TORONTO — The Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays meet again.
When the teams squared off at Rogers Centre from July 30-Aug. 2, there was a playoff atmosphere to the series, and the Blue Jays won three of four games.
The series featured a bench-clearing incident and accusations of pitchers throwing at hitters.
The feeling was that it was a very good playoff preview.
And now here it is. The teams will open the American League Championship Series at Kansas City on Friday.
Both teams needed the full five games to clinch their American League Division Series. Both teams needed comebacks to win.
The Royals were down by four runs to the Astros in Game 4 on Monday entering the eighth inning. They pulled it out, then won the series Wednesday.
The Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 6-3 Wednesday thanks to a four-run seventh inning. Toronto became only the third team to win a best-of-five ALDS after losing the first two games at home. The others were the 2001 New York Yankees and the 2012 San Francisco Giants.
The Blue Jays were well into their celebration Wednesday while the Royals and Astros were playing, so the Toronto players didn’t know their opponent in the ALCS.
They were still letting it soak in, literally, that they just pulled off an impressive comeback.
They left for Arlington, Texas, last weekend after losing two in a row, wondering if they would have another home game.
“We didn’t know for sure when we headed to Texas,” manager John Gibbons said. “But we were taking (batting practice) on the off day down there, and I just had a good feeling the guys were nice and loose and relaxed, and that’s important with this group.
“Then for the first game I felt we looked like the old team, we were playing like we done all year. Then, of course, we had the big outburst the next day. Of course, this is our team. You’ve still got to win three in a row, but before that first game in Texas, Joe Torre was down there. Joe came up to me, he had texted me, this isn’t insurmountable, because he did it with the Yankees.
“He said, ‘Hey, take it one day at a time.’ Great advice. Easier said than done, of course. He told Bruce Bochy that when they were down in Cincinnati and they went on. Coming from him, it’s kind of a comforting thing. I know it’s not easy, but kind of gives you (hope that), ‘Hey, you know what, it could happen.’”
Now the ALCS matchup many awaited will happen.