If you were to ask New York Mets manager Terry Collins why his club lost the 2015 World Series to the Kansas City Royals, he would probably shoulder the blame and say that it was because he left Game-5 starter Matt Harvey in to pitch the ninth inning with his team up 2-0 and the hard-throwing right-hander at 111 pitches. In fact, that’s exactly what Collins said during his postgame press conference after the Royals’ remarkable 7-2 come-from-behind Game-5 win to captures baseball’s highest honor.

“Obviously I let my heart get in the way of my gut,” Collins told reporters. “I love my players and I trust them. Sometimes you let your heart dictate your mind. Again, we had said going in if Matt gave us seven, Jeurys was going to pitch two. I’ve got one of the best closers in the game. I got him in the game, but it was a little late. That’s inexcusable for me.”

As every good manager does, Terry Collins fell on his sword during Sunday night’s postgame press conference. But in spite of what he said, the bottom line is that it wasn’t his fault that the Mets lost the 2015 World Series. (Video capture courtesy of Fox Sports)

But truth be told, it wasn’t Terry Collins leaving Matt Harvey in when he obviously should have replaced him that cost the Mets the World Series. In fact, it wasn’t any one decision by Collins that caused his team to fall to the Royals in five games. It was the Royals offense that caused the Mets to fall – and for the exact same reason that the Dodgers fell to those very same Mets two weeks earlier – the Royals hit with runners in scoring position and the Mets (and Dodgers) did not.

Christian Colon had exactly one at-bat during the 2015 World Series. The former Canyon High School (Santa Clarita, CA) Cowboy made the best of it by hitting the game-winning and series-clinching RBI single in that one at-bat. (Video capture courtesy of Fox Sports)

Even though the Mets hit six home runs in the five games and the Royals only two (and none after Game-1), the Royals were a remarkable 17 for 49 (.347) with runners in scoring position and the Mets a Dodgers-like 5 for 28 (.179), including 0 for 5 in Sunday night’s Game-5.

Say what you will about Collins and his emotional decision to stick with Harvey – a decision that will undoubtedly haunt the 66-year-old Mets skipper for the rest of his life – the simple truth is that the Mets didn’t lose to the Royals, the Royals beat the Mets by seriously outhitting them when it mattered most – end of story.