KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The latest on the World Series, which opens Tuesday night with the Kansas City Royals hosting the New York Mets (all times local):
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7:20 p.m.
The Royals’ Alcides Escobar has led off the World Series with an inside-the-park home run off Mets ace Matt Harvey.
Escobar, who has a penchant for swinging at the first pitch, did so again on Tuesday night, connecting for the second leadoff inside-the-parker in World Series history. Patsy Dougherty hit the first, in the second game in 1903.
Escobar hit a 95 mph fastball that the light-hitting shortstop sent screaming into the gap in left field.
Mets centerfielder Yoenis Cespedes and left fielder Michael Conforto gave chase, but the ball landed between them and caromed off the bottom of Cespedes’s right leg.
With the ball bouncing along the wall, Escobar raced around the bases for a home run that gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead before most fans had taken a seat.
Mule Haas of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1929 had the last inside-the-park homer in a World Series game before Escobar.
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7:09 p.m.
The World Series opener is underway on a rainy night at Kauffman Stadium.
Edinson Volquez began Game 1 with a 95 mph called strike to Curtis Granderson, who flied out to left on the second pitch.
Heavy rain in the afternoon gave way to light rain at game time, when the temperature was 52 degrees.
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6:35 p.m.
The tarp is off the field at Kauffman Stadium, and the Royals and Mets are starting to warm up for a dreary Game 1 of the World Series.
Rain has fallen all day in Kansas City, at times quite heavily. But meteorologists expect it to taper off shortly after the 7:07 p.m. first pitch, and there is only a 20 percent of light showers by 10 p.m.
The rain hasn’t put a damper on the enthusiasm of Royals fans. Many of them sat in the rain when there was nothing to see but the tarp, just happy to be in the stadium for the Royals’ second consecutive World Series appearance.
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5:20 p.m.
Johnny Cueto is scheduled to start Game 2 for Kansas City and potentially Game 6 — both at home.
Cueto appeared to get a bit rattled in Toronto during one of the worst starts of his career in the AL Championship Series, but manager Ned Yost says that had no impact on the order of the World Series rotation.
“No, I feel like he’s pitched great games here. He really draws on the energy of our fans. And again, I felt like you try to put everybody in a position where they can be successful,” Yost said. “We just felt it was the best move.”
Jacob deGrom will pitch Game 2 for the Mets. He is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in three postseason outings — all away from home.
“I just like pitching,” deGrom said. “On the road, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve actually enjoyed pitching on the road in the postseason. You go out there and you’re getting booed and it’s fun to try to silence the crowd.”
New York has seen plenty of Cueto from his days in the National League with Cincinnati. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 4.02 ERA in 11 starts against the Mets
“Seems like every time we played the Reds he was pitching,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Now with his new delivery alterations he’s made, you better get your feet on the ground. Because this guy can quick-pitch you. He can make you wait. So you better get ready to hit as soon as you get in the batter’s box. That certainly is something unique to him.”
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4:45 p.m.
Terry Collins was selected NL Manager of the Year by Sporting News.
The New York Mets’ skipper beat out St. Louis’ Mike Matheny in voting conducted before the postseason by a panel of 13 National League managers
“It’s a tremendous honor. I’m humbled by that, because there are some great managers in this league,” Collins said. “But I like to sit where I’m sitting. I like where I’m at, not where some of those guys are. I’m thrilled by it.”
The only other Mets manager to win the award was Gil Hodges in 1969, Sporting News said.
Collins, in his fifth season with the Mets, received seven votes to five for Matheny. Joe Maddon of the Chicago Cubs got one.
“The only reason why I’m sitting here is I have good players. And I owe them everything,” Collins said. “Very special coming from the managers, and I’m honored.”
Hall of Famer Paul Molitor was the AL winner in his first year with the Minnesota Twins.
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4:05 p.m.
Before the World Series opener, Royals manager Ned Yost was asked about his time as a taxidermist.
“My uncle ran a bowling alley there in Jackson, Mississippi. And they had a storage room out back. And that was my winter job,” he said. “We’d go deer hunting and we’d do taxidermy in the back of the bowling alley back there. It was a lot of fun. The bowling alley is still there, but there’s nothing in the back but old bowling balls and old pins there, I think.”
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