Sports

Trio of Herrera, Davis, Holland have locked down late innings, pushed Royals into World Series

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Greg Holland and catcher Salvador Perez celebrate after the Royals defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in Game 4 of the American League baseball championship series Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals advance to the World Series. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum ) (The Associated Press)

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Wade Davis, right,, and starting pitcher James Shields throw in the bullpen during practice Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals will host the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 21. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) (The Associated Press)

Buck Showalter knew he was in trouble when the seventh inning rolled around and his Orioles were trailing the Kansas City Royals in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series.

Three innings later, his fears were realized — and Baltimore's season was over.

In each game of the series, the three-headed monster of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and All-Star closer Greg Holland had slammed the door on the Orioles. They did it again in the clincher, a 2-1 victory that helped Kansas City return to the World Series after a 29-year absence.

Now, the Royals open the Fall Classic on Tuesday night against San Francisco, and they'll hope to once again turn a lead over to their star relievers in Game 1.