Johnny Cueto dominates, Royals beat Astros to return to ALCS

KANSAS CITY -- Johnny Cueto woke up Wednesday morning, feeling completely different than any day these last three tortured months, suddenly overcome with a sense of confidence.

Cueto drove to Kauffman Stadium, walked towards his Kansas City Royals’ teammates, and told them that in the biggest game of their season, to go ahead and relax.

“He told us he’s got this,’’ Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar said. “He told us, 'I’m going to throw seven innings. At least seven innings. He was so confident.

“I told him, 'I know you will. I trust you. You’re one of the best pitchers in the major leagues.’ I know he struggled in the past, but we said, 'Forget the past. We need you tonight.'"

By the time the evening ended, there were 40,566 fans screaming his name, teammates dousing him with champagne as the star of the game, and Cueto dancing across the infield, celebrating one of the greatest pitching performances in Royals’ playoff history.

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Cueto, who perplexed the Royals all summer with his struggles, reminded everyone why they traded for him in the first place, suffocating the Houston Astros, and leading the Royals back to the American League Championship Series with a 7-2 victory.

The Royals, after winning Game 5, will play the Toronto Blue Jays beginning Friday at Kauffman Stadium, in a rematch of the 1985 ALCS won by the Royals, who also captured their only World Series title.

“I can’t wait,’’ Royals Hall of Famer George Brett said. “It’s going to bring back great memories.’’

Cueto, winning the first postseason game of his career spanning five starts, made it all possible, with the little help by his friends.

In easily his finest performance since joining the Royals, Cueto retired the final 19 batters he faced over eight innings, giving up just two hits. He pitched out of the stretch for just one pitch.

It was the longest playoff stint by a Royals starter since Bret Saberhagen in the 1985 World Series, and only Dennis Leonard in 1978 had more than his eight strikeouts.

“This is what we got him for,’’ Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “We didn’t really get him much for the regular season, but to pitch big games in October.

“He couldn’t pitch a bigger one than tonight.’’

This was a Cueto the Royals hadn’t seen since his arrival at the trade deadline, struggling for 13 weeks, going 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA, including an atrocious five-start stretch in which he yielded a 9.57 ERA

The Royals, who had never given up so much talent for a single player in franchise history, Moore said, were confused and frustrated.

Cueto, insisting he was fine, dramatically changed his delivery, even altering it during games. He tried to find ways to increase his velocity. He looked for a better spin on his off-speed pitches. Nothing worked.

The confidence was shot.

Little did they realize that Cueto’s mind wasn’t right. He was thinking about his future as a free agent instead of the present. He knew that every time he struggled, he was costing himself millions of dollars every time he stepped on the mound. And every start he put more and more pressure on himself.

“He’s not going to lie, said Royals coach Pedro Grifol, translating for Cueto, “at times it’s been very difficult to take that out of his mind.’’

Yet, on this day, this glorious morning, Cueto felt free of his demons. He relished the idea that he was starting the biggest game of the Royals’ season, wanting to be the man to save the Royals’ season.

“You could tell he was locked in,’’ Eiland said. “He had a different look in his eyes. He was more intense. He was focused. He knew what this game meant for us.’’

“There’s no doubt that he knew there was some talk out there," Cueto said through Grifol. “What was wrong with Johnny Cueto?” But that today he was going to show everybody what he’s all about in big games.

“And that’s what he did.’’

Cueto, pitching with the most confidence he’s shown all season with the Royals, strutted to mound, and played to the crowd’s emotion. He shook his fists violently into the air. He pumped his chest. Waved his arms.

This was his night.

This was his moment.

Cueto pounded the strike zone with his 94-mph two-seamed fastball. Confused the Astros with his changeup. Dazzled them with his cutter. And, oh, did he ever rely on his defense, with his teammates making one dazzling play after another, before Kendrys Morales blew open the game with his three-run homer in the eighth inning off Cy Young candidate Dallas Keuchel, who pitched an inning of relief.

“He knew the magnitude of this game,’’ Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I think we all did. And from the first pitch, he just had everything going.

“He was unbelievably good.

