Royals' Raul A. Mondesi, 20, makes World Series history with debut
— -- Raul A. Mondesi, the son of former Dodgers outfielder Raul Mondesi, became the first player in MLB history to debut in the World Series when he pinch-hit Friday night for the Kansas City Royals.
Mondesi hit for left-handed reliever Danny Duffy to lead off the fifth inning of Game 3 with the Royals trailing the New York Mets 5-3.
Mondesi struck out swinging on the fourth pitch of the at-bat on a 97 mph fastball from starter Noah Syndergaard.
Kansas City leads the series 2-0.
Mondesi, 20, hit .243 with a .651 OPS in 81 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas this season. He stole 19 bases in 25 attempts.
Mondesi, who replaced outfielder Terrance Gore on Kansas City's postseason roster, is also the youngest player to appear in a World Series game since Claudell Washington in 1974.
Royals manager Ned Yost had said the team decided to add Mondesi to the roster for flexibility, which was key given the shift to New York, putting the series under NL rules for Games 3, 4 and 5.
Mondesi can play second base and shortstop. He can bunt, and he brings an element of speed to the Royals' roster.
ESPN's Keith Law ranked Mondesi as the 38th best prospect in baseball to begin the 2015 season.
"The coaches were on the idea before I was," Yost said Tuesday. "We had to sit and discuss it for a long time. And finally when I told Raul yesterday that he was going to be on the roster, he just looked at me and said, 'I'm ready.' That turned the page for me."
By making a World Series roster, Mondesi achieves a distinction never enjoyed by his father. Raul Mondesi spent 13 seasons in the majors with the Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and four other clubs. He appeared in 1,525 regular-season games, made 6,369 regular-season plate appearances and tacked on 38 postseason plate appearances in 10 playoff games, but he was never part of a World Series roster.
Information from ESPN staff writer Jerry Crasnick was used in this report.
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