Game 1 of the World Series is kind of a big deal, but Royals right-handed pitcher Edinson Volquez, preparing for his start Tuesday night against the Mets (7:30 p.m. ET air time on FOX, 8 p.m. game time), smiles the same old relaxed way.

Gary Cederstrom will serve as the crew chief for the 2015 World Series, Major League Baseball announced today. Cederstrom, a 22-year Major League umpire, will lead a crew comprised of regular-season crew chief Mike Winters, Mark Carlson, Mike Everitt, Alfonso Marquez, Bill Welke and Jim Wolf.

The Red Sox took an unconventional route in the selection of a new first-base coach/outfield instructor, hiring former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. on Monday to fill that role.

The Kansas City Royals’ 25-man roster from the 1985 World Series and where the players are now.

Don Denkinger was surrounded by Hall of Famers. They had descended upon the Field of Dreams site in Iowa last month for a weekend of appearing from out of the famous corn and thrilling fans with a charity softball game, Q&A sessions and autographs.

The Royals and Mets — both with fan bases longing for their first title in three decades — are readying to square off in the World Series, which begins with Game 1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET air time, 8 p.m. game time on FOX). But first they’ll introduce themselves to the world during today’s Media Day.

No one knows what player is going to rise to the occasion, dominate the World Series, and win the coveted MVP trophy. It could be future Hall of Famers

Everyone knows about the power arms of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard for the Mets, who, as a staff, threw more 95-plus mph pitches than any team in baseball. But that could be right up the Royals’ alley.

Moments before Lucas Duda hit the three-run homer that turned National League Championship Series Game 4 into a no-doubter, Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson danced dangerously far off second base. Anyone who doubted his intentions at that point did not receive the scouting memo, as Granderson took a secondary lead of more than 26 feet, per Statcast.

For the third time in four seasons, the World Series features two teams that won their divisions — the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. And this is exactly what Major League Baseball had in mind when it added a second Wild Card team in each league in 2012.

It was late August when Royals general manager Dayton Moore turned to Gene Watson, director of pro scouting, and said, “From this point on, I want scouts on Toronto. I want to know everything about them, every trend, every tiny little thing they do. They are the team we’ll need to beat.”

The Royals hit well against heat over 95 mph, and the Mets have celebrated flamethrowers. Advantage Kansas City, right? Not so fast: The Mets don’t always throw heat, and the Royals have their weaknesses.

Juan Lagares has a sterling defensive reputation as a center fielder, and it seems like a no-brainer that he should start in Kansas City’s huge outfield in the World Series. But have injuries taken his edge away? Statcast investigates a big Mets lineup choice.

The Yankees plan to promote Tim Naehring as the new vice president of baseball operations, according to a published report.

The Blue Jays ended a 22-year postseason drought with a memorable run through the American League in 2015, but now they will have to prove they were not a one-year wonder. Toronto seems well positioned to contend again next year with the entire core on offense under control for at least one more year.

D.J. Peterson is enjoying his second trip to the Arizona Fall League more than his first. The Mariners corner infielder collected two more hits Saturday night as his Peoria Javelinas beat the Scottsdale Scorpions 3-1.

The Phillies will name Matt Klentak as their new general manager, according to multiple baseball sources. Klentak had previously worked with Phillies president Andy MacPhail in Baltimore.