Two teams chasing their once-glorious histories will now face off for the 2014 American League pennant as the Orioles will meet the Kansas City Royals in the AL Championship Series beginning Friday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Hours after the Orioles completed a three-game sweep over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, the Royals disposed of the No. 1 seed Los Angeles Angeles in a sweep of their own to set up a series between teams eyeing their first World Series appearance in three decades. Baltimore hasn’t advanced to the Fall Classic since 1983 while Kansas City hasn’t appeared in the World Series since 1985.
The ALCS will bring an interesting contrast in offensive styles as the Orioles led the majors in home runs while the Royals hit fewer long balls than any club in the game. However, speedy Kansas City led the big leagues in stolen bases while Baltimore swiped fewer bags than any team.
Beyond that, both teams profile similarly by playing excellent defense and leaning on their outstanding bullpens to back up solid starting pitching. The Orioles ranked third in the AL with an overall ERA of 3.43 and the Royals were fourth with a 3.51 ERA.
The Orioles went 3-4 against the Royals during the 2014 regular season as they lost two of three in Baltimore in late April and split a four-game set at Kansas City in the middle of May.
Games 1 and 2 will be played at Camden Yards with Games 3 and 4 shifting to Kauffman Stadium. If necessary, Game 5 will also be played in Kansas City with the final two games of the best-of-seven series scheduled to be played back in Baltimore.
