After two games in the 2014 World Series, the Kansas City Royals were tied at 1-1 with the San Francisco Giants, having rallied from a Game 1 defeat to win Game 2. I wrote last year how had the Giants taken both games in Missouri, there was a strong chance the series wouldn’t return to Kauffman Stadium, but that split eventually led to one of the most memorable World Series in recent memory.

Fast forward to this year; the Royals and Mets were engaged in a tough battle in Game 1 before the hosts prevailed on a sacrifice fly in extra innings. In Game 2, the Royals batting lineup took charge, giving them a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.

Friday marks Game 3 at Citi Field, a game the Mets have to win to maintain hopes of winning their first world championship since 1986. No team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win a World Series, although it’s happened before in previous rounds, notably the 2004 ALCS. The Mets will be sending Noah Syndegaard to the mound, one of the team’s star pitchers this year along with Jacob deGrom, who struggled in Game 2. The Royals’ starter, Yordano Ventura, also has a powerful fastball that can give the Mets’ batters fits.

One group who will be very interested in the next two nights are NBC Sports executives. With this week’s Sunday Night Football matchup featuring the undefeated Packers and undefeated Broncos, they’ll want to draw in a huge audience for ratings. However, Sunday is when Game 5 of the World Series is scheduled, and if Kansas City wins either Friday or Saturday (with the Mets winning the other game), they’ll have a chance Sunday to win their first title since 1985. It’s fair to say NBC is hoping the Royals can finish a sweep of the Mets Saturday, or that the Mets take both of the first two games so that Sunday’s game isn’t one where the Royals can win the series. If it is a 3-1 series going into Sunday night, it will be intriguing to see which game earns the higher ratings.

Can the Mets get out of a 2-0 hole to at least send the series back to Kansas City? Or will the Royals finish the job they nearly accomplished twelve months ago?