reaching the top

The time came. In the 12th inning of Sunday night’s Game 5, after a leadoff single by Salvador Perez, Jarrod Dyson’s time came. Inserted as a pinch runner by manager Ned Yost, the McComb native stole second base on a 2-0 pitch. He motored to third on a ground out. Then he trotted home on a hit by Christian Colon, putting Kansas City on top of the New York Mets 3-2. That trickle became a flood of runs. The Royals won 7-2, claiming their second World Series title and first since 1985. After a rather muted postseason to that point (five games, four at-bats, two steals, no runs), the ever-adrenalized Dyson seized his moment. He got a bag. Scored the game-winning run. Earned a ring. “This is what you play for,” Dyson, quoted by the Kansas City Star, shouted as he carried the Commissioner’s Trophy around Citi Field. “This is what you play for, baby, right here.” The 50th-round draft pick from Southwest Mississippi Community College was on top of the baseball world. P.S. Props also go to Yost, the old Jackson Mets catcher. Though the Royals made it to Game 7 of the 2014 Series, very few prognosticators had the team even getting into the playoffs again, much less winning it all this fall. Sports Illustrated, for one, pegged KC fourth in the American League Central. Yost’s club plays hard and smart and is really fun to watch.