Blue Jays, Royals all set for ALCS battle
Toronto plays Game 1 in Kansas City on Friday
Fresh off their thrilling opening-round playoff wins, the Blue Jays and Royals will battle in the American League Championship Series, beginning Friday night (7:30 p.m. ET) in Kansas City.
The winner will move on to the World Series.
Toronto ousted the Texas Rangers in the deciding Game 5 of the ALDS, led by Jose Bautista's unforgettable three-run homer, lifting the Jays to a 6-3 win.
The Royals also performed some magic in their playoff series with the Houston Astros. After overcoming a four-run deficit to win Game 4, Kansas City rallied from two runs down to eliminate the Astros 7-2 in Game 5.
The two teams do share some bad blood. In a game on Aug. 2 in Toronto, Royals pitcher Edinson Volquez hit Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson. Tensions continued to rise throughout the game, which led to Blue Jays reliever Aaron Sanchez drilling Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar in the eighth inning, resulting in both benches clearing.
The Blue Jays won the regular-season series (4-3) against the Royals. However, Kansas City will hold home-field advantage for the ALCS.
Here's how the schedule looks so far:
Friday, Oct. 16
- Game 1: Toronto @ Kansas City, 8:07 p.m. ET
Saturday, Oct. 17
- Game 2: Toronto @ Kansas City, 4:07 p.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 19
- Game 3: Kansas City @ Toronto, 8:07 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Oct. 20
- Game 4: Kansas City @ Toronto, TBD
Wednesday, Oct. 21 (if necessary)
- Game 5: Kansas City @ Toronto, TBD
Friday, Oct. 23 (if necessary)
- Game 6: Toronto @ Kansas City, TBD
Saturday, Oct. 24 (if necessary)
- Game 7: Toronto @ Kansas City, TBD