Game 5 of the 2015 World Series

The comeback kids did it again for a second consecutive night. Only this time it was for the world championship, as the Kansas City Royals overcame a two-run deficit at Citi Field in the ninth inning and went on to beat the New York Mets 7–2 in 12 innings in Game 5, becoming the 2015 World Series champs.

It was the first world championship for the Royals since 1985. Unlike 1985's 11–0 win in Game 7, the decisive game in 2015 had a little more nail biting before the Royals took the crown.

One night after getting shell-shocked by another Royals late comeback, the Mets needed a big outing from ace Matt Harvey to extend the series. Harvey did not disappoint, delivering one of the top performances of the postseason, as he struck out nine through eight shutout innings.

Heading into the ninth, when Harvey learned that manager Terry Collins was going to bring in New York's closer, Jeurys Familia, to finish the game, Harvey pleaded with Collins to leave him in. "[Harvey] came over and said, 'I want this game. I want it bad. You've got to leave me in,'" Collins said after the game. "He said, 'I want this game in the worst way.' So obviously, I let my heart get in the way of my gut."

"It didn't work," Collins added. "It's my fault."

No one could blame Collins for sticking with Harvey. Although Harvey threw his 100th pitch in the eighth inning, the Royals weren't getting good swings. Harvey, who started Game 1 but didn't factor into the decision, allowed only four hits — all singles — and walked one batter through eight innings in Game 5. Even with the Mets down in the series, if Harvey delivered a complete-game win, especially a shutout, New York would have had incredible momentum heading back to Kansas City.

But the ninth was a different story, especially against this resilient, never-say-die bunch of Royals, who'd already staged late comebacks down by at least two runs in six out of 15 games during the 2015 postseason. With the Royals trailing 2–0 in this one, Lorenzo Cain worked a full-count walk, and then Harvey gave up an opposite-field double to Eric Hosmer, scoring Cain. That ended Harvey's night, as Collins went to Familia, who had blown a save opportunity about 24 hours earlier.

Familia got Mike Moustakas to ground out to first baseman Lucas Duda for the first out, but it advanced Hosmer to third base. Salvador Perez, who popped out for the final out of the World Series in Game 7 in 2014, rolled a soft grounder toward short. Third baseman David Wright fielded the ball, checked Hosmer, and threw to first for the second out. However, as soon as Wright threw it, Hosmer broke for home. He slid headfirst across home plate for the tying run as Duda's throw sailed past catcher Travis d'Arnaud. With Hosmer's gutsy base running, Familia had recorded his third blown save in a World Series, which hadn't happened since 1969.

With the blown save, Game 5 was headed to extra innings. "We never quit. We never put our heads down," said Perez, who was selected as the World Series MVP. "We always compete to the last out."

Perez helped the Royals get to that last out by leading off the 12th with a single against Addison Reed. Jarrod Dyson came in as a pinch-runner and stole second as the clock passed midnight in New York. After Alex Gordon's ground-out moved Dyson to third, manager Ned Yost called on Christian Colon to pinch hit for pitcher Luke Hochevar. Colon, who scored the winning run in the 2014 wild-card game against Oakland, had not played in the 2015 postseason. But the long break didn't affect him as he singled to left and gave the Royals their first lead of the game at 3–2.

The Royals, though, kept the line going. Paulo Orlando reached...