Baltimore Orioles 1-2 Kansas City Royals: American League Championship Series - as it happened!

Understandably, nobody is leaving at Kauffman Stadium, which hasn’t hosted a playoff game since 1985.

ALCS MVP

Okay it’s almost time for the MVP to be announced, the last bit of drama left here in the ALCS, it has to be Lorenzo Cain right?

Tough break for the Baltimore Orioles, they could have won any one of these one-run games. They deserved better but sometimes the Baseball Gods just favor the other guys.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 9th

Orioles put on a pinch-runner (Alejandro De Aza) for Cruz here with one down now. Delmon Young swings at the first pitch, 0-1. Holds up on a swing the next pitch. 1-1. He fouls off the next two pitches. 1-2.

He SWINGS AND STRIKES OUT! One out away!

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 9th

Nelson Cruz takes ball one. 1-0. He’ll be swinging in a hitter’s count. Cruz grounds out to Davis the next pitch, they get Jones out at second.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 9th

Well first off is Adam Jones, also a home run threat. Holland’s first two pitches result in two swings and misses. 0-2. The third pitch is in the dirt, which Jones lays off on. 1-2. Jones fouls it off out of play. Still 1-2. Another ball in the dirt. 2-2. Perez is having an adventure there as catcher.

Next pitch? Ball three, full count. 3-2. Jones fouls another one off. Still 3-2. Payoff pitch? Oh wow Holland has walked him. The tying run is on the basepaths.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 9th

Greg Holland to close out the game, the series and the Orioles season.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 8th

That brings up Moustakas, and the Baltimore Orioles infield (now with Johnson at third and Flaherty at second) shift around expecting him to pull. On a 2-1 count, Moustakas fouls one off. 2-2. Moustakas fouls one off again. On the next pitch he hits a flare that’s caught to end the inning.

Can the Orioles scratch out a run in the ninth or will their season end in three more outs?

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 8th

And the Orioles decide to intentionally walk Omar Infante? Um okay?

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 8th

One down, and here’s Salvador Perez. He hits a bouncer to first for the second out, Gore makes it to third on the play.

This score holds up, this is going to seal up the Orioles as having the more frustrated fanbase.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 8th

Butler is relieved for a pinch-runner, Terrance Gore, one who can actually, y’ know, run. Britton falls behind Alex Gordon 3-1. Gordon swings and misses at Britton’s next pitch. And Gordon takes a 3-2 pitch... for a strike!

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 8th

Showalter brings in Zach Britton, his closer, to keep this one a one-run game. He’s here to face Billy Butler. He hits a flyball that hits off the wall, a ground rule double and a Kansas City insurance run is on second base with no one out.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 8th

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 8th

Steve Pearce is up with the tying run on base. Do the Orioles have a Dave Roberts here to steal a base?

Doesn’t matter, Pearce grounds out to Moustakas to end the inning. The Royals are three outs away from the World Series.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 8th

Here’s Nick Markakis, who hits a base hit on a 0-2 count. That quiets the crowd, but just a little.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 8th

Kelly Johnson: pinch-hitter.

That’s it that’s the joke. Poor Orioles fans. He pops the first pitch foul and out of play. Pitch 2? Out of the zone. 1-1. He grounds out to Davis who corrals it on a hop and throws to first for the second out.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 8th

Davis will face Flaherty to start the eighth. He hits a shallow flyball to Cain for the first out of the inning.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 8th

Baltimore’s impossible task just gets impossibler with Wade Davis on the mound for Kansas City.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 7th

Eric Hosmer strikes out to end the inning, holy heck has Miller earned a ridiculously expensive reliever contract this offseason.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 7th

Cain is, ahem, not able, he grounds out to third.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 7th

The untouchable lefty Andrew Miller is up just trying to keep the Royals off the scoreboard. Dyson is up to lead off the inning instead of Aoki, he grounds out to Pearce.

Seventh inning stretch

I love the Baseball Project and if you love baseball, so should you.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 7th

Caleb Joseph is up with nobody on, Herrara gets him to strike out and the Royals are six outs away from the World Series. I KNOW RIGHT?

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 7th

Dyson has replaced Aoki in the outfield, although Aoki was scheduled to lead off the next inning. Interesting. With Dyson in center, Cain moves to rightfield.

J.J. Hardy grounds out to Escobar and that’s two out.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 7th

Delmon Young will lead things off, the Royals should just walk him to set up the double play.