“He didn’t make a bad pitch all night.’’

Well, ok, one. He gave up a two-run homer to Astros third baseman Luis Valbuena in the second inning on a 94-fastball that he left too high in the strike zone. That was it. He never gave up another hit, let alone a baserunner. He retired 19 consecutive batters, and lobbied to finish the game, but Yost turned to closer Wade Davis, telling him there will be plenty more opportunities.

“We plan on him making four more starts,’’ Eland said.

Let’s see, that would be two in the ALCS, and two more in the World Series, exactly what the Royals envisioned when they traded for him in the first place.

The Royals certainly didn’t need him for the regular season. They already had the best record in baseball when they traded for him. They had the AL Central all but mathematically clinched.

The Royals wanted more.

Much more.

If they are going to go to the World Series again, they needed Cueto.

“We left spring training feeling like it was going to be important to us to make a move,’’ Moore said, “particularly in the rotation. You didn’t know who was going to be available, but I thought we were going to have to do something.

“We had two months to go, and a rotation that really had been struggling. The last thing we wanted to do was put ourselves in position to wear out the bullpen, because that had been our strength.

“We knew Johnny would give us innings, help solidify our rotation, and be a guy that can match up well against the better teams in baseball.’’

That moment was Wednesday, with the Royals now 10-1 in their last 11 postseason elimination games, losing only last year to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the World Series.

“I remember [Atlanta Braves president] John Schuerholz telling me that if you make a trade,’’ Royals GM Dayton Moore said, “and whether it’s one hit or one pitch that helps you win a playoff game, it’s all worth it.

“This night, that trade was all worth it.’’

The Astros, who quietly conceded that they had Cueto’s provided them precious few opportunities, will spend the winter knowing they’ve arrived onto the scene as a contender, but haunted by Game 4. It was the one that got away. They had a four-run lead in the eighth inning, and their bullpen imploded. They never should have had to face Cueto.

“It’s very tough,’’ Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, who watched Keuchel break into tears after the game. “I got a lot of heartbroken guys in that clubhouse that really believed that we could continue on. So it hurts. It hurts to know that we put everything that we could into this season, and it ends abruptly.

“But I’m proud of how we handled ourselves. I’m proud of how we responded to the challenge of a wild card game, how we responded to the challenge of playing the defining American League champions, and how we gutted it out to the bitter end.’’

The Astros will be back. They will only be better. They’re not going anywhere.

“I talked to A.J. after the game,’’ Yost said, “and I told him, “Man, you got a team that’s going to be good for years to come. And what they accomplished this year, I thought that was special. The job that AJ did over there with that group, I thought was unbelievable. They’re going to be a tough foe in the American League for years and year to come.’’

But the Royals are there right now.

Maybe this is why their clubhouse celebration was tame. There were the traditional champagne sprays and beer showers. Yet, the music died down early, and the party ended quickly.

The Chicago Cubs celebrated their spring-training victories with more vivacity than the Royals’ Division Series championship.

“Obviously, when you do something the first time,’’ Moore said, “there’s an innocence about it. A raw emotion that maybe you don’t know there is.’’

Yet, it’s also confidence that the Royals intend to be in this for the long haul. They’ll celebrate in style once they reach their final goal.

That’s a World Series title.

“Last year our focus was different,” Yost said. “We wanted to break a 29-year spell of not making it to the playoffs. And I felt like the wild-card game really wouldn’t mean anything, just making the wild-card game if we didn’t win.

“When we won, I felt like, ‘OK, we accomplished our goal.’ We wanted to get to the playoffs. And we eventually took it all the way to the World Series. But for me, that was kind of like a bonus.

“This year it’s a different story. Our ultimate goal was to win the World Series. And anything short of that is going to be a goal unaccomplished.’’

Four victories down.

Eight to go.

And now they found their ace again.

“We don’t worry about what anyone thinks from the outside,’’ Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain said, “we believe in each other. We know it won’t be easy, but if we want to get where we want to be, we have to believe in each other.

“And we believe.

“You saw that tonight.’’

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GALLERY: ASTROS vs. ROYALS