Though the night did not end as hoped, Steven Matz exited after five-plus innings in line to win a World Series game for the team he cheered as a boy before the Mets’ lead slipped away in the eighth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Royals in Game 4.

The Mets find themselves in a gargantuan 3-1 hole in this World Series — a hole only five teams in 43 tries have climbed back from in a best-of-seven Series setup — because of the eighth inning of Game 4. But you could say the seeds of the game-changing sequence of events were sown in the ninth inning of Game 3.

Down a run entering the eighth inning, the Royals rode a three-run rally and a six-out save from Wade Davis to a 5-3 win over the Mets in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night at Citi Field. Here are some notable facts and figures from Game 4.

Royals lefty Danny Duffy gave up his first home run vs. a lefty hitter in four years in the fifth inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night at Citi Field, so he was relieved when his teammates picked him up and secured the win.

Game 5 of the World Series will pit Edinson Volquez and Matt Harvey against each other on Sunday at Citi Field (8 p.m. ET game time on FOX), with one pitcher looking to stave off elimination and the other trying to clinch a championship. The rematch of Game 1 starters features two hard-throwing righties, with Volquez relying mainly on a power sinker and Harvey yielding a near triple-digit four-seam fastball in his arsenal. Here’s how the hurlers match up.

The Mets better carb up, maybe hit the energy gel and also search for that second wind. On Marathon Day in the Big Apple, their 2015 story is in danger of hitting the wall, because the Kansas City Royals are one win away from the finish line. Game 5 at Citi Field will determine if the Royals get there in a dead sprint or if the Mets can re-route this World Series back to Kauffman Stadium.

No team can get this far without the prototypical table-setters, and Alcides Escobar and Ben Zobrist have barely had a hiccup in their places at the top of the order through all 15 of the Royals’ postseason games. Their October performances are, in fact, being mentioned among the all-time greats.

The Royals used a Daniel Murphy fielding error and RBI hits from Mike Moustakas and Salvador Perez to rally for three runs in the eighth inning for a 5-3 win over the Mets that puts them one victory from a World Series championship.

Wade Davis wasn’t letting anyone know his eighth- and ninth-inning domination Saturday night was anything special. His Royals teammates did elaborate hand slaps and body bumps to celebrate their 5-3 comeback victory over the Mets at Citi Field in World Series Game 4 to move to one win from their first title since 1985.

After saying goodbye to his father, Edinson Volquez returned to the Royals ready to work, and he will do so on Sunday with the chance to lead his team to the World Series championship.

Daniel Murphy said his eighth-inning error that opened the door for the Royals’ 5-3 victory in Game 4 was “far, far too costly,” though his teammates refused to blame him for the loss.

Longtime NBA head coach George Karl popularized the adage that a postseason series did not start until the home team lost a game.
By that standard, the 2015 World Series began Saturday night.

Matt Harvey will make the slow walk to the mound on Sunday to start Game 5 of the World Series against the Royals (8 p.m. ET game time on FOX), attempting to save the Mets’ season and put a positive cap on what has been a most eventful campaign for the right-hander and his club.

The Royals’ eighth-inning rally on Saturday night at Citi Field lifted them to a 5-3 victory over the Mets in Game 4 of the World Series. Instead of facing a 2-2 tie, Kansas City now holds a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, going into Sunday night’s Game 5 (game time 8:15 p.m. ET on FOX).

Sometimes the game has an unimaginably cold heart. Sometimes the baseball gods toy with us in incomprehensible ways. Maybe that’s why we love it so. Suddenly, inexplicably and cruelly, the baseball found Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy in the top of the eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night.

Here are the top GIFs from the Royals’ 5-3 win over the Mets in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night, courtesy of @MLBGIFs.

Royals closer Wade Davis and third baseman Mike Moustakas address the media after Game 4 of the World Series.