Daniel Murphy went from hero to goat for the Mets in the World Series, but he had serious competition. His errors in the field led to victories for Kansas City, including in the final game in New York. But other errors, possibly including managerial mistakes, will keep New Yorkers moaning all winter. KC won the Series in five games. What could be more demoralizing that leading in the eighth inning and losing--three times, including KC scoring 5 runs in the 12th inning of the final game.
The Mets had starting pitching and hitting, but KC exploited their weaknesses of defense (especially infield) and relief pitching. Ultimately however it may be Series experience that made the difference. KC played last year, losing to the Giants in seven. The Giants played relaxed but also with nerves of steel. They'd been there before, and even though key players like Joe Panik hadn't been, the team had--and the Giants are always a team. KC took it all in. This year they were the team that played relaxed, with nerves of steel.
Meanwhile in Pittsburgh Sunday, things also started in very promising fashion. Big Ben was back from his injury and had the Steelers ahead in the fourth quarter against the undefeated Cinncy Bengals. But whether it was fatigue or just bad luck, his fourth quarter interceptions gave the game away.
Perhaps even worse for Pittsburgh, they lost their franchise running back to injury--likely for the year. It's not as bad as losing Ben, but almost. It's just November but it's hard to see a path to the playoffs.
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