In October of 1986, the New York Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the World Series, bringing the club its second championship in history. To Mets fans, the 29 years that have followed likely feel like centuries. The team has not won a Major League Baseball championship since then, stuck in a decades-long drought that has featured mid-season collapses, disappointing play on the field and heartbreak in 2000 when the Mets fell to the rival New York Yankees in the “Subway Series.” Though some Mets fans may have grown accustomed to heartbreak and mediocrity, it appears they once again have a reason for hope. 

On Tuesday night, the World Series kicks off in Kansas City as the hometown Royals are set to square off against one of the youngest and most exciting teams in the M.L.B. — the New York Mets. To this point, the Mets have had a dream postseason between knocking off the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games in the first round of the playoffs and sweeping the Chicago Cubs in four games to capture the National League pennant. 

The Mets’ dominance of the National League came as the result of its incredible postseason play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the diamond. 

This postseason, the Mets led all National League clubs with a run total of 43, a hit total of 63 and an RBI total of 42.The Mets’ offense was anchored by second baseman Daniel Murphy, who is leading all postseason batters in RBIs (11) and home runs (7). Even more impressive, Murphy has hit a home run in six straight games, setting a Major League record.  

That said, the root of the Mets 2015 postseason success has been its talented pitching rotation, headlined by N.L. Cy Young candidate Jacob Degrom, who leads the postseason with three wins. However, the Mets’ pitching success goes far beyond just Degrom, as the team led all N.L. clubs with an earned run average of just 2.81. 

While Mets fans have a moment to relish in the joy of once again being elite, they will soon find that the Kansas City Royals are no pushovers. This postseason, the Royals have used the still-fresh taste of bitter defeat in the 2014 World Series as motivation to steamroll the American League and get another shot at bringing home their first World Series championship since 1985. 

While the Royals’ pitching rotation has not quite stacked up to that of the Mets, its offense has been far more impressive. 

The Royals led the entire M.L.B. with a postseason total of 99 hits, 15 home runs and 58 RBI. As they have done for the last several years, the Royals used small-ball to outsmart opponents on their way to capturing the American League pennant, defeating first the Houston Astros in five games, then the Toronto Blue Jays in six games. Kansas City’s offense is anchored by Kendrys Morales, who led the American League with four home runs and 11 RBIs throughout the first two rounds of the postseason. 

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this year’s World Series is that there are so many reasons to cheer for either team. The Mets, despite their youth, play with a swagger that makes it difficult to root against them, manifesting itself in a somewhat stoic demeanor, as though success is expected. The Royals, on the other hand, play with a visible hunger to avenge their 2014 World Series loss, a hunger that manifests in dramatic displays of emotion, almost as if every at-bat and pitch is the most important in history. These contrasting demeanors will make for a wild, emotional and utterly thrilling 2015 World Series. 

—Gabriel Goldstein

—Gabriel Goldstein