Baseball

With Game 3 of the American League Championship Series looming against the Kansas City Royals, the Toronto Blue Jays got a vote of confidence from an unexpected source.

While working as a MLB analyst on Fox, Alex Rodriguez warned it's much too soon to count out the Jays.

On Sunday at Citi Field, it was all about Thor hammers and billy goat namesakes. That is to say it was all about Noah Syndergaard, Daniel Murphy and the New York Mets.

Thanks in large part to Syndergaard's god-like arm and Murphy's infallible bat, the Mets cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs and grabbed a commanding 2-0 edge in the National League Championship Series.

One inning and some thunder from Thor.

That's all it took for the New York Mets to stake a 2-0 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series with Sunday's 4-1 victory. Noah "Thor" Syndergaard baffled the powerful Chicago lineup with his high-octane fastball, and the Mets offense put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning behind Daniel Murphy's fifth postseason home run.

The Chicago Cubs' official Twitter account doesn’t mess around.

During the team's Game 2 showdown with the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series on Sunday night, one fan took a shot in the dark and requested a Kyle Schwarber jersey:

The New York Mets have taken a 2-0 lead in the National League Championship Series after Sunday's 4-1 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs.

The Mets tagged Chicago ace Jake Arrieta for three runs in the bottom of the first inning, getting An RBI double from David Wright and then a two-run home run from Daniel Murphy. That's Murphy's second homer of this series and fifth of the postseason, tying a club record.

The Kansas City Royals are at it again.

Looking intent on winning the American League for the second straight year, the Royals have taken both Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays. The October magic they mustered up a year ago is making a return and could propel them to another World Series appearance.

Matt Harvey had made one start in the postseason in his short career in the majors, and that was earlier this season. Jon Lester had started 13 games and carried a 2.66 postseason ERA over his long tenure with the Red Sox, Athletics and Cubs.

Only two days into the championship series round, a couple of clubs have already made convincing statements as the 2015 MLB postseason carries forward into a new week.

So far, the biggest story revolves around the Kansas City Royals and their impressive start in the ALCS against Toronto. They've jumped out to a 2-0 series lead after taking care of business at home, while the New York Mets did the same out in the NL in Game 1.

It’s based on a small sample size and one that is likely to change in the long run, but if his first two playoff starts are any indication, Matt Harvey should be a star for a long time.

The New York Mets drew first blood in the National League Championship Series, defeating the Chicago Cubs 4-2 in Game 1 on Saturday at Citi Field.

Now, with another contest in Queens on Sunday at 8:07 p.m. ET on TBS before the scene shifts to the Windy City, the Cubs will look to even the ledger.