I guess, Herrara agrees with me, he falls behind 3-0 before getting Young to look at strike one. Then Young grounds out on 3-1. Nevermind.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 6th

Darren O’Day is in to face Escobar with two on and two out. Escobar grounds out out and, man, it’s looking like no matter how this game ends, it’s going to be decided by a single run.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 6th

Gonzalez stays out there and the Moose swings and misses at pitch one. On 0-1 he fouls one off. 0-2. Next pitch, a ball outside. 1-2. He survives by fouling off the next one.

And a swing and a foul-tip and Gonzalez ends his outing on a strikeout! Now here comes Showalter.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 6th

Omar Infante, who just saved the tying run from scoring a few minutes ago, is up at the plate with one out and one on. Gonzalez falls behind 3-0, which means another ball might end his outing.

Which he does throw, but there’s not a lefty ready for Moustakas so it’s pitching coach Dave Wallace who is out there, not Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 6th

The Orioles bullpen is warming up quickly. Meanwhile Perez lines out on one pitch.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 6th

Miguel Gonzalez, who deserves so much better is still in the game. he nicks Gordon to put on the leadoff man with nobody out. This keeps happening.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 6th

No breaks are going Baltimore’s way. None.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 6th

Nelson Cruz with two down and two on and this could be ballgame. Cruz stakes a ball. On 1-0 he gets a line drive...

AND IT’S CAUGHT BY DESTINY-IN-THE-FORM-OF-INFANTE!

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 6th

Let’s see if Adam Jones manages to avoid making an out before I finish this sentence...

Oh wow, Jones hits a base hit the other way and it’s runners on the corners for the Orioles.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 6th

Herrara is out to face Steve Pearce, getting him to pop out to Esobar on a 2-0 count. Two outs, still one on.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 6th

Pitching change! Ned Yost is putting Kelvin “Seventh Inning Guy” Herrara even though it’s not the seventh-inning! CATS AND DOGS LIVING TOGETHER PEOPLE!

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 6th

This might be Vargas’s last guy, especially after that whole walking Schoop thing (I know, leadoff walks are all the rage this game, but still).

And he gets Markakis to swing-and-miss at a 1-2 offering and that’ll do it! Yost goes get Vargas who leaves the field to a much deserved ovation from the Kansas City fans.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 6th

Vargas still out there, Yost is getting his nearly unhittable bullpen working. Vargas is facing ninth-hitting Schoop, whom he walks. Somehow.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 5th

Email from Patty Cross:

Loving your feed from rural East Texas, where I’m a transplanted Royals fan.

Thanks, there are Royals fans coming out everywhere these days, all they needed was something to cheer for. Well they have it.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 5th

Runners on first and third, two out, Butler grounds out to end the threat. If Baltimore manages to survive this game, that inning will be key.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 5th

And with Aoki at third base, and two out, the Orioles intentionally walk Eric Hosmer.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 5th

A runner does get to second anyways as Aoki advances on a wild pitch with Lorenzo Cain at-bat. Cain hits a groundball off to the pitcher.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 5th

Aoki is up with a runner on first. Gee, I wonder if the bunt is on here? Aoki takes ball one. 1-0. He spins out of the way of ball two. 2-0. Aoki takes the next pitch, a strike on the outside corner.

Aoki grounds out into a force, just beating out a potential double play. Maybe he should have bunted, Escobar is erased on the play.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 5th

Escboar leads off the bottom of the 5th, he hits a liner off Gonzalez for his second hit of the game.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 5th

Hey we’re halfway through this game, if we’re betting that this one won’t go extra innings (not the best bet this October but I digress). A reminder that I could use your emails (to Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com) or tweets (to @HunterFelt) throughout this liveblog.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 5th

Flaherty only hit seven home runs during the regular season, so there’s little chance of that happening again.

Nope, instead he strikes out. This looks grim for Baltimore.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 5th

What an insanely great catch and Gordon is staying in the game, glad he’s okay. Kauffman Stadium is LOUD now! Every game a brilliant catch by the Royals.

Caleb Joseph then strikes out for out number two. Kauffman is louder and here’s Ryan Flaherty again.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 5th

Alex Gordon makes an over-the-shoulder catcher on what should have been an extra-base hit from J.J. Hardy, hitting the fence in the process. He hits the ground hurt.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 4th

Moustakas grounds out to end the inning. Oh man, my slugfest prediction is not looking like the best here. I miss Yankees/Sox series.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 4th

Infante hits a two-out single, again an untimely double play.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 4th

Oof, there one of Yost’s decisions works against him, he puts Gordon in motion with Perez at bat. Perez pops up to Gonzalez who doubles off Gordon trying to get back to first. Two down.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 4th

Alex Gordon faces Miguel Gonzalez and also works a leadoff walk. Hey there are baserunners this game!

