As Alex Rios stood in front of his locker and patiently explained how on baseball’s biggest stage, despite being surrounded by several scoreboards and nearby teammates, he forgot how many outs there were, he could at least shrug.
The Kansas City Royals overcame his blunder, which allowed a run to score, and seized a three-games-to-one lead in the World Series over the Mets after rallying for a 5-3 victory Saturday night.
As the Royals have edged to the brink of their first title since 1985, a hallmark of their playoff run has been their opportunism, their ability to seize upon their opponent’s mistakes and overcome their own.