Royals beat Mets in Game 1 of World Series after 5 hours, 14 strange innings

Game 1 of the 2015 World Series was long — the longest opening game of any World Series and tied for longest series game ever — and quirky. But after more than five hours on Tuesday night, the Kansas City Royals beat the New York Mets 5-4 in the bottom of the 14th inning off a sacrifice fly from Eric Hosmer. The Mets would have won in the ninth if not for a home run by Alex Gordon. "It was a great night," said Royals manager Ned Yost after the game. "Two things you don't want in Game 1 of the World Series: One is to go 14 innings and the other is to lose."

The night was decidedly bittersweet for Royals starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, whose father died in the Dominican Republic right before the game. ESPN said that Volquez was told about his 63-year-old father's death, reportedly from heart complications, before taking the mound, but the Royals say he didn't know. In the video below, Yost explains that Volquez's family requested he be allowed to pitch before hearing the sad news. Either way, he left the game before it ended and flew down to the Dominican Republic. Two other Royals have lost parents since August, The Washington Post notes. Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up