Momentum is everything. Just ask the New York Mets. After a clean sweep of the highly fancied Chicago Cubs, they enter the 2015 World Series with a devastating and healthy young starting rotation and the hottest hitter in baseball. No other player in recent history goes into the Fall Classic on a tear like Daniel Murphy. The Mets’ second baseman has hit a home run in each of his last six postseason games, breaking a 2004 record set by then-Houston Astro Carlos Beltran. Not known as a power hitter, Murphy, who rarely strikes out but hits for average, is in the midst of a spree akin to Reggie Jackson. However, if the Mets are any chance of winning their first title since 1986, they cannot afford to lean so heavily on their own version of Mr October …

Kansas City stands in the way. The Royals are battle-hardened. Given their blend of youth and experience, they loom as a formidable opponent. If not for Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, they might have won it all last season. Ever since losing to San Francisco in seven games, Kansas City has developed a steely resolve. They don’t rattle easily and, unlike the Mets, hit all the way through the line-up.

The imperative for manager Ned Yost will be for his team to get an early lead before going to his flame-throwing bullpen. Kansas City’s late-innings relievers, especially Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera, have been lights-out when defending a lead. Davis has risen to every challenge this postseason, perhaps none bigger than when Toronto had a man on third base with no one out in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the ALCS and couldn’t get him home.

The Mets, however, have most often been the team to ambush opponents in this postseason. Curtis Granderson has excelled in the leadoff spot and together with captain David Wright, sets the table for the likes of Murphy and clean-up hitter leftfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Yost might look to go after Cespedes early in the series in the event he instructs his starters to pitch around Murphy. He’s hitting .421 and gone deep off the likes of Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta. Edinson Volquez, the likely third starter in the Royals’ rotation, has a history of giving up long home runs. Brandon Crawford’s grand slam in last year’s NL Wildcard game still hasn’t landed …

The sparkplug for KC has been shortstop Alcides Escobar. He is 17 for 44, with five extra base hits and nine runs scored this postseason. It’s an arrival that has felt like a long time coming. His glove alone makes him a major factor in the series. First base Eric Hosmer continues to be a clutch performer, driving in runs in key moments. Ben Zobrist (.933 OPS combining his on base percentage with slugging) has been a model of consistency and along with veteran Kendrys Morales, has proven to be one of the key trade deadline acquisitions this season.

It’s been a long year for the battered Salvador Perez. He has started more games than any other elite catcher in 2015 and his game calling will be crucial should KC look to avoid the same pratfalls Chicago fell into.

There’s little familiarity between the teams. For the Royals only outfielder Alex Rios has had an at-bat against one of the Mets starters in Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and lefty Steve Matz, all of whom regularly hit 97mp/h on the radar gun. Unlike Toronto and the Cubs, Kansas City look to put the ball in play and won’t be dominated by the Mets’ power arms like say the ill-fated all-or-nothing game style of Chicago. Kansas City also owns – by a fair margin – the lowest strikeout percentage of any team in 2015.

Mets manager Terry Collins, at 66, is the oldest in the majors. His calm approach and faith in his players makes him something of a Zen master. A younger skipper may have long ago lost patience with Lucas Duda. A traced police chalk outline of him in the dugout would have sufficed the last few weeks. Collins, to his credit, has shown loyalty to the young 1B, whose bat came alive in the final game of the NLCS when he hit a three-run bomb to help lay to rest his growing reputation as a “K” merchant.

With Ruben Tejada nursing a broken leg after a brutal takeout from Chase Utley in the division series against Los Angeles, young shortstop Wilmer Flores will need to impact the game. Of late he’s been something of a passenger. The same could be said of Matt Harvey. The Mets ace has had an up and down season after missing all of 2014 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He is slated to start game 1 and, despite a sterling last outing, has been more consistent this year adding chins to his face than he has of commanding his secondary pitches.

Down the stretch, closer Jeurys Familia has become a weapon for the Mets. He was frequently asked to make the final four or five outs of games this postseason. His sinking fastball, however, might not be so fearsome to a Royals outfit willing to shorten up their stroke – as Houston discovered a victim of death by a thousand cuts.

Veteran starter Bartolo Colon, working out of the bullpen, has looked nothing short of ice-cool in his cameo appearances through October. It’s highly unlikely we’ll get to see the 42-year-old Dominican start any of the games, but he is a stable presence who Collins can turn to should one of his young arms get into trouble early.

For the Royals, a lot of responsibility falls on the shoulders of Johnny Cueto, whose performances in big games leave a lot to be desired; he was shaky in his last start. If he can establish his fastball early, it will go a long way to helping Kansas City go one better than they did in 2014.

It’s been a long year for both teams. Not much was expected of the Mets, who clicked in the second half and ran away with the NL East. In contrast, the Royals have been a team on a mission of redemption and unwavering belief. Corner outfielder Alex Gordon, subdued of late, just might be the x-factor that spurs this team to a championship. Otherwise, this will be a series of attrition just as likely decided by the cost of an error as it will be on the value of a hit.

Meanwhile, the AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE's new season is underway. Watch the first home run of 2015-16 below!