On Sunday, the 2015 World Series and baseball season came to a close as the Kansas City Royals defeated the New York Mets 7-2, winning the series four games to one. Many people at Stamford High followed the series closely so here are various reactions to this year’s fall classic:

Seniors Mark Serricchio and Matthew LaBella are both Yankees fans that were rooting for the Royals to come out on top. Serricchio said, “ I want the Royals to win because I despise all things Mets, especially their fans.” LaBella added ,“If it weren’t for their cockiness I wouldn’t hate them as much.” When asked what his favorite moment from the World Series was, LaBella explained,  “Well I really liked when Lorenzo Cain (Royals all star center fielder) stole second base in game one because it meant everyone in America could get free Taco Bell breakfast.” I went on to ask whom they felt was the key performer in the series and Serricchio stated that Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer was monumental in the series and referred to him as “King Clutch” due to his late inning heroics in games one and five. When asked what they felt was the most important game in the series they agreed that game two was a very important win for the Royals because they defeated the Mets star pitcher Jacob deGrom. Sserricchio added “From there they were outmatched and it seemed to be smooth sailing for KC.”

Senior Cristian Vasquez and sophomore Sydney Leeds are both huge Mets fans and were disappointed by the outcome of the series. Leeds said, “I couldn’t wait to root for the Mets, because people in my family were big fans of them so growing up I just loved them.” Vasquez stated, “I’ve been a die-hard fan since I started watching baseball so I thought it was finally our time.” When asked about their favorite moments, Leeds said she enjoyed watching Michael Conforto (Mets outfielder) hit two home runs in game four and Vasquez stated, “Well I loved watching Matt Harvey (Mets pitcher) get out there and pitch lights out in game five.” During game five, however, the Mets made a very questionable call, sending Harvey out to the mound for the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead. Harvey went on to face only two batters, allowing a walk to the first and a double to the second, then leaving the game with a 2-1 lead needing three outs to force a game six. The Royals tied the game in the ninth inning and went on to win that game and the World Series in the 12^th inning by a score of 7-2. When asked about the decision to leave Harvey in, Vasquez exclaimed “Yes I one hundred percent agree with the move. I would have sent him out there 11 times out of 10 with the way he was pitching.”  Both Leeds and Vasquez agreed that game four was the toughest loss because they were just six outs away from tying the series at two games apiece. Vasquez ended on a positive note and said, “Hey, look out for the Mets for the next few years. We’ll be back next year against the Astros. Mark my words.”

Long-time SHS teacher Jeremy White had some very interesting views on the series. When asked whom he was rooting for, he said, “ Well I was definitely rooting for the Mets; I was rooting for them to lose as badly as possible.” I then asked him what his favorite moment of the World Series was and he stated, “Watching Kansas City celebrating on the Mets mound was by far my favorite moment.” He felt that the key performer for the Royals was the team pilot. He added, “Because of him the Royals were able to get to Citi Field and beat the Mets at home.” I went on to ask White who he felt the most valuable player of the World Series was and he said, “Well I think that the Mets closer Jeurys Familia was the best player for the Royals.” He made this comment due to the pitcher’s lack of success throughout the series. White’s prediction for next year’s Fall Classic was very constant with the rest of the conversation. He said anybody besides the Mets would come out of the National League and any team out of the American League because the Mets are not in the American League.

Whether you were rooting for the Royals, Mets or simply just against one of them, it was truly a classic match-up and a great way to wrap up the 2015 season.