The Royals are heading to the ALCS in their first postseason since 1985.
The Kansas City Royals booked their ticket to the ALCS by completing an ALDS sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with a 8-3 win on Sunday. James Shields defensive prowess and another offensive outburst were enough to get the Game 3 victory and put away the AL West champions in decisive fashion.
The Royals entered the postseason as one of the weaker offensive clubs, but have continued to surprise opponents with firepower this fall. The team got Angels starter C.J. Wilson pulled after just two outs on Sunday, then continued making trouble for the bullpen as the lead ballooned.
Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer each hit their second home runs of the series, while Alex Gordon's three-run double in the first inning was the play that chased Wilson from the contest. Toss in the performances of Nori Aoki, who went 3-for-3 with a walk, and Lorenzo Cain, who made his highlights on the defensive end, and this was a pretty dominant win by Kansas City.
Cain didn't have a spectacular day at the plate like some of his teammates, going 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, but proved to be a game-changer in the outfield. His back-to-back diving catches in the fifth inning saved at least a couple runs, and completely turned the momentum of the game -- and ultimately the series -- against Los Angeles.
The Royals would only add to their run total from there, and with an increasingly raucous Kansas City crowd getting behind the team as the game progressed, odds of a comeback seemed faint. Shields only lasted six innings because he piled up 105 pitches, but the bullpen got the job done.
Mike Trout started off the scoring in the top of the first inning with his first postseason home run. Obviously, Wilson didn't keep that lead for long and the rest of the night didn't offer up much good news for Angels fans. After posting the game's best record during the regular season, L.A. couldn't muster even a single victory against Kansas City in the playoffs.
Now the Royals are set to play the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Championship Series after the two teams completed ALDS sweeps on Sunday. It's an incredible feat for Kansas City, which is making its first postseason run since 1985 and continues to surprise folks around the game. Baltimore hosts the first game of the ALCS on Friday, Oct. 10.