Ringo bracket: 2017 Royals defeat 1961 Pirates in five games

Game 1: Royals 5, Pirates 0
WP: Vargas (1-0)
LP: Friend (0-1)

Game 2: Royals 3, Pirates 0
WP: Duffy (1-0)
LP: Gibbon (0-1)
Save: Herrera (1)
HR: Moustakis (1)

Game 3: Pirates 3, Royals 2
WP: Haddix (1-0)
LP: Hammel (0-1)
Save: Face (1)
HR: Burgess (1), Moustakis (2), Me Cabrera (1)

Game 4: Royals 12, Pirates 5
WP: Kennedy (1-0)
LP: Mizell (0-1)
HR: Me Cabrera (2), Cain (1), Clemente (1)

Game 5: Royals 7, Pirates 3
WP: Vargas (2-0)
LP: Friend (0-2)
HR: Perez (1), Stuart (1)

The Royals overpowered the Pirates in pretty much every phase.

Jason Vargas allowed just five hits in eight innings in the Kauffman Stadium opener, eradicating two of the baserunners with double plays. The Royals scored a pair of runs in the first inning, with a Mike Moustakis RBI double being the key blow, and added single runs in the second and third innings.

Game Two was another combined shutout for the Royals. Danny Duffy worked the first six innings, and five KC relievers split up the final three. Moustakis homered and scored two runs.

The series moved to Forbes Field for Game Three, and Harvey Haddix got the Buccos their first (and only) win of the series. The Kitten allowed just one run in seven innings, a homer by Melky Cabrera, while Smokey Burgess's two-run homer in the second inning provided Pittsburgh with its first runs of the series. Roy Face allowed a solo homer to Moustakis in his two-inning save.

The Royals scored six times in the first inning of Game Four, getting a three-run homer from Lorenzo Cain and a solo shot from Cabrera to drive Vinegar Bend Mizell from the game with just one out recorded. K.C. peppered Earl Francis for four more runs in his 1.2 innings. to make it a rout. Ian Kennedy allowed three runs, one earned, in eight innings for the win. Moustakis went 5-for-5 with three runs scored.

Kansas City wrapped up the series with another first-inning crooked number in Game Five, as Salvador Perez capped a four-run outburst against Bob Friend with a three-run homer. Whit Merrifield tripled, doubled, singled and scored twice with an RBI. Vargas allowed two runs on four hits in six innings.

Player of the Series: Mike Moustakis

Projected rotation: Vargas-Hammel-Kennedy-Duffy-(Vargas)-(Hammel)-(Kennedy)