KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Buck Showalter knew he was in trouble when the seventh inning rolled around and his Orioles were trailing the Kansas City Royals in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series.

Three innings later, his fears were realized — and Baltimore’s season was over.

In each game of the series, the three-headed monster of Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and All-Star closer Greg Holland had slammed the door on the Orioles. They did it again in the clincher, a 2-1 victory that helped Kansas City return to the World Series after a 29-year absence.

Now, the Royals open the Fall Classic on Tuesday night against San Francisco, and they’ll hope to once again turn a lead over to their star relievers in Game 1.