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 4th

Over under on bunts by the Royals the rest of this game?

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 4th

Delmon Young is here, and he.... works a 3-2 count. He really is a different player in October. Except he hits into his SECOND inning ending double play of the series. Shame this keeps happening to such a “nice” guy.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 4th

One on, nobody out with Nelson Cruz at the plate. Vargas gets ahead 0-2, Cruz swings and and then looks at a strike, before Cruz unleashes a mighty cut that’s nowhere near Vargas’s pitch and that’s a strikeout for the first out.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 4th

Adam Jones vs Jason Vargas to start off the fourth. He falls behind 3-0, man does Jones need to do something/anything this series. He takes a strike at 3-1. And he takes ball four for a leadoff walk. That’s a good sign for the strikeout prone Jones.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 3rd

Pretty much always, yes. Triply so when it’s a FOX game. At least there’s no Harold Reynolds here.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 3rd

Here comes Billy Butler, man we haven’t even talked about Butler’s stolen base yet have we? Such a weird playoffs this has been. Butler grounds out into a force to end the inning. To the fourth!

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 3rd

Gonzalez strikes out Lorenzo Cain for out number two, that’s his third strikeout. Eric Hosmer hits a two-out single to extend the inning.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, bottom 3rd

Oh great, afternoon playoff games mean “afternoon shadow talk.” I will not succumb, if hitters and fielders screw up I’m going to say it’s because of moral weakness. I’m going full-Puritan.

Nori Aoki hits a shallow flyball of Gonzalez for the first out of the inning, predestination tells me he deserved that.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 3rd

Gordon makes a nifty to grab to rob a possible outfield hit from Pearce and that will do it for the Orioles in the third, but Baltimore has a pulse.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 3rd

Markakis bounces out to Infante for the second out. That gets Kauffman Stadium a little bit out of its shock.

Orioles 1-2 Royals, top 3rd

Man did the Orioles need that and the “runs are only allowed to be scored on errors and solo home runs” rule for this postseason continues.

Oh and then Schoop strikes out, shoulda pronounced your last name like it’s spelled kid.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 2nd

Ned Yost is basically Maxwell Smart from “Get Smart,” making all the wrong moves out of sheer incompetence and yet they work out every single time and he comes out each episode victorious. It’s frustrating to watch intellectually and absolutely the most entertaining thing ever to watch as just a fan.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 2nd

Escobar hits a little flare that gets caught and that’s the end of the second inning.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 2nd

...yesterday’s hero Mike Moustakas is up at the plate. Gonzalez gets ahead of “Moose” 1-2, Moustakas fouls one off before swinging and missing for the second straight strikeout of the inning.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 2nd

Gonzalez is back on the mound, hoping for a less... uh... eventful first inning. Detroit Tigers castoff Omar Infante is up for the Royals, there are a lot of castoffs on this Royals roster, and promptly strikes out. Then the MOOOOSE chants begin which can only mean...

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 2nd

Orioles fans are getting very uneasy, with good reason.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, top 2nd

Here comes Caleb Joseph, who hits a long deep ball that Gordon gets a good read on, tracks down and catches for the final out of the inning. Nice play.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, top 2nd

J.J. Hardy loops one into centerfield that not even Cain can get to. The double-play looks particularly untimely now.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, top 2nd

Oh man, even Delmon Young’s postseason witchcraft doesn’t work here, he grounds out into a double play to clean out the bases. Two down, nobody on.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, top 2nd

Nelson Cruz takes a leadoff walk to become the Orioles’ first baserunner and here’s the hardest-out-in-the-playoffs Delmon Young.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 1st

Since this is the Royals first postseason appearance since 1985, and they’ve been consistently one of the worst teams in the AL for a good stretch of that time, it’s hard for me to sign off on that. BUT it’s a good debate to have, both of these teams would be underdogs in almost any other situation.

So: Royals vs Orioles, which fans have suffered more? Tweet @HunterFelt or email Hunter.Felt@theguardian.com.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 1st

Salvador Perez flies out to end the inning but already the Royals are smelling blood here. The Orioles have to respond quickly here.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 1st

Alex Gordon walks after making Gonzalez work a bit, walking after working a 2-2 count. This is looking like a disastrous first inning for Baltimore. Two out, runners on first and second now.

Orioles 0-2 Royals, bottom 1st

Billy Butler grounds out to third for the second out. Hosmer has to stay at second.

