The 2015 Major League Baseball World Series, decided by a best four out of seven games, began on Oct. 27 in Kansas City, Missouri. This year, the World Series was held between the Kansas City Royals, who eventually took home the trophy, and the New York Mets, two teams that, a few years ago, no one would have predicted to even make the playoffs.

Game One began with a bang as Alcides Escobar smashed an inside-the-park home run on the first pitch to lead off the bottom of the first inning, a feat no one has accomplished in the World Series since 1929. This game turned into a marathon that lasted for five hours and nine minutes due to extra innings. The game came to an exciting conclusion as Eric Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the winning run for the Royals and ended the game in walk-off fashion. The Royals took a 1-0 advantage in the series.

Perhaps the biggest story about Game One was not about the game at all. The father of Edinson Volquez, starting pitcher for the Royals, had passed away earlier that day. Volquez was not informed of his father’s passing until after he had left the game in the sixth inning. Volquez later flew down to the Dominican Republic to attend his father’s funeral.

Senior Ryan Huber believes it was a “wise decision” to wait to inform Volquez so that the terrible news would not affect his play in this important game.

In Game Two, the Royals played well against Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom. Neither team scored until the Royals earned their first run in the bottom of the fifth inning. From that point on, the Royals’ offense went on a roll and scored a total of seven runs. Johnny Cueto, the starting pitcher for the Royals, pitched an incredible game, allowing only two hits and one run. With the efforts of big offensive players like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, the Royals increased their lead in the series to 2-0.

The series took a turn as it headed to New York for game three. Quality playing from the Mets allowed them to defeat the Royals by a final score of 9-3. This gave New York their first win and brought the series to 2-1 in favor of Kansas City.

Game Four showcased Kansas City’s ability to capitalize on every opportunity given. Late in the game, Daniel Murphy made a costly error at second base for the Mets. This error allowed the Royals to score and tie the game in the eighth inning. The Royals then took the lead, winning 5-3 and increasing their series advantage to 3-1.

Volquez flew back from the Dominican Republic to pitch in game five for the Royals, just a few days after his father’s funeral. Junior Daniel Brouse said, “It showed his love for the game and shows resilience.”

Despite giving up a home run in the first inning and another run in the bottom of the sixth, Volquez pitched a solid game.

During Game Five, Matt Harvey pitched a great, eight scoreless innings. Throughout the game, the Mets had accumulated two runs. Protecting a two-run lead in the ninth seemed like a task not too difficult for the Mets. However, the Royals offense came back to score 2 runs to tie the game in the ninth. In extra innings, the Royals offense exploded and gave them a 7-2 lead, causing them not only to win Game Five, but also the World Series.

Junior Conor Noonan said, “(I was) surprised Harvey blew the lead.”

Mets fans across the country were disappointed Harvey’s fantastic game was foiled with only a few pitches.

Games Four and Five served as testaments to how the Royals have played for this entire postseason. The team capitalized on nearly every opportunity given to them, especially late in the game. Their powerful offense continued to find ways to score key runs to earn victories for their ball club. The Mets and the Royals proved to be the two best teams in baseball, making for an exciting World Series.