A San Francisco Giants dynasty seeking its third crown in five seasons faces a team of destiny in the Kansas City Royals when the 110th World Series begins on Tuesday.
The Royals, who host the first two games of Major League Baseball's best-of-seven final, snapped a 29-year playoff drought this season - what had been the longest active futility streak in major North American sport - and have become the first team to start a playoff run with eight wins in a row.
"We're just clicking at the right moment," Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain said.
"We're changing lives," Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson said. "We're bringing excitement back. That's our goal."
Add three straight triumphs to close out their only World series triumph in 1985 to their current run and the Royals would match the all-time multi-season playoff win streak of 12, set by the New York Yankees, with a game-one triumph.
"This is a wonderful time for America to watch our team and I think what they have done is they've fallen in love with our team," said Royals manager Ned Yost.
"They love our athleticism. They love our energy. They love the way these guys play hard and enjoy each other. And they love the way that they stand up and get clutch hits and make fantastic plays," Yost added.
"I think they just love the way we play the game."
The Royals, a wildcard playoff qualifier like the Giants, dispatched Oakland in a one-game qualifier, then shockingly swept both the Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles to win the American League crown.
"It's a lot of pride," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said.
"But at the same time, we know it's a really special opportunity moving forward. And we're looking forward to that challenge."
The Giants, who lost all three regular-season games against the Royals, ousted Pittsburgh to start the post-season, then downed Washington and St. Louis to win the National League title and book another World Series for a team whose core players took championships in 2010 over Texas and 2012 over Detroit.
Yost, the first manager to win his first eight playoff appearances, has enjoyed watching his young team come of age at just the right moment to put long-time losers on the brink of baseball supremacy.
"Understanding that these guys have a timetable and when it's right it's going to hit, to watch it grow and develop in front of your eyes, this is by far the most rewarding thing I've ever done in baseball," Yost said.
The Royals have rallied late when trailing, battled through extra innings, stolen bases with aggressive play and hit home runs to overcome all obstacles so far.
"They grind away. They have a lot of confidence in themselves," Yost said.
"Right from the beginning of the playoffs, I don't know what clicked for them, but something clicked and they were totally used to this atmosphere. There was no pressure. They were loose. They were on the attack and very confident."