Orioles 0-0 Royals, bottom 1st

And here comes Lorenzo Cain (8-for-12 and a million defensive gems), the probable ALCS MVP if they win. So of COURSE Ned Yost bunts, with two on and nobody out in the FIRST INNING! THE PROBABLE SERIES MVP!

He gets the bunt down and, guess what, it’s probably going to work because everything Ned “Inspector Gadget” Yost works this postseason.

Orioles 0-0 Royals, bottom 1st

Gonzalez then hits Nori Aoki with the very next pitch. That’s two men and nobody out. This is... a bad start.

Orioles 0-0 Royals, bottom 1st

Miguel Gonzalez is up here to face Alcides Escobar, who falls behind 0-2 almost immediately but hits a bouncer towards Omar Infante, who has no play, so it’s an infield hit for Escobar.

Orioles 0-0 Royals, bottom 1st

Note: Jeremy Guthrie is very sorry for the shirt he wore last night (this controversy is ridiculous, by the way).

Orioles 0-0 Royals, top 1st

Adam Jones takes strike one, and then a pitch inside. 1-1. Jones fouls the next one out of play, that’s a 1-2 count now and doubles Vargas’s pitch count. Jones swings on the very next pitch, the catcher Salvador Perez throws to first to complete the strikeout. THAT is a shutdown inning.

Orioles 0-0 Royals, top 1st

Steve Pearce is up next, he drills a ball but it stays in which means the Royals fielders catch it. Gordon makes the grab for the second out.

Think Royals fans are excited?

Kevin Millar pep talk

The only MLB team to have won a series after falling behind 0-3 were the Boston Red Sox in 2004, who beat the New York Yankees and went on to win the World Series for the first time in 86 years and that makes me happy to type every single time I do. The Orioles could do worse than to listen to the inspirational words of Kevin Millar: “Don’t let them win tonight.”

Mike Moustakas is hitting 9th, which is kind of crazy to think about considering the fact that he not only made the defensive play of the postseason he also hit the game-winning home run against the LA Angels of Anaheim way back in Game 1 of the American League Division Series:

Do people still use the word “gumption?”

Predictions

The Kansas City Royals will have to lose sometimes, right? RIGHT? You know what, I’m saying the Baltimore Orioles are too good to go down like this, and their bats are too good to be this silent. I predict the Orioles win this afternoon in a (relative) slugfest, like 6-2.

Your thoughts? Email your predictions to hunter.felt@theguardian.com or tweet them to @HunterFelt and we’ll put them up here. Do the Royals finally lose today? Heck, does anyone have the gumption to say that Baltimore has a shot to win this series? Let’s hear it.

National League Championship Series

The National League Championship Series continues tonight with Game 4 at 8:00pm EST with the San Francisco Giants holding a 2-1 lead over the St Louis Cardinals. If the past two games are any indication, it should be a good one.

The San Francisco Giants won game one of the NLCS on the road at Busch Stadium with a relatively easy 3-0 victory, and it’s been craziness since then. First, in Game 2, the Cardinals took a 4-3 lead after tying the Giants in the, guess what, 7th inning, thanks to an 8th inning solo home run by Matt Adams. The Giants did tie the game in the top of the 9th thanks to a wild pitch issued during an intentional walk, which seemed like it would doom the Cardinals…

But then Kolten Wong came up as the first batter in the bottom of the 9th inning and ended it right there.

In yesterday afternoon’s 10-inning Game 3, the Cardinals again tied it up in the 7th inning (Roland Grichuk with the obligatory solo home run this time), but this time the Giants were able to fully exploit a St Louis error: winning 5-4 after Cardinals pitcher Randy Choate committed a throwing error on a a Gregor Blanco bunt. Yes, the Giants won on a walk-off bunt.

Kansas City Royals starting lineup

1. Alcides Escobar, SS
2. Nori Aoki, RF
3. Lorenzo Cain, CF
4. Eric Hosmer, 1B
5. Billy Butler, DH
6. Alex Gordon, LF
7. Salvador Perez, C
8. Omar Infante, 2B
9. Mike Moustakas, 3B

Baltimore Orioles starting lineup

1. Nick Markakis, RF
2. Steve Pearce, 1B
3. Adam Jones, CF
4. Nelson Cruz, LF
5. Delmon Young, DH
6. J.J. Hardy, SS
7. Caleb Joseph, C
8. Ryan Flaherty, 3B
9. Jonathan Schoop, 2B

Note: Sadly that’s pronounced “shope” and not “shoop,” sorry Salt-n-Pepa fans.