eighth. n the top of the eighth, the Royals just kept stringing together hits, and by the end of the inning, they had a 7-6 lead en route to a 9-6 shocker. Houston didn't stand a chance in Game 5.
Kansas City had a good series against Toronto, but even in the Blue Jays' laugher in Game 3, Toronto watched a comfortable 11-4 lead diminish to 11-8 late. The Royals turned in a workmanlike four games to two series victory.
So far in the World Series, the Royals have come back from 3-1 and 4-3 deficits, overcoming the last Mets lead on a bottom of the ninth homer against the ace reliever. They just don't panic, and they don't give away at-bats. Everyone who comes to the plate seems to have an idea of what he wants to do, a pitch he wants to hit. When the inning is going well, every hitter seems dialed in, and it doesn't seem to matter what the other team does to adjust.
We'll see how the Royals do in New York, but the Mets are in a must-win situation in Game 3. The last time Kansas City came into New York with a 2-0 series lead, they swept the Yankees with a 4-2 victory powered by George Brett's three-run dinger to the upper deck.
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